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SIV Wiper Arm Movement Issue

Scotty

Scotty

Silver Level Sponsor
Yesterday I sat down and went through the wiring to get my wiper motor running again. I removed both wiper arms from the base so it could move freely and got the motor to work in both speeds flawlessly.

I wired up my switch (including an in-line fuse) and put both arms back on the base and tried and the arms will only move about 1/5th of the way across the windshield and then return home. When I shut them off they immediately park, like they should.

Is there something I am missing or is there a special way/orientation I should use to put the wipers back on. Like an idiot I don't remember in what orientation I removed them in, so any help on that would be greatly appreciated!
 
Gordon Holsinger

Gordon Holsinger

Diamond Level Sponsor
Scotty said:
Yesterday I sat down and went through the wiring to get my wiper motor running again. I removed both wiper arms from the base so it could move freely and got the motor to work in both speeds flawlessly.

I wired up my switch (including an in-line fuse) and put both arms back on the base and tried and the arms will only move about 1/5th of the way across the windshield and then return home. When I shut them off they immediately park, like they should.

Is there something I am missing or is there a special way/orientation I should use to put the wipers back on. Like an idiot I don't remember in what orientation I removed them in, so any help on that would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
There is a certain amount of drag across the wind screen try a wet screen!
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
The wipers should not immediately park. They should complete the swipe and when they return to the park position, stop. My only suggestion is to move the blades about a quarter turn to the right, so when they reverse they are in the correct position to return. Then tell us how what happens.

Bill
 
Scotty

Scotty

Silver Level Sponsor
Turns out the nut that bolts around the top side of the wiper arm and motor was for some reason unbolted. This is the first time since I've owned the car that I've done anything with it, so it's been this way since I bought the car way back when. Tightened it and it suddenly worked like it's supposed to. Thank you all for your help!! :D
 
T

Thor 1211

Silver Level Sponsor
Series V. I can't get my wipers to make a full sweep and when I switch them off they park right there and don't go down to the park position. Am I wired wrong or is this an issue in the drive unit?
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
In my opinion, you have two unrelated problems.
Problem #1 involves the drive mechanism. Exactly what, I don't know.
Problem #2 is improper wiring, probably of the park mechanism.

Wish I could be more specific.

Bill
 
Knightowl61

Knightowl61

Gold Level Sponsor
I had a similar problem switching a single to a dual speed motor. I thought like a normal system the motor was grounded and 12v switched the motor on.....wouldn't park. Finally realized the motor was always hot and switching ground let the wipers work and park like normal. For me, thinking can be dangerous.
 
Scotty

Scotty

Silver Level Sponsor
As I understand it, the "Park" in the motor can sometimes require maintenance or replacement. I've been combing through the WSM and that and a post or two here popped up in a search about it.

Bill Blue: You are correct and I'm mistaken. The wipers DO complete their movement before returning, and stopping at park. It's possible yours is just miswired as I had to play around with the wiring to figure out the orientation of the schematic in the WSM. Sorry, I'm abit ditzy and I usually take on a more (but always safe) hands-on approach.

The wiper motor is ALWAYS getting 12V the way it's wired so my question is this: Should I put a relay on it? I took a similar approach with the horn when I realized it was getting constant power and picked up a kit that had most of the stuff I needed + a relay. Right now I wired the wiper motor with an inline fuse. Is it overkill to do the same with the wiper motor?
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
It might be a good idea to power the wiper using a relay. Design the circuit so the power does not go through the ignition switch, decreasing its load and lengthening it potential life. As far as wipers are concerned, I don't think it makes much difference.

The wiper "Park" function is controlled by a simple switch on the top of the wiper gearbox. When properly wired and adjusted, they are trouble free and long lived.
 
T

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
I would advise you to NOT use a relay for the wiper motor. A relay for the horn makes sense because the horn requires a a lot of current and the horn ring "switch" is not a very well designed "switch". I found much more reliable horn operation after I installed a relay.

Regarding a relay for the wiper, in 55 years of Alpine ownership I have never had a problem with the wiper motor not running or running poorly due to a bad switch. Furthermore adding in a relay for the wiper can be complicated. As you note, the wiper motor is connected directly to 12 V supply. I think you DO understand that the Hi , Low, Off Wiper switch connects different parts of the motor to Ground to achieve the Hi , Low, Off operation. So where would you wire the relay ? If you wire it on the Ground side, you'll need 2 relays, one for he Hi speed and one for the Low speed, and it will not be trivial to figure out how to control those 2 relays with the single switch. Of course you could install the relay in the 12 V supply line. But if you do that, when you turn the relay OFF to turn the 12 V supply to the wiper OFF, the wiper will stop at whatever position it is in at the time because there is no power to "Park" the wiper motor because the park switch is on the ground side of the circuit.

I'm sure Bill Blue (or I) could figure out an effective way to wire in a relay (or two) to accomplish this. But I'll bet it t would take a good bit of effort to figure out, even more effort to try to explain the solution to an electrical "rookie", and even more effort to actually install such. I hope Bill doesn't take this as a "challenge" as he already has a challenging task on his plate!:)

Tom
 
B

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Tom, my simple mind would wire the relay to the ignition switch. When the ignition is "On", the relay would be energized and the wiper would operate in the normal fashion.

Bill
 
Scotty

Scotty

Silver Level Sponsor
Tom H said:
I would advise you to NOT use a relay for the wiper motor. A relay for the horn makes sense because the horn requires a a lot of current and the horn ring "switch" is not a very well designed "switch". I found much more reliable horn operation after I installed a relay.

Regarding a relay for the wiper, in 55 years of Alpine ownership I have never had a problem with the wiper motor not running or running poorly due to a bad switch. Furthermore adding in a relay for the wiper can be complicated. As you note, the wiper motor is connected directly to 12 V supply. I think you DO understand that the Hi , Low, Off Wiper switch connects different parts of the motor to Ground to achieve the Hi , Low, Off operation. So where would you wire the relay ? If you wire it on the Ground side, you'll need 2 relays, one for he Hi speed and one for the Low speed, and it will not be trivial to figure out how to control those 2 relays with the single switch. Of course you could install the relay in the 12 V supply line. But if you do that, when you turn the relay OFF to turn the 12 V supply to the wiper OFF, the wiper will stop at whatever position it is in at the time because there is no power to "Park" the wiper motor because the park switch is on the ground side of the circuit.

I'm sure Bill Blue (or I) could figure out an effective way to wire in a relay (or two) to accomplish this. But I'll bet it t would take a good bit of effort to figure out, even more effort to try to explain the solution to an electrical "rookie", and even more effort to actually install such. I hope Bill doesn't take this as a "challenge" as he already has a challenging task on his plate!:)

Tom
Click to expand...

And this is why I asked the questions that I do :). Thank you Tom!

Bill Blue: Never thought of putting a relay on the Ignition...
 
T

Tom H

Platinum Level Sponsor
Bill, I KNEW you would have a good answer. But I did not think it would be this simple! Duh! (banging forehead)

Scotty, Bill is not suggesting putting a relay "on the ignition". As I said it might be a bit too confusing for an electrical "rookie".
 
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