TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:00 am

Hi,
I have a 1990 multivan in very good shape, last night it sat out in the first rain of the season. This morning I turned on the rear wiper, but now it will not shut off.

The relay #72 clicks every 5 or 6 seconds.

I needed to remove fuse #12 to disable the wiper.

Any tips on where to start?

Chief

Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:07 am

You push the lever down once to start tye rear intermitant wiper, or hold it for fluid. Push it again to shut it off.

Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:18 am

Yep, look here, page 50 of the owners manual.

http://www.westfaliat3.info/1990_VW_T25_Vanagon_And_Transporter_Owners_ManualWestfaliaT3WM.pdf

Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:05 pm

Thanks, but I've read the manual and the system is NOT responding correctly. It USED to work that way as described in the manual until this morning...(was working normally for months).

8^)

More clues:
If I set the wiper switch to the off position, stop the car and remove the key from the ignition, then restart the car, the rear wiper will resume wiping.

If I remove fuse 12, the rear wiper will stop. If I re-insert fuse 12, the wiper will reset to its normal off position (if it were halfway up the glass, it will return to the bottom of the glass) and stay off. But if I tap the wiper steering wheel switch down, the wiper will turn on and again will not stop unless I pull out and re-insert the fuse.

I hear a strange clicking on relay 72 when the wiper is moving

Chief

Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:08 pm

I'd replace the relay.

Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:41 pm

I was wondering if it were possible that water somehow is causing a short (since this started after the van was sitting out in the rain). Anyway to ID that before I replace the relay?
Chief

Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:03 pm

Update on symptoms-- must have gotten lucky when I re-inserted the fuse the first time. Now the rear wiper will just run continuously after I pull fuse 12 and put it back in.

I have a new relay on order.

Chief

Mon Sep 29, 2014 5:28 pm

Replaced the relay, wiper is working normally again. Not sure if I have some underlying shorting problem which caused the problem to begin with, I guess I'll wait and see...

Chief

Mon Sep 29, 2014 8:25 pm

Glad you got it fixed. Relays do go bad. Hope that is the end of it for you. :D

Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:58 am

Well, update--- it is sort of fixed...

When I turn the rear wiper on it should be moving in "intermittent" mode. Most of the time it will run very fast (faster than normal) continuously, and I can hear the relay activating which should be kicking up an intermittent wipe sequence (but the wiper wipes continuously). While the wiper is moving quickly I cannot shut it off with the wiper control switch. If I let it run for a few minutes, it will slow down a little on its own, at which point I can push down on the wiper control and shut it off.

Does that sound like a wiper motor problem or a grounding problem?

Chief

Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:22 pm

Update--

Did a little more troubleshooting during the last rainstorm.

My rear wiper *will* stay on even if I turn it off with the control lever when the rear window is wet.

When the rear window is dry, it will operate normally.

So, I figured it must have something to do with the load against the motor. Sure enough, when the window is wet and I turn the wiper on, then off, it will continue to run until I walk around to the back of the van and hold the wiper down-- at which point it will stop. I can replicate this reliably (when the window is dry, the motor has to work harder to move the wiper and it shuts off).

I know the problem is not the relay as I replace that. Would the problem more likely be with the wiper motor itself, or a ground?

Chief

Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:38 pm

revealing the motor behind the hatch panel may be enlightening. if the shaft seal is failing, your motor could be wet--a new seal may just solve it-

Sat Dec 06, 2014 11:28 am

Speaking a tad from ignorance here but it sounds like the wiper is unable to 'park'. I don't remember exactly how these things work but it seems to me a ground connection is involved within the motor itself and rust or skuz on the connection may have been buggared up by water entering the motor.

Sat Dec 06, 2014 10:40 pm

Thanks for the tips-- I'll pull the unit and check it out.

Chief