83 cutlass strange winshield wiper problem

[cdg1984]

I have an 83 cutlass supreme with 200,000 miles, so its pretty worn. The windshield wipers are acting really strange. When i turn them on, sometimes they go right on and other times they will hesitiate for at least a minute or so then turn on. Then when i turn them off, the will hesitate again. Sometimes only for a few seconds, other times they wont go off at all and i have to shut the engine off. Not sure if it is the switch or the wiring or what. Can anyone shed any light on this??

 

[cdg1984]

NOW THEY WONT GO OFF AT ALL!!! :?

 

[Blake442]

My '81 Monte used to do that, though I sold it before I fixed it.

Get your hands on a factory service manual. There's a whole section on diagnosing wiper problems, and it will walk you through what to check first and so on.

 

[svltrack]

NOW THEY WONT GO OFF AT ALL!!! :?

Check for a short to power before the switch if they will not go off at all. Though bizarre & rare this is about the only way an electrical accessory will remain on if the key is in the off position

 

[cdg1984]

THANKS FOR THE ADVICE. HAD MY BROTHER WHO IS A MECHANIC LOOK AT IT, PRETTY SURE ITS THE SWITCH.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Ditto the manual. There is a relay in the housing that keeps power on until the transmission goes into the "park" position. Could be it's not parking, or the relay is bad. For a 200,000 mile car maybe it's time for a rebuilt?