signal lever, wipers, cruise control problems

[kanek4]

Hey all, having some problems that I can only assume are related somehow..

-wipers will turn on but won't turn off unless i turn the car off. also lost the delay function
-after making a left turn, the signal switch won't return back to neutral, i have to click it back up manually
-cruise control not working

To be honest I don't mind not having cruise considering this car's a gas pig as it is.. but I'm thinking the switch return and wiper problem could be related.. I bought a new signal lever a while ago but I'm thinking I might need something else too.. thanks guys.

 

[Bonnewagon]

When you turn off the car, do the wipers "park" properly or just stop wherever they are? If so it's probably the motor assembly itself, that's where the "park" and "shut off" functions are controlled. The turn signal has springs inside the steering column that cancel the signals, you must remove the steering wheel to fix that.

 

[kanek4]

Yes, when I shut the car off the wipers stop wherever they are until I re-start the car, then they park themselves into the off position until I turn them on again. If I want to turn the wipers off while I'm driving, I just give the key a little switch off & back on again which is usually enough to kill the wipers without turning the car off.

So I most likely need a wiper motor. I was hoping it was just a relay or regulator or something.

I found the signal switch springs online, they're only $2 a piece. Taking off the wheel should be fun! heh

Thanks for the suggestions bud

 

[pontiacgp]

I think bonnewagon meant when you shut your wipers off do they stop where they are or park. When the ignition is shut off the wipers will stop where they are.

 

[kanek4]

Oh sorry if I misunderstood. The wipers will not shut off unless I turn the ignition off. The wiper switch only works to turn them on, but the "delay" and "off" functions do not work.

So when I do shut the ignition off, they stay where they are until I start the car again, and then they return to "park"

 

[pontiacgp]

there is a wiper pulse board that sounds like t's fried. You can a replacement circuit board and that should fix the delay and park problems

 

[kanek4]

Great, I'll look into it.. thanks for the help guys

 

[Bonnewagon]

Sorry I was incomplete, but you answered it anyway. When the car is shut off, everything stops, but when turned on again, they park and shut off. That means the "park/stop" function in the motor mechanism is not working when it should. The "park/stop" function is both mechanical and electrical and there is a relay inside that tells the parking pawl to engage and draw the wipers down to the cowling when you select "off". The motor stays energized during this and when the parking pawl reaches it's resting position, the motor shuts off. This means the motor stays energized even after the wiper switch is turned to "off". When you turn the ignition off, you de-energize the mechanism and it resets, thus allowing the parking relay to park the wipers and shut off. My '86 manual says there can be two kinds of wiper motors, the small/thin and the short/fat shaped motor. Problems can be: terminal "1"grounded, corroded terminals, or faulty wiper switch. Being that your "delay" function is also bad, I would check the switch first, as that is where the delay reostat is. Lucky for you, it is in the same place as the directionals cancelling cam you need to get to anyway. If the switch is OK, the motor/mechanism may be bad, and it would be cheaper/easier to swap in a known good one. If possible you should read a factory manual and be prepared for a crashing head ache, it's that complicated.

 

[kanek4]

Sounds like I have a nice little project ahead of me. I'm waiting until the cancelling springs come in and I'm going to attack it all in one shot. I hope it is just the wiper switch obviously for cost reasons. Its been going on for about 6 months which is why I didnt think it was the wiper motor itself, but possibly a switch/relay going to it, so everything you've said makes sense. I guess I can either suck it up and fix it or just use a gallon of Rain-X every time i leave the house lol. I appreciate you looking into it for me bud, I should get my hands on a manual ASAP.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Yup, even with the manual, wipers are pretty mindboggling. Your '88 is a "positive switched"system that sends 12v positive to the switch, and the motor is grounded. Prior to '84 they used "negative switched" and the motor was positive and the switch was the ground. With the wiring diagram you can test a few things. On the bottom of the steering column, just inside the dash, the wiper harness comes out, usually 4 or 5 wires, and you can test the motor from there. I'm *ss-uming yours is an '88? If so here's the wiring, see the park relay? There's the problem. By the arm not parking, the switch can't shut the wipers off. I've played with these for decades and they still confuse me so don't feel bad!