Another wiper motor question that will shock you.

Not clickbait. My 73 scamp wiper motor switch sends an electrical current to the whole car. I was trying to get the wipers to park instead of 45* up and when I activated the switch I first felt a shock in the switch. Then my leg was touching the sill plate and I felt it there also. My dash has been replaced so the metal plate that the gauges grounded to is gone.

When the switch is turned off the wipers park at 45* and if you try to move them by hand, they will not budge. Almost like they are being held there. I changed switches and it is the same. I removed the switch from the dash and while it hangs down and I activate the wiper fluid, I get shocked. Enough to know it is there but not kill you. No fuses have been blown

When the switch is removed completely from the harness, I can move the wiper arms freely.

Is this just a grounding issue? I have changed nothing about the motor or fluid pump at all and they were working fine. If it is a grounding issue, Do I just ground the body of the switch? If not a grounding issue, What changed? I would think if it was the wiper motor, I would not get shocked by pushing the fluid button, but maybe it is feeding back into the switch? I have a FSM and will reference it but I need to know where to look.

I will attack the parking position of the wipers after I get the "shocking" change in circumstances addressed.

This is my switch, 3 speed I think

A simple ground wire fixed it. Thanks for all the help!

Kent mosby said:

A simple ground wire fixed it. Thanks for all the help!

Click to expand...

LOL. Sorry I didn't see this sooner. But yes, that's an indication of an insufficient ground at the switch.
Guess how I know. It was shocking to me, also.

LOL I was JUST gonna post..."some switches need to be grounded." In case you are wondering Kent, this is VERY ' VERY poor engineering practice on the part of car makers "back then," as is depending such things as mounting bolts for VR or ignition boxes as well