Wiper motor intermittently stopping

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Robj

Robj

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This is my first time dealing with a wiper motor issue. I've read everything in the factory manual and what I could find on here but didn't see anything relating exactly to my problem.

1970 Dart with two speed motor. With the switch on, the wipers will sometimes stop mid-swipe, sometimes stop at the bottom of the swipe. If stopped mid-swipe and I turn the switch off, they will sit they for a short bit and eventually return to the parked position. When they stop in the down position, I can work the switch on and off and nothing. After a little bit, they will work maybe for several swipes or maybe for half a swipe before stopping again.

The manual reads- "A circuit breaker, integral with the wiper switch protects the circuitry of the wiper system and the vehicle." There's no test shown for the circuit breaker. The test for the switch is a continuity bench test of the switch terminals out of the vehicle with no voltage applied. This doesn't really address the breaker and is it built into the switch?

The test for the motor is to basically jump power to it from the battery. If the breaker is in the switch, this isn't going to tell me if perhaps the motor has some internal problem triggering the breaker. I guess I need to check for binding in the linkage too.

Anybody out there have experience with this condition and or a better way to isolate if the problem is in the breaker or the motor? Thanks!
 
From Valiant.org

"The windshield wiper and headlamp circuits had circuit breakers in their switches. The back-up lamps and turn signals took their power from the windshield wiper switch, and thus the windshield wiper breaker. The cigar lighter and interior dome lamp get their power from the headlamp switch and use the headlamp switch circuit breaker."

One think I have been seeing says the wiper switch itself must be grounded, also that it is comon for the connectors to be causing intermittant outages due to being loose or corroded.

There is some (little) info on testing the actual breaker on Google.

I'll do some more looking for you about breaker checking.
 
My 77 ruck does the same thing and I also read about the breaker in the switch, haven't fixed the issue yet though as I rarely drive it. I'll be watching this to see what resolves the issue!
 
If you have ever had one apart you will find three small wires that hold the brushes to the armature. These are the thickness of a hair. Any moisture inside the cover causes these to rust and fail. I do not advise trying to take one apart and fixing it. Unless you have a lot of patience, tweasers and a steady hand. Check the ground 1st, should be a copper strap on one of the wiper post studs. Wiper motors rebuilt are relatively cheap rebuilt. I am a tight wad but this is one of those things that I just buy a rebuilt one. Keep the arm off the back of wiper motor as they do not come with it. It is held on with 1/2 nut
 
A lot of wiper switches have a breaker mounted on them or inside them.
My guess is the overheating that causes breaker action/interruption is due to crusty wiper pivot internals. Majority of wear and resulting binding is in the drivers side pivot by design. Hope this helps
 
RedFish said:
A lot of wiper switches have a breaker mounted on them or inside them.
My guess is the overheating that causes breaker action/interruption is due to crusty wiper pivot internals. Majority of wear and resulting binding is in the drivers side pivot by design. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Good point, as I was going to mention drag causing it also.
Even dry bushings in the motor can do it.
 
I suppose you could test the motor with a fuse in the jumper wire, to see if it blows. To test for drag, disconnect the linkage and run the motor with no load.
 
Most of us never bought a new one. I had always disliked the noisy wiper stuff being inside the cabin. Felt Chryslers engineers really dropped the ball there.
I never knew just how smooth and quietly the wipers could operate until I rebuilt the pivot posts in my 67.
 
RedFish said:
Most of us never bought a new one. I had always disliked the noisy wiper stuff being inside the cabin. Felt Chryslers engineers really dropped the ball there.
I never knew just how smooth and quietly the wipers could operate until I rebuilt the pivot posts in my 67.
Click to expand...

Same here.
I can't hear them at all (even with the engine not running) after doing all the bushings at the linkage pivots.
Still have not done the arm pivots, but have the kits here for them when I feel like getting around to it.

One thing I have not done yet, but intend to do is to mount an intermittant wipe button inside the end of my Hurst shifter handle.
I'll wire that into the park function wire so I can make them do one sweep per push of the button. (Probably use a relay) because I want the button to be small and flush to the shifter handle end.
 
If its early wipers ( like my 67 ) the push to wash feature in the switch can be a single sweep intermittent wiper. I removed the washer bottle and electric pump.
I never installed the foot pump washer either, haven't needed it.
The later wiring and wiper motor wont work this way.
And the kits for wiper pivots are only seal kits. They wont help severly worn pivot shafts and bushings.
 
TrailBeast said:
From Valiant.org

"The windshield wiper and headlamp circuits had circuit breakers in their switches. The back-up lamps and turn signals took their power from the windshield wiper switch, and thus the windshield wiper breaker. The cigar lighter and interior dome lamp get their power from the headlamp switch and use the headlamp switch circuit breaker."
Click to expand...

Because of this I moved these over to their own circuit.

And jokingly, why change anything? You got an intermittent wiper upgrade for free.
 
RedFish said:
If its early wipers ( like my 67 ) the push to wash feature in the switch can be a single sweep intermittent wiper. I removed the washer bottle and electric pump.
I never installed the foot pump washer either, haven't needed it.
The later wiring and wiper motor wont work this way.
And the kits for wiper pivots are only seal kits. They wont help severly worn pivot shafts and bushings.
Click to expand...

All true, but in my own case it's a 3 speed unit.
I have a washer unit from a newer vehicle in my car mounted over on the passenger side firewall/fender.
It's an external inline pump unit, but still accuates the same with the washer and single wipe, but you have to reach up to the switch to do it.
I was thinkin to just countersink a microswitch into the Hurst handle so I could activate it from there for the single wipe when I wanted it.
 
We've had guests since before Christmas. They just left so i can find some time now. I did the pivots two years ago but I still plan to disconnect the motor and check for drag. Also check the grounds and see how clean they are.
 
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