Wipers Will Not Park: 1973 Duster

-
D

dmat55

Active Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2014
Messages
38
Reaction score
0
Location
Upstate NY
Hi All,

Have a 1973 Duster with the 318 engine. I have found that the wipers will not park. I originally thought that it was a motor problem, so I replaced the motor (2-speed motor). Even with the new motor, the wipers will not park. When you turn the wipers off, they will stop wherever they are on the glass, rather than returning the the bottom of the windshield. I took the ballast resistor off the wiper motor and found that "wire" in between the two spade connectors is "frayed" in a spot. I have read that this ballast resistor is for the park feature and have also read that it is for the low speed wiper function. Could that be the problem? I have also read about the wiper switch not being tight enough to the dash and actually not creating a good enough ground. My switch is tight to the dash. Could this also be an issue?

Thanks for any help
 
In my experience the no park issue is a result of a broken part (cam?) in the wiper motor. Did you put a used motor in? I would strongly suspect that the new motor is also no good. Have you tried dissembling and looking in the old motor?

My 2 cents.....for what it is worth, LOL
 
is the switch on the dash a 2 speed switch?

because on the later a bodies there were two motors/switches/cranks

3 speed motor & 3 speed switch & 3 speed crank (crank is inside the firewall on the motor shaft)
2 speed motor & switch & crank

you cant mix n match.
so if someone sometime along the way took off a 3 speed & put a 2 speed motor and didnt change the crank then it wont work right
 
d55dave said:
In my experience the no park issue is a result of a broken part (cam?) in the wiper motor. Did you put a used motor in? I would strongly suspect that the new motor is also no good. Have you tried dissembling and looking in the old motor?

My 2 cents.....for what it is worth, LOL
Click to expand...

Put a reman in from Advance Auto. Haven't tried taking the old motor apart
 
moparlover said:
is the switch on the dash a 2 speed switch?

because on the later a bodies there were two motors/switches/cranks

3 speed motor & 3 speed switch & 3 speed crank (crank is inside the firewall on the motor shaft)
2 speed motor & switch & crank

you cant mix n match.
so if someone sometime along the way took off a 3 speed & put a 2 speed motor and didnt change the crank then it wont work right
Click to expand...

Pretty sure I have the two speed switch. Have to check again
 
One other thing I have seen before is stripped wiper posts. Where the actual wiper arm attaches to. If you know the posts are in good condition then I would be leaning towards the wiper cam.
 
I'm not sure this'll help,, but if you put the arm on the motor 180* out,, it'll park at the end of travel up on the screen.. Loosen the nut on the motor shaft,, and rotate the arm 180* and tighten nut,,

hope it helps..
 
Checked the switch and it is a 2 speed one. I checked the connections and I have a wire going to the park spade on the switch
 
Park is achieved by reversing the polarity of the electrical connections (by way of the dash switch). The (three speed) switch needs to have a good ground to the dash and there is a brass grounding strap on the wiper motor itself (usually going to one of the mounting studs). Check these grounds before you troubleshoot further.
 
I had the same problem on my 74 with 3 speed wipers. The problem for me was where the red wire comes out of the motor casing, it had snapped or broke somehow so I had to open up the casing and crimp on a new wire, solder the connection, and put heat shrink insulation on it. Works like a charm now.
 
Forgot to post an update to this. The reman motor from Advance Auto still would not park after pulling out the switch and checking all of the wires. I decided to put the original motor back in and they parked, so problem solved, for now :wink:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top