Wiper switch take a dump?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
From: Cumming Georgia
Wiper switch take a dump?
I left work tonight, after dark, and it's raining, I'm thinking no big deal. I get ready to go, and when I rotate the wiper switch.... nothing. I pushed down on the stalk, and the wipers run one time and park, then push on the center button, and they run twice and park. Still no action with the rotating switch on the stalk. Is this common? I'm afraid to even ask how much it will cost to fix.
One thing kind of neat though is that after the car reached 45mph, the water just ran up the windshield, and I was able to see plenty well enough to get home, even with oncoming traffic and headlights. Is that a characteristic of the vette?
Thanks,
Tim Glover
One thing kind of neat though is that after the car reached 45mph, the water just ran up the windshield, and I was able to see plenty well enough to get home, even with oncoming traffic and headlights. Is that a characteristic of the vette?
Thanks,
Tim Glover
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
There are a number of reasions for the wipers to fail but the most common one is a bad wiper stalk or more common is a flooded wiper control module. Your wiper control module lives in a well and the well has THREE drains:
You can access the drains by inserting your hand in here:
Feel the drain udders. If there SOLID, there clogged! You need to clean them out! Dry the module and see if that corrects the problem.
BC
You can access the drains by inserting your hand in here:
Feel the drain udders. If there SOLID, there clogged! You need to clean them out! Dry the module and see if that corrects the problem.
BC
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 807
Likes: 21
From: Los Altos CA
One thing kind of neat though is that after the car reached 45mph, the water just ran up the windshield, and I was able to see plenty well enough to get home, even with oncoming traffic and headlights. Is that a characteristic of the vette?
Thanks,
Tim Glover[/QUOTE]
I found the same thing on my C4 and the C5. It only works at night as I recall - daylight causes too much glare.
Thanks,
Tim Glover[/QUOTE]
I found the same thing on my C4 and the C5. It only works at night as I recall - daylight causes too much glare.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
From: Cumming Georgia
Not sure about drains
Hi Bill,
I thought about the drains first, but the wiper motor works fine when I push down on the stalk, or on the center button. Trouble is, the wipers only go one or two passes and then park again. I cleared the windshield a couple of times in traffic with this method.
I was wondering about the switch on the stalk, if it is something that fails routinely. If so, is it difficult to remove (and gulp, expensive)? I do my own work, just not as fast as a shop. One because I really enjoy working on my cars, and two, it's a whole lot cheaper.
It might help if I say that I'm asking about my 2000 Corvette. Sorry.
Thanks,
Tim Glover
I thought about the drains first, but the wiper motor works fine when I push down on the stalk, or on the center button. Trouble is, the wipers only go one or two passes and then park again. I cleared the windshield a couple of times in traffic with this method.
I was wondering about the switch on the stalk, if it is something that fails routinely. If so, is it difficult to remove (and gulp, expensive)? I do my own work, just not as fast as a shop. One because I really enjoy working on my cars, and two, it's a whole lot cheaper.
It might help if I say that I'm asking about my 2000 Corvette. Sorry.
Thanks,
Tim Glover
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
The Motor has a COMPLEX controller. if the controller is bad, it doesnt matter if the module is flooded or not. The stalk is less expensive than the stalk and easier to change.
There you go. 50/50 chance! stalk or control module. The stalk is MUCH easier to change.
BC
There you go. 50/50 chance! stalk or control module. The stalk is MUCH easier to change.
BC
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
From: Cumming Georgia
Guess I'll be ordering a stalk
Thank you Bill. Here's hoping for the best. I'm assuming the stalk is a dealer item only, but will take a look around the forum to see. By the way, thank you for the photo on the udders. I'll be checking them this weekend, and the picture makes their location very clear.
Tim Glover
Tim Glover
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
From: Cumming Georgia
Checked Udders
Hi,
Tonight I checked the udders shown in the pictures by Bill, and they were OK. One was completely clear, the other two had a couple of leaves (loose) in them, so maybe the wiper motor is OK. I'm looking for a wiper switch now.
Thanks all,
Tim Glover
Tonight I checked the udders shown in the pictures by Bill, and they were OK. One was completely clear, the other two had a couple of leaves (loose) in them, so maybe the wiper motor is OK. I'm looking for a wiper switch now.
Thanks all,
Tim Glover
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Hartland Mi
If my memory is correct I think the switch is about $ 80.00 plus shipping through GM parts direct, try PN 26047377. The switch is not hard to replace, you have to pull the lower close out panel the lower dash panel, below the sterring column (which will come out without removing the console) and the lower half of the column. The only real way to determine if it's the switch or the motor is to follow the diagnostic flow charts in the shop manual. good luck.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
TopFuelTim: I read your original and subsequent posts and nowhere did I read anything about pushing the wiper lever up to engage either low/high speed wipers. You've only mentioned rotating the wiper switch (sets time delay only), pushing down on the stalk (single wipe mode only unless held down continuously) or pressing the center button (washer mode with a specific number of wipes only).
Not being flippant here, just thought I'd ask.
Not being flippant here, just thought I'd ask.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 985
Likes: 0
From: Cumming Georgia
Omigosh! Do I feel dumb now!
TopFuelTim: I read your original and subsequent posts and nowhere did I read anything about pushing the wiper lever up to engage either low/high speed wipers. You've only mentioned rotating the wiper switch (sets time delay only), pushing down on the stalk (single wipe mode only unless held down continuously) or pressing the center button (washer mode with a specific number of wipes only).
Not being flippant here, just thought I'd ask.
Not being flippant here, just thought I'd ask.
LoneStarFRC, you are definitely not being flippant, you have been super helpful. I can only hope that I will eventually contribute more than I receive from this forum. I tried the wipers out per your suggestion, and they worked just like they are supposed to. I am a bit embarrassed that I didn't look at the owner's manual, but I genuinely thought I knew how to use the wiper switch. Guess it's time to take a closer look at that nut behind the wheel!
Thank you again,
Tim Glover
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
:o Had anyone asked before this post, I would have said I had used the wipers before, as I have driven it to work for the three months I have owned it, except for really messy days, days when I needed my truck, or days when my wife just wanted the car. Thinking back, it has rained while I had the car out, but not while I was driving it on the way to or from work, so I hadn't tried to use them before.
LoneStarFRC, you are definitely not being flippant, you have been super helpful. I can only hope that I will eventually contribute more than I receive from this forum. I tried the wipers out per your suggestion, and they worked just like they are supposed to. I am a bit embarrassed that I didn't look at the owner's manual, but I genuinely thought I knew how to use the wiper switch. Guess it's time to take a closer look at that nut behind the wheel!
Thank you again,
Tim Glover
LoneStarFRC, you are definitely not being flippant, you have been super helpful. I can only hope that I will eventually contribute more than I receive from this forum. I tried the wipers out per your suggestion, and they worked just like they are supposed to. I am a bit embarrassed that I didn't look at the owner's manual, but I genuinely thought I knew how to use the wiper switch. Guess it's time to take a closer look at that nut behind the wheel!
Thank you again,
Tim Glover
Glad to see you're back in "tall cotton" as they say! BTW, On the subject of windshield related stuff, I'm a firm believer in Rain-X and have been for years. After a really good initial cleaning of the windshield and the initial two recommended applications, water just flows off with very little need for wipers at all. Helps extend the life of the blades too since they're not used as much and lasts about 6 months or more. The stuff works.
Robert
