Windshield Wiper Stalk End Button Lost!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 859
Likes: 8
Windshield Wiper Stalk End Button Lost!
So I got in my car today, and as soon as I turned the key the wipers starting moving and spraying wiper fluid. I soon realized that the end button on the stalk that you press in to activate the washer fluid was missing. No idea how it came off. Searched frantically for it, but could not find it. Without the button in place, the wipers are moving frantically and the fluid keeps spraying out. What I need to do is manually stop this from happening, then pull the wiper fuse. However, I can't figure out how to stop the wipers from activating. Inside the stalk where the button was, I can see a few metal terminals. There must be a way to manipulate these so that I can temporarily stop the wipers, so that they'll go back into resting position. Then I can pull the fuse and be done with it for now, until I find the button or get a new one. Anyone know how to do this?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 859
Likes: 8
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 859
Likes: 8
Is this what causes the switch to stop the wipers/fluid? I've tried pulling and pushing those terminals all over the place to no avail. So just pushing them apart should do it?
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,386
Likes: 689
From: Boise ID
I don't get it, what's the big deal about the resting position? They can rest once you replace the switch.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 859
Likes: 8
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,383
Likes: 13
From: Kinston North Carolina
if I'm reading the Schematic correctly, if you unplug the W/S Wiper Switch, they will park in the correct position.
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C219 (6 cavities)
Instrument panel harness to steering column harness, LH side of the steering column attached to the instrument panel lower beam
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Dark Green
Grey
Yellow
Purple
Pink
-------------------------------------------------
C219 (6 cavities)
Instrument panel harness to steering column harness, LH side of the steering column attached to the instrument panel lower beam
-------------------------------------------------
Dark Green
Grey
Yellow
Purple
Pink
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,085
Likes: 3
From: Ottawa Ontario, Canada
SUBSCRIBING! 
I got into a pretty fierce screaming match with my significant other last summer on the way to a wedding (go figure...), and part of me taking my frustration out involved pounding my hand on the steering wheel.
Somehow my pinky finger slammed into the end of the wiper stalk and ejected the fluid button... immediately the wipers came on with full fluid application and stayed that way until I got it onto the side of the road and shut it off. This improved my mood dramatically, as you can immagine -
I got it to stop by putting little pieces of plastic from a coffee cup lid (thanks Timmys!) in between the little copper/brass terminals inside the stalk. I found the button but the spring vanished... it still sits this way today.
I'm interested in the fix - i.e. where the heck can I get a new wiper stalk? The new part from GM Partshouse was about $160 if I remember right, too rich for my blood!
I can't believe I found a thread with someone else having this same problem!
I got into a pretty fierce screaming match with my significant other last summer on the way to a wedding (go figure...), and part of me taking my frustration out involved pounding my hand on the steering wheel.
Somehow my pinky finger slammed into the end of the wiper stalk and ejected the fluid button... immediately the wipers came on with full fluid application and stayed that way until I got it onto the side of the road and shut it off. This improved my mood dramatically, as you can immagine -
I got it to stop by putting little pieces of plastic from a coffee cup lid (thanks Timmys!) in between the little copper/brass terminals inside the stalk. I found the button but the spring vanished... it still sits this way today.
I'm interested in the fix - i.e. where the heck can I get a new wiper stalk? The new part from GM Partshouse was about $160 if I remember right, too rich for my blood!
I can't believe I found a thread with someone else having this same problem!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 859
Likes: 8
SUBSCRIBING!
I got into a pretty fierce screaming match with my significant other last summer on the way to a wedding (go figure...), and part of me taking my frustration out involved pounding my hand on the steering wheel.
Somehow my pinky finger slammed into the end of the wiper stalk and ejected the fluid button... immediately the wipers came on with full fluid application and stayed that way until I got it onto the side of the road and shut it off. This improved my mood dramatically, as you can immagine -
I got it to stop by putting little pieces of plastic from a coffee cup lid (thanks Timmys!) in between the little copper/brass terminals inside the stalk. I found the button but the spring vanished... it still sits this way today.
I'm interested in the fix - i.e. where the heck can I get a new wiper stalk? The new part from GM Partshouse was about $160 if I remember right, too rich for my blood!
I can't believe I found a thread with someone else having this same problem!
I got into a pretty fierce screaming match with my significant other last summer on the way to a wedding (go figure...), and part of me taking my frustration out involved pounding my hand on the steering wheel.
Somehow my pinky finger slammed into the end of the wiper stalk and ejected the fluid button... immediately the wipers came on with full fluid application and stayed that way until I got it onto the side of the road and shut it off. This improved my mood dramatically, as you can immagine -
I got it to stop by putting little pieces of plastic from a coffee cup lid (thanks Timmys!) in between the little copper/brass terminals inside the stalk. I found the button but the spring vanished... it still sits this way today.
I'm interested in the fix - i.e. where the heck can I get a new wiper stalk? The new part from GM Partshouse was about $160 if I remember right, too rich for my blood!
I can't believe I found a thread with someone else having this same problem!
Tech Contributor
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,100
Likes: 17
From: Somers, CT and Clermont, FL
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Greenwood MO
This forum rocks! The bic lighter spring works perfect. I will say that you have to cut the spring from the lighter smaller than what comes out of the lighter and even smaller than the original spring. I found one of mine but not the other. So, I ended up cutting the spring from the lighter to the same size as the one I found. I popped the springs in and found that the button popped right out because the bic spring has more tension than the original. So, I ended up cutting another piece of the lighter spring about 1 centimeter smaller than the orignal wiper stalk spring. Works like a champ. Thanks to this forum I have saved myself 160 dollars in parts and 5 hours worth of my time installing a new stalk!
Also, a temporary fix for separating the terminals inside the stalk is to use a two prong power outlet plug cover.
Also, a temporary fix for separating the terminals inside the stalk is to use a two prong power outlet plug cover.
Last edited by Clamshell; May 2, 2011 at 03:07 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,016
Likes: 31
From: Little Egg Harbor N.J.
I had this same thing happen to me but I was fortunate enough to find both springs and the button. Replaced everything but it continued to happen; I think once the button pops out once it must be more likely to pop out again.
Purchased a used wiper stalk from a vendor on the forum for something like $55.00. I was going to try and replace the whole assembly but, it looked more involved than I wanted to try and tackle. Popped out the button from the replacement stalk, installed it in my car and haven't had a problem since (knock on wood).
Purchased a used wiper stalk from a vendor on the forum for something like $55.00. I was going to try and replace the whole assembly but, it looked more involved than I wanted to try and tackle. Popped out the button from the replacement stalk, installed it in my car and haven't had a problem since (knock on wood).
Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: jacksonville fl
when my button popped out, it hit my wife in the cheek. she was mad, I almost had a wreck while laughing. easy to replace, just becareful with the steering column covers, they are fragile and 60 bucks each.