Wacky wipers!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
Wacky wipers!
My ‘01 ‘vert was laid low for over a month after getting T-boned by a deer. I now have it back, but the wipers have gone haywire. They’ll operate at any and all speeds by themselves with the switch in the off position. They do not respond to any setting of the stalk. The utters are empty and the cowl area is dry and free of debris. I finally pulled the fuse to shut them off, but that’s not a practical solution to the problem. Any advice would be appreciated.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 415
Likes: 284
From: Indianapolis
Am I the only one who immediately thought of the "Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man" commercials from Family Guy?
In all seriousness, without knowing the extent of the damage from the deer collision and what repairs were done it's hard to guess at what the cause is. Do the wipers operate at only one speed or are they constantly changing speeds? Also, who did the repair work? I'd be talking to them about it.
It's possible the logic circuit in the wiper motor has broken, or you've got some damaged wiring somewhere and power is using the motor as a ground path and causing it to go haywire.
In all seriousness, without knowing the extent of the damage from the deer collision and what repairs were done it's hard to guess at what the cause is. Do the wipers operate at only one speed or are they constantly changing speeds? Also, who did the repair work? I'd be talking to them about it.
It's possible the logic circuit in the wiper motor has broken, or you've got some damaged wiring somewhere and power is using the motor as a ground path and causing it to go haywire.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,936
Likes: 478
From: EAST TENNESSEE
Am I the only one who immediately thought of the "Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man" commercials from Family Guy?
In all seriousness, without knowing the extent of the damage from the deer collision and what repairs were done it's hard to guess at what the cause is. Do the wipers operate at only one speed or are they constantly changing speeds? Also, who did the repair work? I'd be talking to them about it.
It's possible the logic circuit in the wiper motor has broken, or you've got some damaged wiring somewhere and power is using the motor as a ground path and causing it to go haywire.
In all seriousness, without knowing the extent of the damage from the deer collision and what repairs were done it's hard to guess at what the cause is. Do the wipers operate at only one speed or are they constantly changing speeds? Also, who did the repair work? I'd be talking to them about it.
It's possible the logic circuit in the wiper motor has broken, or you've got some damaged wiring somewhere and power is using the motor as a ground path and causing it to go haywire.
The repair shop probably left a ground loose or disconnected. Good luck.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
When Bambi collided with the car, he broke off the driver’s side mirror, cracked the door all the way through, scratched the window glass
and cracked the rear quarter panel in two places around the wheel well. The wiper issue seemed to be unrelated to the damage, but who knows?
and cracked the rear quarter panel in two places around the wheel well. The wiper issue seemed to be unrelated to the damage, but who knows?
Racer
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 415
Likes: 284
From: Indianapolis
When Bambi collided with the car, he broke off the driver’s side mirror, cracked the door all the way through, scratched the window glass
and cracked the rear quarter panel in two places around the wheel well. The wiper issue seemed to be unrelated to the damage, but who knows?
and cracked the rear quarter panel in two places around the wheel well. The wiper issue seemed to be unrelated to the damage, but who knows?
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 10,936
Likes: 478
From: EAST TENNESSEE
While I wouldn't expect the actual body damage to be the cause, electronics can do very weird things when they're trying to find a ground. It's possible (and in my opinion likely) that they missed a ground when they replaced the door, and now some device is finding a path to ground through the wiper motor and/or wiper stalk. There is a ground on the drivers side (G201 if you want to look it up) that is where the driver door module and all of the electronics in the door are grounded. I'd start there.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
That’s the kind of advice I was hoping to hear! Thanks for the specifics, my friend.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be), the repair shop screwed up the window installation twice, so I will now have to remove the inner door panel and align the window myself. With the panel removed I should be able to verify that all the modules are properly connected in the door, but I’m guessing that the grounding point you specified is not within the door but rather somewhere within the body. I don’t have a body manual, so where exactly is “G201” located? Thanks again!
Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be), the repair shop screwed up the window installation twice, so I will now have to remove the inner door panel and align the window myself. With the panel removed I should be able to verify that all the modules are properly connected in the door, but I’m guessing that the grounding point you specified is not within the door but rather somewhere within the body. I don’t have a body manual, so where exactly is “G201” located? Thanks again!
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,472
Likes: 1,171
From: Dyer, IN
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 5,015
Likes: 508
From: Hilton NY
If the car was stored outside with no cover it's possible that the cowl was flooded in a rain storm and the wiper motor insides haven't dried out enough yet. And they won't dry out enough if it keeps raining a lot. The old udders aren't as pliable as they were when new and tend to flow too little water in heavy rain resulting in the wiper motor being submerged. The udders can be pulled off for maximum water drainage, that fixed my wiper motor control problems.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
Aha! The plot thickens! I feel encouraged that I’m getting closer to solving the problem. Thanks to all you Crusaders out there who have lived through whatever quirks we all eventually encounter and are kind enough to share your knowledge.
As I don’t have a body manual for the car, can someone describe more specifically where “SP201” may be located? I’m guessing it terminates somewhere on the frame
or on a concealed grounding lug.
As I don’t have a body manual for the car, can someone describe more specifically where “SP201” may be located? I’m guessing it terminates somewhere on the frame
or on a concealed grounding lug.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 415
Likes: 284
From: Indianapolis
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...locations.html
This thread has a diagram and description of where all of the grounds can be found.
This thread has a diagram and description of where all of the grounds can be found.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
Wow! That listing of grounding points was an awesome lead. A real keeper, for sure. Thanks so much for sharing that.
We’ve had almost endless rain here in the northeast since the car went into the body shop in late March. I have no idea as to where they stored it for all those weeks, but it’s predictable that it was outside and in the weather much of that time.
To recap, when things started going wonky I immediately pulled the wiper arms and cowl
cover. The well around the wiper motor had no standing water, but I cleared out pine needles,
etc., as well as all three utters. I would expect the wiper motor to be a sealed unit, but who knows?The connector is fully engaged. I’ll ensure the G201 and SP201 ground points are clean and tight, and that all connections within the door are secure when I pull the door panel to re-align the window. If all that fails, I suppose l could replace the motor and hope for the best. Thanks to all for the great advice!
We’ve had almost endless rain here in the northeast since the car went into the body shop in late March. I have no idea as to where they stored it for all those weeks, but it’s predictable that it was outside and in the weather much of that time.
To recap, when things started going wonky I immediately pulled the wiper arms and cowl
cover. The well around the wiper motor had no standing water, but I cleared out pine needles,
etc., as well as all three utters. I would expect the wiper motor to be a sealed unit, but who knows?The connector is fully engaged. I’ll ensure the G201 and SP201 ground points are clean and tight, and that all connections within the door are secure when I pull the door panel to re-align the window. If all that fails, I suppose l could replace the motor and hope for the best. Thanks to all for the great advice!
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,472
Likes: 1,171
From: Dyer, IN
Wow! That listing of grounding points was an awesome lead. A real keeper, for sure. Thanks so much for sharing that.
We’ve had almost endless rain here in the northeast since the car went into the body shop in late March. I have no idea as to where they stored it for all those weeks, but it’s predictable that it was outside and in the weather much of that time.
To recap, when things started going wonky I immediately pulled the wiper arms and cowl
cover. The well around the wiper motor had no standing water, but I cleared out pine needles,
etc., as well as all three utters. I would expect the wiper motor to be a sealed unit, but who knows?The connector is fully engaged. I’ll ensure the G201 and SP201 ground points are clean and tight, and that all connections within the door are secure when I pull the door panel to re-align the window. If all that fails, I suppose l could replace the motor and hope for the best. Thanks to all for the great advice!
We’ve had almost endless rain here in the northeast since the car went into the body shop in late March. I have no idea as to where they stored it for all those weeks, but it’s predictable that it was outside and in the weather much of that time.
To recap, when things started going wonky I immediately pulled the wiper arms and cowl
cover. The well around the wiper motor had no standing water, but I cleared out pine needles,
etc., as well as all three utters. I would expect the wiper motor to be a sealed unit, but who knows?The connector is fully engaged. I’ll ensure the G201 and SP201 ground points are clean and tight, and that all connections within the door are secure when I pull the door panel to re-align the window. If all that fails, I suppose l could replace the motor and hope for the best. Thanks to all for the great advice!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 140
Likes: 3
From: Warrington, Pennsylvania
I didn't want to be one of "those" OP'ers who never follow up on discussions. With that said, I can report that my wipers have apparently found religion and now operate normally. No more random operation on their own, and controllable using the w/s wiper stalk. I'd like to take credit for correcting the problem but, actually, I believe it cleared up on its own. All ground points were clean and tight, and the utters and valley were clean and dry. I can only assume that the wiper motor somehow became wet inside the housing and ultimately dried out. If the issue reoccurs, I'll replace the motor but, for now, all seems good. Thanks to everyone who contributed their knowledge and invaluable insights.