Wiper Blades Stop Randomly!! HELP!!!!
 

Hey Everyone, This is my first post. I am really hoping someone can help me with this problem. So here it is: My front wipers work fine (usually for a minute or so) and then park randomly somewhere on the windshield. They are then unresponsive until i turn the ignition off and then on again. (the wiper switch [on the steering column]must be in any of the ON positions or they stay frozen). They then park in the correct position and the whole process starts over again. When the wipers are in POSITION 1 (intermittent): They work fine even respond to vehicle speed as the should. They then start moving at a constant low speed (like position 2). This happens whether the car is moving or stopped. After a few seconds of this constant ON, they freeze randomly and become unresponsive until I cycle the ignition OFF/ON. When I push down on the wiper switch to make the wipers wipe once, they move as long as I hold the stick down and freeze anywhere when I release. This happens sometimes and other times they work as they should and wipe once and park where they should. What I've done so far is change the wiper control module (no change) and adjust the micro switch in the wiper motor. All of the fuses are fine. The motor and the linkage work fine connected straight to 12v. No mechanical problems with linkage/spindles/wiper arms. I have taken the motor/linkage out 4 times + I have done some research and found this from BMW: "The wiper module receives a feedback signal from the wiper motor when the wipers are switched on. If this feedback signal is missing for several seconds after the wipers are switched on, the module will switch the motor off. The wiper switch must be moved to the off position before another attempt can be made to turn the wipers on. If this blocking protection has activated several times, the ignition must be cycled before the wipers can be switched on again." -I am assuming my problem is associated with this bit of info. If anyone has any advice PLEASE HELP!!!! -Any schematics or diagrams would help greatly!! p.s. I have a meter, tools, and good mechanical knowledge

similar wiper problems
 

did you discover what was the reason your wiper didn't work properly, my car is doing the same as your was back when you post this thread

I had this happen it was a short int he rear harness connecter by the left rear tail light housing, something to do with rear wiper and the wiper control box. cleaned connection and all was well.

Dave

Sorry to resurrect, but Stofferdavis has described the problem that occurred on my car yesterday EXACTLY (and thoroughly), and I can find no other threads on this issue.

Dave, if you are out there (and I will PM you), can you give me any more information about what was done to resolve your problem?
It looks like the rear wiper motor has an internal electronic controller, and has four connections: One to ground, One to Hot (Fuse 3), One to the ACC line (Fuse 44), and One to the control switch (Blue/Green) - do you recall which of these was the culprit?

I have a parts car (350 miles away) and was going to have my (older) father remove the module from it and mail it to me, as the inherent front and rear wiper motor functions are all working well, but if Stoffer tried doing that without any improvement, I won't waste my father's time and effort.

Thanks, and if I find the problem, I will post it back here for others.

- Eric


edit: Dave's e-mail bounces - "User Unknown."

I got in touch with Stofferdavis, who had this to say via e-mail:

and

Yesterday I pulled my wiper motor (you need a 1⅟16" socket for the big nuts on the shafts - I think that's 27mm). It's always annoying to pull the firewall trough out, but other than that, it wasn't a hard job. Reassembly involves some annoyance getting the two bracket screws started, but not too bad (the last guy in there had just not bothered, and left one screw in the trough).

My motor had been replaced at some point, and the linkage appeared to be in good condition.

Opening the motor drive (6 screws) revealed the microswitch, which is soldered to terminals that protrude through the plastic cover.

http://318ti.org/forum/attachment.ph...1&d=1462477030

http://318ti.org/forum/attachment.ph...1&d=1462477030

The grease was fresh and soft, and there was no interference with the operation of the switch.
I tested the switch repeatedly, and it seemed to work fine.
It is a SPST Normally Closed V4 Subminiature Snap-Action Switch with a Simulated Roller Lever.
It is a standardized size of 19.8x9.5x6.4mm, and the lever is 11mm long.
You can find switches like this all day with slightly longer 17mm levers for about $2-3, but I was unable to find one of these with a short lever, which means it is a bit of a "special." I wouldn't be surprised if a long-lever switch could be made to work, but I don't feel like making this my science experiment for the month.

http://318ti.org/forum/attachment.ph...1&d=1462477030

http://318ti.org/forum/attachment.ph...1&d=1462477301



The switch is in fact BMW Part #61318353502, and is #5 in this picture from RealOEM:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/images/diag_9ep.png

I bent the switch arm up a little bit (not easy - didn't want to break it), and put it back together.

The wipers appear to work fine right now, but then again, they also worked fine just before I took it apart (they work fine when it's not raining...).

I will update this thread as I figure out whether this works, as as I fix it more...

- Eric