Getting wipers working right

[NCtrueconservative]

I got a brand new 3 speed wiper motor, and put my wipers on.  They work but its like a delay.  I turn the switch on and it takes a few seconds to get going, and then sometimes I have to kinda pull on the wipers to get it started sort of.  Also they get to about 3/4 up and stop and I have to pull the wiper to its full position, and then it will go back down.  Almost seems like the motor doesn't have enough power to turn the wipers.  Anyone had similar problems?

[Kapteenikosmos]

Check the ground first. The wiper motor grounds through the wiper motor body into the firewall. I think that the original system had a kind of a  bent  z-shaped copper plate/strip that was under some attaching bolts.

[moparmaniac59]

Also make sure you don't have the problem that I did which was that I had a 3-speed wiper motor and a 2-speed switch. The 3-speed motor won't work correctly with a 2-speed switch. Just something I discovered on my car after much head scratching. The ground sounds more likely. I've also had this problem where I replaced an old motor with a new one. When the new one didn't work, I found out the problem was with a bad ground and not the motor. So I fixed the ground and now had 2 working motors!   

                                                                             Matt B.

[passion4mopars]

A "weak" armature can also cause the problems you're describing, wrong crank arm, pivots that are not moving as freely as they could/should.

Normally a three speed motor and two speed switch will give you one speed, usually OH MY GOLLY, and will park where ever you turn the switch off at and not in their desired park position. 

On occasion I've seen a brush hanging up in the capture of the brush cap, not being fully against the commutator, give hit and miss run results on a motor as well. 

This is the trouble shooting portion of why a motor is not operating properly.  If the motor at some point became hot, I've seen the springs that hold the brushes against the commutator "shrink" and not keep the brush/brushes snug against the commutator and that will give hit and miss issues with the motor running properly.

Hope some of this info helps.  Have you tried bench testing the motor to see if it operates properly on a bench or not hooked up to the linkage?  You might start with the "easy" stuff which is do you have the correct crank arm...I'm leaning in that direction, but I usually start with the easiest stuff and work from there.  The wrong crank arm will cause binding faster than anything and will have a tendency to overheat a motor because while you're dinking with it, trying to get it to move again, the motor is still attempting to run and building some heat

[NCtrueconservative]

I will take a look at all the stuff yall mentioned. Thanks! And ill ad that it seemed to me the motor worked faster and turned the knobs that hold the wipers a whole lot better with the wipers off. The minute i put the wipers on, it starts the delay and acting slow as if it didn't have enough power. And im pretty sure i have a 3 speed switch. It has the off position, and then three different clicks when you turn it to the right. Also something i saw one of you mentioned. remimded me that when i turn the switchoff, the wipers stop right there and don't go back down. Plus with the wipers off i can see the armature working at different speeds when I turn the switch, but with the wipers on, all the speeds seem the same-----SLOW

[4 speed fish]

If it is a 3 speed variable you should only have 1 click and it just moves to the right.

[NCtrueconservative]

Ive got off. Turn to the right, click. Turn to the right, click. Turn to the right click. Ths new motor looks identical to the one that was on there and wired up perfectly. A 3 speed and 2 speed look the same?

[passion4mopars]

Sounds like a three speed switch rather than variable speed, but that would just make the motor run as a 3 speed instead of a variable speed.  Three speed motors and two speeds look different

Got a part number off the wiper motor?

The first photos is a 3 speed/variable speed, the black motor with the resistors in the baggie (sorry lost a hard drive and photos are scarce on my pc right now and that one was ready to ship) is a two speed

[NCtrueconservative]

Sounds like a three speed switch rather than variable speed, but that would just make the motor run as a 3 speed instead of a variable speed.  Three speed motors and two speeds look different

Got a part number off the wiper motor?

The first photos is a 3 speed/variable speed, the black motor with the resistors in the baggie (sorry lost a hard drive and photos are scarce on my pc right now and that one was ready to ship) is a two speed

I've got the first one you posted, the 3 speed, although my plug that plugs into the firewall connector looks different, I used the original plug and wired it in.  So I reckon that means I do have a 3 speed, just not variable speed. 

[NCtrueconservative]

actually if the little black plug in that 1st picture is what goes into the firewall, then those plugs do look similar.  It was that large one that caught my eye as a difference

[passion4mopars]

Ooops sorry posted a photo of a B body wiper motor.  Your bulkhead connector should be off white, four wires, not black and 8 like pictured on the motor in my photo.

Have you bench tested the motor to see if it works properly when not hooked up to the linkage???

http://www.passion4mopars.com/How-To-Bench-Test-A-3-Speed-Mopar-Wiper-Motor_b_4.html

[ChallengerHK]

Ive got off. Turn to the right, click. Turn to the right, click. Turn to the right click. Ths new motor looks identical to the one that was on there and wired up perfectly. A 3 speed and 2 speed look the same?

Some look different and some do not. In the 80s my wiper motor died and I pulled one that looked exactly like mine from an Omni 024 in a salvage yard. Bolted right up, plugged right in, but I had symptoms similar to (but not identical to) yours. The wipers would work, but the timing was weird and they wouldn't park. I later pulled another motor from a 72 Coronet and it worked fine.

[NCtrueconservative]

Ooops sorry posted a photo of a B body wiper motor.  Your bulkhead connector should be off white, four wires, not black and 8 like pictured on the motor in my photo.

Have you bench tested the motor to see if it works properly when not hooked up to the linkage???

http://www.passion4mopars.com/How-To-Bench-Test-A-3-Speed-Mopar-Wiper-Motor_b_4.html

Yeah thats it...off white, four wires. I will bench test it for sure, I'd bet on a ground problem like you say.  Can't do it this weekend though, going to Baltimore

[sadil340]

I had a different problem but it could be related. The switch wasn't properly grounded to the dash. I ran a thicker wire that I screwed into the switch and dash and everything works the way it should. Cheap and can't hurt!