Wipers don't work

[matt63]

My Cudas wipers don't work.  I checked the fuse and it's ok.  I'm a little fuzzy on how to trouble shoot these.  There seems to be 4 wires going to the motor which ones should have power on low speed? Is the actual dash switch a common cause?

[cudabob496]

A multimeter is a valuable troubleshooting tool. Did they work recently? Maybe a mechanical hangup?

[Chryco Psycho]

Red is 12v constant feed , blue is reverse to park the wipers , brown & green are the different speeds , the problem could be in the wiper motor or switch

[Super Blue 72]

A multimeter is a valuable troubleshooting tool. Did they work recently? Maybe a mechanical hangup?

Do you have a multimeter?  Initially, you can use a test light to check for power using the color codes Chryco mentioned.  If no power at the red wire at the motor then look at the switch or the wires going from the switch to the motor.

When the switch is turned on do you hear anything from the wiper motor?

[moparmaniac59]

Most service manuals have a troubleshooting guide. I think the first thing it will tell you is to disconnect the wiper motor at the firewall plug. Fashion a jumper wire (to jump directly from the battery hot lead to the wiper motor) and check each lead (such as slow/fast on a two speed motor). This will let you know if you have a bad motor or if the problem is in the wiring or wiper switch. My last wiper motor problem was simply a bad ground. Good luck.  Don't do like I did and go and buy a new wiper motor until you troubleshoot.  You may be like me and simply have a bad ground!!

                                                             Matt B.

[matt63]

Yes I have a multmeter and jumper wires.  I just needed to know which terminal to jumper too.  Do I jumper it just to the terminal the red wire went too? The motor worked one time and then quit.  There is no noise from it now. I don't think it is getting any juice but I'll check that out with the meter. Thanks all.

[matt63]

Most service manuals have a troubleshooting guide. I think the first thing it will tell you is to disconnect the wiper motor at the firewall plug. Fashion a jumper wire (to jump directly from the battery hot lead to the wiper motor) and check each lead (such as slow/fast on a two speed motor). This will let you know if you have a bad motor or if the problem is in the wiring or wiper switch. My last wiper motor problem was simply a bad ground. Good luck.  Don't do like I did and go and buy a new wiper motor until you troubleshoot.  You may be like me and simply have a bad ground!!

                                                             Matt B.

I jumpered it and nothing.  How is the wiper motor grounded?

[Chryco Psycho]

the wiper motor grounds throught the brass strip to the mounting bolts on the firewall

[matt63]

I'll have a look at this tonight.  There is a brass strip although I don't know if it's attached to a mounting bolt.  I did run a jumper wire from ground to the strap but it didn't help.  There is power to the wiper motor.

[matt63]

Grounding doesn't seem to be a problem and there is power through the red wire.  I'll have to disconnect the wiper arms and see what happens.  My other concern is with the "mapping" of the wires because I have '73 engine harnesses and a '74 dash harness.  I "remapped" the wires once I discovered this but the wipers weren't my biggest concern at that time.

[moparmaniac59]

I don't know your exact situation, but I can tell you that if you don't have a good ground, even running a hot wire from the battery to troubleshoot won't work. This was my problem. I ran a jumper wire and nothing. I assumed the motor was bad, bought a new one, put it in and it wouldn't work either.  Then I knew I had a problem. I ran a ground and hot wire to the loose (uninstalled) motor and it ran. The problem was I had no ground to complete the circuit.  You can check continuity of your ground with a multimeter. The rubber mounting bushings  have a metal sleeve that give the ground. Mine had dry rotted, shifted and thus the motor lost it's ground. It was a simple fix. Hope it's a simple problem!! 

                                                           Matt B.

                                     

[matt63]

Thanks Matt B.  I'll do some more troubleshooting tonight before I blame the motor.  It has worked once or twice so I think it is good.

[matt63]

Wiper motor has power.  I removed the motor (needed slide hammer to get it off of the studs???)  Motor is definitely toast.  I removed the motor can and turned the rotor but nothing happens.  I think the gears or whatever is in the other end are stripped.  I hope this item is available as a reman.  A few sites list a Cardone unit.

[Chryco Psycho]

I have been able to source a couple of older wiper motors with no real issues , they seem to be stocked in Edmonton which will make it easier for than me

[matt63]

Picked up a reman wiper motor for just under $100.  It doesn't come with the resistor.  The wiper motor still doesn't work (the wiper arms aren't connected to the motor yet).  I traced all of the wires at the bulkhead due to a 73/74 harness mismatch and they look good. My trusty multimeter says I have power to all 4 wires with the dash wiper switch on and off!  Sounds like the dash switch is buggered too.  I'm guessing that all 4 wires are powered when in one of the 2 on positions?