17 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHWiper fuse keeps blowing
Reported or suspected cause
intermittent wiper relay
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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Reported cause · Original poster
For posterity, it was the intermittent wiper relay.
Leading evidence: 'intermittent wiper relay' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'intermittent wiper relay' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check .’ so now i guess you can' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
You did a ‘last thing touched, first thing checked.’ So now I guess you can check the wiper motor connections.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I inspected the wires off that side of the horseshoe and they are all perfect and intact with the factory insulation/tape/black gooey stuff in place.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
apparently previous owner swapped wiper relay and rear window defrost relay for some reason
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17 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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I recently transitioned my 2004 C4S from occasional weekend duty to daily driver status. I trust during it's weekend usage over the last 5 years I didn't use the wipers much. Tonight after a 45 minute drive in the rain using the intermittent setting the wiper fuse blew. New fuse, blew again. Now I did just install a new double din head unit so my suspicion goes there first but I didn't get into those wires at all and the thing did work for quite a while.
The car has 100k+ in miles on it. Ideas? Wiper stalk, pull the head unit and check those wires, intermittent rotary switch, a relay somewhere. Help!! I have to drive my damn truck to work tomorrow :-(
OP-The wiper potentiometer wiring runs behind the horseshoe. Check for ground on the wire leads to the potentiometer. There may be a stray wire back there causing a short. Tape and secure everything. Unplug the potentiometer and see if wipers work with/without blowing the fuse. If no luck, then see if you can run wipers at slowest selectable speed then dial the wipers up to ‘11’ to determine if any specific condition causes the short. Ockham’s razor.
So I'm hoping this will help narrow down the problem.
Ran the wipers in low mode with them pulled off of the windshield in the shop and they worked for several minutes. As soon as I turned them off, the fuse blew. Pulled the horseshoe and potentiometer wires from the back which all looked great and had their factory wire black sticky stuff on them. No difference. As soon as the wipers go to shut down, the fuse blows.
Ok then. You did a ‘last thing touched, first thing checked.’ So now I guess you can check the wiper motor connections. From your symptoms I might suspect resistance build with an amp surge when the circuit is commanded closed. Can you put a meter on it to check the resistance on the connectors and wires? Also a not-so-scientific method: Pull off the covers so you can see the motor. Turn of lights with wipers on. Have a helper turn off wipers while you look at wiper motor. See any arcing or sparking?
I have a multi meter but I barely know how to use it. Is there a multi meters for dummies and wiper motor connections? Sorry, I don't mean for you to have to spend a ton of time walking me through it so feel free to tell me to buzz off. I appreciate the help so far very much.
Well...I feel your pain. Multimeters and I have a long history of not getting along...no EE here! The wiper motor connector is on the back of the motor (hard to get to) and you’d use the black lead on ‘Com’ on the multimeter and the red lead to V Hz to test for current load. Put the dial on the 20v = (not 20v ~) to check DC volts. Cars are 14.4V operating volt systems. For checking wire resistance put the dial to the Omega setting on the lowest number. I use this for resistance test to check for anything more than near zero ohms for a switch or wire. A good circuit or wire has near zero resistance with a good current path. If a switch is working properly, with it selected ‘off’, your multimeter will indicate infinite, 1 or o.L for ‘overload’ (depends on your meter) to say can’t measure/no path. When you turn the switch ‘on’ the ohms should now read near zero. I don’t know the ohms operating range for the wiper motor so couldn’t tell you what value to test for at the wire connector on motor.
Depending on what pin, wire, switch or connection you want to test; use some google fu to search for the technique. Hopefully, my simple blurb will help you select the right place to put the dial. Sorry I can’t help much more with your specific issue. I still suspect something simple near where the last work was done. Did you pull the wire connector off the potentiometer and run the wipers? Resist throwing parts at the issue. Fuses are cheap, the wiper motor expensive. Good hunting!
1.) Did the wipers cause the fuse to blow BEFORE you modified you stereo system?
2.) Did you check the C6 fuse and make sure you're running the correct amperage? (not uncommon for someone to mistakenly insert a lower amp fuse in a circuit that pulls more power)
3.) When you installed the aftermarket double din unit, did you cut any of the factory wires? If so, which ones?
I always like to check the obvious before exploring in a more invasive fashion. Good luck!
Thanks for your reply. The answer to 1) is technically no but then again I haven't used those wipers that I recall in the last 4-5 years more than a handful of times. They ran for roughly 45 minutes on this drive before the problem. I shut them off when the rain stopped, went to turn them back on and that's when I found the blown fuse. 2) It is the correct 25 amp fuse and so were the other 8 or so I blew testing various scenarios yesterday :-) 3) No factory wires were cut. I bought the setup from CAI-store.com who makes a custom harness for the car so it is plug and play. I was wondering if installing the cage had nicked or crimped a wire but there is quite a bit of space in there and they were not touched. I inspected the wires off that side of the horseshoe and they are all perfect and intact with the factory insulation/tape/black gooey stuff in place.
I know hatchetf15 said not to throw parts at it, and normally I would agree, but for a little over $100 I am very tempted to buy a new wiper motor, is that a terrible idea????
Before I'd throw money at the wiper assembly, I'd first disconnect the stereo and unplug the wire harness. That would rule out the obvious. Then, start to trace, by the process of elimination, the source of the electrical short. Any electrical component that is exposed to the elements are more prone to shorts and faults such as problematic open circuits. I had several microswitches go bad on my cars. They were all located in areas that were exposed to moisture. Good luck!
My car is a 2002 convertible havent had it that long sorting out problems from previous owners lack of maintenance and my wipers wont park and i have no intermittent the car does not have rain sensing wipers. Currently i have the motor out the relay box unmounted and the fuse box unmounted looking for obvious damage and cant find any. I have replaced relay twice once from ebay used and then a new one i have replaced the four stalk column switch assembly the motor and the potentiometer on the dash and nothing has helped my ground at the motor is good anyone have any ideas on where i should look now
apparently previous owner swapped wiper relay and rear window defrost relay for some reason
Hello!
I have a 2003 996 C4 Cab (non rain sensing wipers) with a "dead short". When the wiper blades are in the center of their stroke (middle of the windshield) the fuse will blow. The wipers will not park.
The wiper relay has been replaced. The rain tray is draining perfectly. Where should I look for this dead short? Does the wiper position correlating to the fuse blowing point to needing a new wiper motor?
All help and advice is appreciated.
Thank you very much Rennlist!
if its blowing in same spot it could be the linkage making contact with the motor wiring since the motor wiring is routed under the linkage i�d start there
