Wierd wiper parking

[tomnoller]

This is in my '60 Lark. Where I live, the rain often falls in more of a light drizzle than a heavy downpour and I find myself reaching for the wiper switch for a few swipes at a time. When I first begin using them, they'll park right where they aught to. After a while, once the car and wipers are warmed up, when I switch them off, they'll stop in the middle of the windshield!
That's where they were when I pulled into the garage, a few days ago. Just went out and flipped the key to ACC and pulled the wiper switch, letting them cycle thru a couple of times, then shut them off in mid-wipe and they behaved nicely, parking nicely atop the stainless. Anybody else have this happen? It gets laughably embarassing to be going down the road with retarded looking wipers halfway up the glass.

Western Washington, USA

[DilloCrafter]

I know all about the 4-wire wiper motor and switch now, but yours is a 3-wire motor, so I can only hazard a guess.

I'm thinking there may be an intermittent break occuring in the wire from the park switch (actually part of the motor housing) to the wiper switch. This doesn't seem too likely, as there wouldn't normally be enough flexing of those wires over the years to cause a break inside the plastic casing of that wire.

Go ahead and remove the wiper motor, open the area that the park switch wire(s) go into, change out the grease, and then bench test it with a 12v supply (such as a car battery charger).

Maybe Gordon or Mr. Biggs can chime in and tell you what wires connect to what on the switch.

http://rocketdillo.com/studebaker/misc/images/Current_Avacar.gif[/img=left] - DilloCrafter

1955 1/2 Ton Pickup
[i]The Red-Headed Amazon
Deep in the heart of Texas

[Roscomacaw]

Probably, the park switch finger's getting worn. Losing contact before it get's to the park position.
Why not at first? - because said finger - now lightly riding the contact on the gear - gets warm a bit thanks to the iffy connection. Warmer it gets, the more it bends a tiny bit - 'til it gets to where it loses contact altogether once in awhile.[}:)]
Just guessing, of course - but you could pull that gear cover up a bit and tweak the contact fingers EVER so gently (you don't want the digging into the brass cam they contact) and see if that doesn't cure things.[8D]

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[tomnoller]

Thanks Fellas! I took the cover off the motor today and noticed right away there's a very thin resistor riveted onto the masonite board that sits under the cap. This resistor has burned the board and the mark goes even to the back of it. There's a "21" stamped at one end and using my VOM, measured 2 ohms of resistance. I'm thinkin' since this is a problem when things heat up, that resistor is somehow to blame and replacing it might be the cure. Thing is, how would I go about finding what the resistance value should be? The silver tag stuck onto the motor has long ago lost it's readability.

Western Washington, USA

[tomnoller]

Here it is.http://www.tomnoller.com/wiper.JPG


Western Washington, USA