Why car wipers may not work

05 February 2021

Windshield wipers - Windshield wipers clear water and dirt from the windshield that obstructs your vision, so it is very important that they are in good working order. But unfortunately, these devices can fail. The article lists the most common breakdowns that lead to windshield wiper failure and the measures that need to be taken in such cases.

Loose fastenings are the simplest reason why your car's wipers may not work.

During operation, the windshield wiper mounting mechanism may become loose. Most often, the fasteners that lift the windshield wipers become loose. In this case, you can hear the sound of an electric motor running, but the windshield wipers remain in place. If you suspect such a malfunction, you need to check and tighten the wiper fastenings and connections located on the wiper mechanism itself.

A blown fuse is a common reason why windshield wipers don't work. To check the fuses, you need to open the compartment with them, located on the right side of the steering column. The fuses are inspected and the burnt ones are replaced with new ones.

Sometimes after replacement the fuse burns out again. In such a situation, you need to look for the cause of burnout. To do this, use a tester to check the line for a short circuit. After this, you need to replace the section of the circuit where the short circuit occurs. In case of complex breakdowns that cause a short circuit, it is advisable to contact a car service center.

Burnt-out electric motor - how to determine the cause and what to do in this case

It is quite simple to understand that the electric motor is to blame for non-working wipers - the car simply will not respond to the activation of the windshield wipers. In modern cars, electric motors have complex and reliable protection, but sometimes they still burn out.

There are two most common reasons for this phenomenon:

Resource development. An electric motor, like other car parts, has a certain lifespan and therefore wears out. Wear periods vary depending on the car model, climatic conditions, owner care and other reasons.
Incorrect operation. The electric motor will not work if the car owner tries to start wipers that are frozen to the glass or covered with snow. The protection will work and voltage will not be supplied to the wiper. You need to separate the wipers from the glass, remove the snow and start the wipers again. If this fails, then the electric motor is burnt out and needs to be replaced. To do this, it is better to contact a car service.
The windshield wiper trapezoid is faulty. This is the name of the mechanism that drives the wipers. There are many plastic elements in this part of the car that can wear out and become deformed. With such a malfunction, the windshield wipers will work unstably, jerking periodically.

A new trapeze can be purchased at an auto store or purchased online. It is imperative to buy a model suitable for a specific brand, otherwise the device will not install or will not be able to fully operate. You need to pay attention to the year of manufacture of the car - after each restyling, the shape of the windshield wipers, the size of the windshield and other parameters that affect the operation of the trapezoid change.

Installation of the purchased trapezoid is carried out in several stages:

First, remove the decorative trim - “jabot”, located below the windshield. To do this, you need to unscrew the screws, some of which are closed with decorative plugs. The fasteners and trapezoid along with the gearbox and motor are unscrewed step by step. In some cars, these devices can only be removed individually, and access is provided from different sides. Therefore, you need to carefully study the instructions for your specific car model.
A new trapezoid is taken, which is installed in place of the failed one, and then the remaining removed parts are installed.

Despite its apparent simplicity, installation and dismantling of the trapezoid does not always go smoothly, so a car enthusiast who is not confident in his abilities is better off contacting a car service center.

Electrics

First you need to decide whether the problem is electrical or mechanical in nature. You need to start from the first, of course, if you have already sufficiently cleared the brushes themselves of snow and ice. First of all, make sure that the “dead” windshield wipers are not simply the result of a blown fuse. Open the appropriate compartment, which is usually located to the left of the steering column and inspect the required fuse. For the purity of the experiment, you can swap identical fuses that are responsible for different on-board systems of the car. Did not help? Then listen to whether the corresponding relay clicks in the depths of the dashboard when the wipers are turned on. If not, then perhaps it was this that gave up its life, but if there is a click, we move on to the mechanical part.

Gearbox doesn't work

In this situation, the electric motor works, but the wipers do not move. To eliminate the breakdown, you need to remove the entire mechanism assembly - trapezoid and motor with gearbox:

The left part of the decorative trims near the windshield is removed - the “jabot”, attached to the screws, and then the mechanism itself. It is not difficult to remove, since in most models it is held in place by only two screws and a nut.
The “loop” is turned off and the entire assembly is completely removed. After unscrewing the lever nut, you need to check the operation of the trapezoid - normally it should move freely and not get stuck anywhere. Jamming indicates deformation, and such a part requires replacement.
The gearbox is unscrewed along with the engine, and then the cover held on by two screws is removed from the gearbox.
The engine is connected to a power supply, which, as a rule, is available to a car enthusiast who prefers to repair it himself. With such a breakdown, the gears of the mechanism do not rotate. After removing the gear, the rotation of the motor shaft is assessed.

Most often, the shaft rotates, but its rotation is not transmitted to the gear using a special worm mechanism. The reason is the wear of the gear or “worm” itself, which in many car models is made of plastic.

After this, you can look for a gear or worm gear in stores or on the Internet, but for some models it is difficult to order new parts. Therefore, you can try to buy them second-hand. If this fails, you will have to buy a motor and gearbox assembly and install them in place of the worn ones.

The unit is assembled step by step in the same way as it was disassembled. There is a small subtlety - during installation you need to put the gearbox in the initial position, so the wipers should be turned on once using the steering column mechanism. It is easier to crawl under the trapezoid to tighten the nuts using an open-end or spanner wrench.

This work is quite difficult, so if you are not confident in your skills, it is better to entrust it to car service workers.

Motor

On most modern cars, the wiper motor is protected by special protection against overheating. That is, if out of habit you turn on the wipers with the windshield covered with snow, then voltage simply will not be supplied to the motor if it is unable to turn the blades. On domestic cars, the wiper motor is usually made with such a reserve of power that it seems that it could well replace the starter. In any case, it’s worth getting out of the car and listening to see if the motor works when you turn on the wipers. If there are no sounds, then time and dampness have probably ruined the motor itself. But if the sound of operation is present, and the brushes do not move, then perhaps the problem is a frozen trapezium of the wipers.

Windshield wipers do not return to their original position

Wipers “hanging” in the middle of the glass is a fairly common occurrence. The reason is a break in one of the contacts of the contact group that controls the windshield wiper. For repairs, you need to remove the electric drive.

This is done in several stages:

The windshield wipers are removed.
The protective cover – “jabot” – is dismantled.
The power connector located next to the electric motor is disconnected. This is necessary to prevent a short circuit from occurring during operation.
To obtain the electric motor you need to unscrew several screws. In this case, the engine itself does not need to be removed.
Why do you need to inspect contacts? One of them, responsible for the reverse movement of the windshield wipers, turns out to be broken off. It is soldered using copper plastic.
Then inspect the rest of the contact group and, if there is damage, solder the remaining wires.
After this, a special dielectric grease is applied on top of the contact group, and all parts are returned to their original position.

Drainage

The water from the windshield simply has to drain somewhere, and this, of course, should have been foreseen by the engineers. Of course, the compartment in which the trapezoid operates has its own drain hole, but sometimes during operation the car’s drainage becomes clogged, and this fact can backfire, especially with our winters. Inside, there may be autumn leaves, spring dirt, summer dust and winter salty sand that clog the drain hole. Because of this, the water simply does not go anywhere, and at sub-zero temperatures it freezes, hindering the movement of the windshield wipers. To prevent troubles with dead wipers from happening again, we strongly recommend checking the cleanliness of the drainage hole. Otherwise, despite your best efforts, your windshield wipers will turn into real estate again the next cold night.

Problems with the steering wheel wiper switch

Due to malfunctions in the steering column switch, the wipers may “stand up” completely or work unstably. Sometimes they refuse to work simultaneously with the washer. The problem occurs due to oxidation or broken contacts in the switch. In this case, it will have to be repaired.

Correctly removing and replacing this part of the car is quite difficult, since it will require dismantling the decorative trims, steering wheel and other elements. In this case, there is a high risk of moving something, damaging wires, and disrupting the power supply. Therefore, it is better to entrust such work to specialists by contacting a car service center.

Sometimes it is not possible to find the cause of the wiper malfunction on your own. In this case, you need to contact service specialists who will carry out diagnostics, find the problem and carry out repairs.

Let's sum it up

If reliable operation of the windshield wiper is your priority, you should pay attention to all possible ways that parts may fail. The knocking trapeze should attract your attention and in a certain way force you to examine the situation. Most likely, the knocking will lead to the fact that you will soon have to replace the device with a new one and buy high-quality replacement parts. But it is quite possible that you just need to get to the trapezoid and tighten the fastenings of its parts in order to eliminate the knocking and continue to operate the device perfectly.

High-quality work of wipers is necessary in any car, so you should immediately solve all problems that arise, taking into account their features and technical difficulties. Replacing the relay can be done in a garage, but it is better to change the trapezoid and wiper motor in a service center. This way, you can get the necessary capabilities for operating the machine without any problems and acquire the necessary performance qualities of peripheral devices. Have you ever encountered problems with your wipers?

Replacing damaged parts

New windshield wiper trapezoid

If the brush springs are damaged or lose elasticity, they will need to be replaced. It is recommended to check how they move in the appropriate holder. If they jam, then worn or existing chips are replaced. In this case, the leads of the new parts are soldered to the corresponding holder.

The collector is cleaned with sandpaper (if there are scratches or other defects on it). If this unit is burnt or worn out, then the gearbox and armature are replaced. Replacement of the gearbox gear is carried out with a similar condition of the teeth. Bent rods are straightened or replaced with new ones. Damaged splines or roller threads require replacement of the rod assembly. All cracked, torn and weak rubber cushions are replaced with new parts.

The procedure for replacing windshield wipers on a “nine” begins with dismantling the main windshield mechanism.

To do this, use a set of screwdrivers and wrenches. Initially, the negative wire of the battery terminal is disconnected. The windshield wiper arms rotate vertically. The nuts are unscrewed and these elements are removed from the rollers.

The next step is to unscrew and remove the levers. If they cannot be removed with light force, then you need to slightly unscrew the nut securing the lever. Using pliers, the last element is moved from the slots. The lever and protective caps on each side can then be removed. The same should be done with the nuts that belong to the upper bracket mount.

Next, the hood of the car is opened and the connector is disconnected from the block. The heating fan is moved to the right (relative to the compartment located in front of the windshield), and the cover is removed from the corresponding unit. After disconnecting the connector, the relays are removed from it. The next step involves removing the lower mounting bolt. Then the holder is pulled out and the wiper rollers are removed from the holes in the body.

Preventative measures to increase the service life of windshield wipers

To maximize the life of your windshield wipers, you should not:

turn them on when the glass is dry and dirty;
use an incorrectly adjusted washer;
leave the brushes in one position for a long time;
turn on the wipers, despite the blades freezing to the glass;
clear icy glass;
Do not allow oil to get on the rubber of the brushes.

In addition, it is useful for prevention:

systematically clean the rubber bands of the brushes and the windshield from fat deposits and dirt;
weekly, with the brushes raised, turn on the wipers for a couple of minutes to self-clean the electric motor commutator;
when parking the car for a long time, raise the windshield wiper arms above the glass by 5–20 mm by placing matchboxes or bottle caps under them to eliminate contact of the rubber tape with the glass;
develop the habit in winter of removing ice from the blades only manually, turning on the wipers only when there is a complete absence of ice on them and the glass.

What to do if the trapezoid “flies”

The trapezoid is one of the most complex devices in the overall mechanism of the wiper system. At the moment, no car manufacturer will provide a guarantee for the long-term operation of the windshield wiper drive mechanism.

Elementary jamming of the wipers or their increased pressing into the glass, illiterate activation of the wipers (for example, glass frozen in frost) - all this can cause the trapezoid to break.

In order for the mechanism to start working normally again, the following measures can be taken:

Buying and replacing a trapezoid with a new one is the best option for domestic cars; their windshield wiper mechanism is estimated at 1000–1500 rubles.
For foreign-made cars, buying a new trapezoid will be quite expensive; here it is more advisable to repair or replace the parts that caused the mechanism to fail.
It is common for trapezoid bushings and tips to break. They are often made of plastic and cannot withstand extreme cold at all, they crack, and they are most often replaced.
If it is very difficult to find a repair kit for the trapezium of your car, you can try to find bushings and other necessary spare parts from the mechanisms of other cars of the same class or close to them.
The trapezoid must be changed if the repairs made do not eliminate the malfunction, or if subsequently, when the mechanism is working, extraneous knocks are heard.

Any sounds coming from the trapezoid may be a warning sign. This call signals that the entire device may stop working. This is not a reason to immediately replace the trapezoid. You can continue to operate the device until it completely breaks down, or try to eliminate play and gaps in its components using ordinary tools. This simple job can usually be done right outside or in the garage.

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There is no intermittent wiper mode - looking for a relay

Often, along with the lack of intermittent mode, problems arise with returning the windshield wiper blade to its original position. In this case, the culprit of the situation is a burnt-out relay. At the same time, the mode of continuous strokes of the windshield wiper blade is present, as well as the mode of accelerated cleaning of the glass. These options for operating the windshield wiper are designed to bypass the relay; they are implemented directly from the handle for switching on the wiper operating modes. When a relay fails, you simply need to replace it by following this procedure:

searching for the installation location of the relay in your car - again, forums, the car’s operating instructions or recommendations from specialists who repair your car will help;
Next, the non-working relay should be removed from the installation location, the device number should be rewritten so as not to make a mistake when choosing a new electrical device to replace it;
go to the store or order on the Internet an original production relay with the same catalog number to ensure normal operation of the wiper on the car;
Having received the device in your hands, take a good look at it, make sure that this is exactly the element that was originally installed in your car at the factory;
turn off the ignition, be sure to check that the wiper switch is in the “off” position and insert the relay into the slot from which the non-working device was removed;
turn on the ignition and check the quality of the wipers, taking into account the new installed electrical part.

The operating modes of wipers on budget cars are often quite poor, so you can develop them by installing a relay from the same manufacturer, but with different parameters. For example, it is popular to install not a simple wiper relay on domestic cars in the basic configuration, but a special relay with adjustable brush response pause. This is a good option that can significantly improve the emotions of driving a car and make the driver’s job easier.

Fuses and other electrical connections

Not the last option for a problem in the wiper operation system is electrical connections and circuits. The first step is to check the fuses, which tend to fail and simply do not allow electric current to flow to the right place. Most cars have fuses under the hood; some models should be examined for a fuse box in the passenger compartment.

Broken wires can also be one of the possible problems. If, for example, after a garage service your wipers do not work, it is quite possible that the technicians cut the wires and did not fix the problem. You should trace the wiper circuit, if possible, but it is better to take the car to a normal station and order a proper repair of this problem.

How to choose a spring

All about sedansCar wipers, types of car wipers, how to choose, useful tipsMore on the topicComments

There are quite a lot of such springs, some owners even buy leashes from VAZ, for example KALINA, PRIORA and others, remove them from them and install them on their holder. BUT! The price will be about 300 - 400 rubles, this is not our method, so we are simply looking for the spring itself.

Usually this comes from the hood, trunk holders, and also from the VAZ brake pads. Personally, I first took the “classic” pads, but it turned out to be too short, I didn’t have enough strength to tighten it. Then I bought a front-wheel drive one (VAZ-2108) and everything worked out, it was a couple of turns shorter and gave it really good rigidity. The cost is only 40 rubles.

The PRESS feeling has become much better.

Reasons for the wipers to operate when the SZ is turned on

ATTENTION! A completely simple way to reduce fuel consumption has been found! Don't believe me? An auto mechanic with 15 years of experience also didn’t believe it until he tried it. And now he saves 35,000 rubles a year on gasoline!

Whatever solution is chosen, you first need to find the reason for this “behavior” of the wipers. There are several of them. Let's look at the most common ones.

Closure

The first thing any motorist with any level of enlightenment will doubt is the wiring. There must be a short somewhere, he will think. Why does such a malfunction actually occur?

Short-term or long-term operation of the wipers when the ignition is turned on occurs in most cases due to a poor ground connection. To solve the problem, it is recommended to disconnect all points where the wiring comes into contact with ground and clean the terminals from oxidation and deposits. The terminals must then be tightened securely to avoid a recurrence of the situation in the future.

Mode switch

If the windshield wipers do not turn off during zero and intermittent operating modes, but function normally in accelerated mode, then this type of malfunction usually points to the switch. What can be done? Find the relay responsible for the wipers. For example, on some Toyota modifications the relay is installed directly inside the wiper switch. The device is collapsible, you can open it and see what the problem is. As a last resort, replace the relay.

You can completely disable the mode switch and remove it from the circuit. This will help disable the wipers, but after that they will only work in accelerated mode.

Wiper relay

One of the common reasons for the wipers to work. As mentioned above, it is replacing the relay that helps solve the problem in most cases.

Note. A common symptom of a relay related problem. When you turn on the windshield washer for a short time, the wipers make not two strokes, as they should be, but three - the last stroke is superfluous, since the water has already been removed from the glass and the cleaning is carried out dry.

The new relay must match the markings. For example, for the domestic “nine” this option is 526.3747. However, depending on the manufacturer, relay devices may have other markings, but they are quite suitable for replacement. You just need to ask the sellers for a specific car model.

If for some reason the relay does not fit, you can replace the resistor R4 inside the relay. The native one has a nominal value of 130 kOhm, and for stable operation of the wipers it is recommended to set it within 40-70 kOhm. You can buy the part at a radio parts store or ask radio amateurs on the forums in your hometown.

The relay itself is located in a block that car enthusiasts call a “black box”.

And this is a diagram of the “nine” wiper relay

As for the internal design of the wiper relay, it can be different. However, the resistor we need is always connected inside the relay to the fourth leg of the microchip.

Note. The problem with the resistor is solved in a similar way for almost all VAZ models: “tens”, “tags”, Lada Grant and Priora, etc.

You should be aware that in some cases the wiper relay may not be removable. Then the resistor cannot be removed and replaced. You'll have to find a new relay with a classic VAZ design.

Another option is that water got inside the “black box”. Obviously, you need to disassemble the block, but you need to do this at your own peril and risk, since in half the cases everything falls apart during disassembly and you have to replace the mounting block with a new one (costs 3-4 thousand rubles).

The “black box” is disassembled like this:

Unscrew the six screws of the block (two screws directly inside the platform, the rest on the sides);
Carefully remove all relays, fuses and jumpers (remember their positions);
Use a screwdriver to halve the block;
Clear the oxides in the diagram.

First stage: diagnostics and elimination of electrical faults

Every owner of the tenth model probably noticed clicks and noise coming from the gearmotor located on the left when activating the windshield wiper system. Therefore, at the initial stage of solving the question of why the wipers do not work on the VAZ 2110, you should pay attention specifically to the nature of the operation of this unit.

The electric motor does not show any signs of operability - it is necessary to inspect fuse F5 in the mounting block located on the left under the headlight beam hydraulic corrector. A serviceable fuse primarily serves as an indicator of problems in the electric drive feeding system.