12 replies to this topic

[burty]

I have a UC torana that has an intermittent fault with the wipers. They still work as designed however they randomly activate and move 1/4 to 1/2 way up the windscreen.
Have checked other forums and haven't come across the same issue.
Any suggestions would be welcome.

[Rockoz]

Possibly a faulty switch.
Hard to imagine 2 seperate opposite type faults happening anywhere else.

Needs a short somewhere across switch contacts to get them to move.

Then an open circuit to take away the supply that gets them to self park.

Does it have a intermiittent wipers?

Possibly internal to motor as well.

See how easy it is to remove the electrical cover off the wiper motor and look for broken bits in there

Intermittent faults can take hours and even days to track down

Check all your earths as well. Behind the dash and around the motor.

Will grab a diagram tomorrow if I have time and see if I can narrow it down a bit more

[burty]

Thanks for the advice, gives me a couple of places to start. The wipers don't have intermittent just off, 1 & 2 speed.
I'll check the motor first as the cover is accessible.

[VDO]

It will most likely be in the switch.

 

There's nothing in the motor that would cause the random movement.

[burty]

Rare spares have replacement indicator, wiper dip switch stem/lever and wiring for about $65 will give that a go first.

[burty]

Replaced the switch, unfortunately hasn't fixed the problem so I'll have to try something else. The new switch was worth a shot & not very expensive and I now have a spare!!
Maybe a wiper motor problem? Or it only leaves the wiring from the switch plug to the motor.

[Rockoz]

Remove the cover on the wiper motor.

The motor works on negative switching from memory.

Any debris in the area where the contacts are could cause the issue.

But get the torch out, become a contortionist, and have a good look at the harness from the switch through to the motor.

Sometimes there will be obvious signs, sometimes not.

But if someone has spliced into the wiring, like fitting an after market intermittent control.

Wiring could have been attacked for any number of reasons over the years that could cause dramas.

 

I usually pull all extra wiring out of any car I buy, and start again doing it properly.

Have seen "professional" radio installers just twist and tape connections a lot of times over the years.

[burty]

Thanks for the advice I'll check the wiper motor next.
When I purchased the car I drove it for a year before taking it off the road for another 7. The year I drove it it never had this issue. Just have to keep eliminating bit by bit.

[Rockoz]

Thanks for the advice I'll check the wiper motor next.
When I purchased the car I drove it for a year before taking it off the road for another 7. The year I drove it it never had this issue. Just have to keep eliminating bit by bit.

 

 

Thats the way fault finding works. Eliminate then move on.

Being intermittent makes it harder to pin down.

 

I used to Kodak a lot of intermittent problems years ago.

[burty]

Yep, hopefully I'll find the fault eventually and put it on this thread for others to use in future.

[burty]

It’s been a while since I put this post up so I thought I’d provide an update. Found the problem and it was not what I expected.
As per the photo there is a wiper speed switch low on the right side of the dash that was faulty. Not sure if these are only in UC Torana’s?? When fully turned to the left it clicks off and turns out the wipers work properly. So the switch or electrics behind it appears to be faulty.
Anyone familiar with the switch? I was unable to find any reference to the switch anywhere?

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[burty]

http://www.gmh-toran...rmittant-wiper/

Well, after more digging found this post from 2006. Similar problem and appears to be an intermittent wiper switch. Anyway will do some more digging and see if it can be replaced or repaired.

[76lxhatch]

If its anything like the Commodore ones there is also a separate electric component (like a big relay) that does the actual switching, the dash switch is just a rheostat that controls the dwell.