My 83 300DT has a habit of wiping the windshield at random. Occasionally, the wipers will start wiping and shut off again after a few cycles. If I turn on the switch and then back off again, the wipers will stop. My first guess is the switch, but I thought maybe someone out there has had this problem before and could offer some help.

Thanks,
KRW

Had the same symptoms on my '83 and '85 300DT's.

Replacing the turn signal stalk/switch fixed it.

Mine will sometimes make a single swipe when I adjust the right side rear view mirror. I thought maybe it was a built in courtesy. But seriously, maybe it is a ground fault. I am no expert on electricity and hopefully some other members will have some more information. It is not the first thing on my list to repair so for the time being, I am living with it.

__________________
85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale**
84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds
00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold)
15 Subaru Outback 43K
11 Subaru Outback 67K
98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now.
30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60

The stalk (aka combination switch) is at fault.

They can be carefully taken apart and cleaned with electrical contact cleaner from Radio Shack; that repair worked great for me. After you remove the stalk from the car, carefully pry of the very end, and then the rest of the disassembly will be obvious.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Thanks for the response. I suspected the switch, but it makes me feel better to know for sure.

Kevin Williams
Pollock, LA