I have this wierd electrical thing going in my '85 300TDT. When I start it for the first time in the AM, the windshield wiper activates for one sweep even if the switch is off. If I turn the car off for long enough to let it cool (that's the assumption anyway), it will activate the wiper again for one sweep. If the car is turned of but does not have a chance to fully cool, the wiper does not activate.

THe wiper switch is definately off when this happens.

ANyone heard of this before? Electrical short? Haunted? Should I call those Click and Clack brothers on the radio?

Thanks

My 240D did this when the battery voltage was low. Not sure if it is related to your car's problem or why mine did it, but went away with a new battery .

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‘84 300TD “Mountain Goat”
'62 300d Adenauer-350 Chevy - "Max"
'15 VW Passat TDI
'16 Dodge Ram 3500 - Cummins w/6-speed
'68 Mustang fastback
'55 T-bird
‘63 Studebaker Hawk

arnoneh,
The chances are that it is the wiper motor. It has to do with the park mechanism for the wiper arms. My sons cars does the same thing, but has gotten worse over the last year, in that it also does it sometimes when he shuts the car off. I just went to picknpull, got another motor, plugged it in, and it works just fine. Maybe soon I will have enough time to switch it out with the bad one. Merry Xmas Bob

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79 300D Turbocharged 286K Grey/Blue
83 300SD 135K Blue/Grey
83 300D 182K Gold/Palamino (Ryan's)
84 300SD 197K Maroon/Palamino (partscar)
87 190E 100K Grey/Blue
93 190E 224K White/Palamino

On a related side note, my wipers on my 300D make a horrible screeching noise 1 time when the wipers are first turned on and then no noise. Until the next time I turn them on. Any thoughts?? Bad bearing in wiper motor?

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1985 300D Gretchen (Astral Silver) 220k
1983 240D 4-speed Evelyn (Orient Red) 203k


TANSTAAFL

our shop car was doing that for 3 years, i replaced the wiper relay with a new one and it stopped, i would replace the wiper relay and see how it goes

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1967 250 S
1967 280SE
1968 250S
1971 280 SE
1973 220
1974 280 S
1975 450 SEL
1976 220 D
1979 300SD
1983 300 SD
1985 230 TE euro
1986 280SL
1986 500 SEL euro
1986 190E 2.3
1990 300 SE
2003 C230 K
2004 C230 K
1987 560SEL
1987 300SDL now in canada
2005 C230
1998 C43 AMG Sold to DON
1993 190E 2.6
300TD Former daily driver Totaled
current:
R320 CDI
Ram 2500 Cummins

ditto ----- Jim

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2005 C240 4matic wagon (daily driver)
87 190D - 225K (on loan)
85 190D - 312K (on loan)
2011 Subaru Legacy AWD (Wife's)

One of mine does that, but only in cold weather. It seem like it might be related to the ignition switch, but I can't prove it yet. In this car, it is definitely not a battery voltage problem.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Let's see, candidates are:
Battery (low voltage)
Wiper Relay
Wiper Motor
Ignition Switch

Can't be the battery since my battery died recently and I replaced it with a really good one.

THe symptom occurs mainly in cold weather when I'm turning the car on for the first time. I think I might try the ignition switch first....does anyone know if there is a way to test this without going out and buying a new one? -Harv

the least expesive and time consuming attempt would be the relay, i would tath there, do you have acess to a used one?

__________________
1967 250 S
1967 280SE
1968 250S
1971 280 SE
1973 220
1974 280 S
1975 450 SEL
1976 220 D
1979 300SD
1983 300 SD
1985 230 TE euro
1986 280SL
1986 500 SEL euro
1986 190E 2.3
1990 300 SE
2003 C230 K
2004 C230 K
1987 560SEL
1987 300SDL now in canada
2005 C230
1998 C43 AMG Sold to DON
1993 190E 2.6
300TD Former daily driver Totaled
current:
R320 CDI
Ram 2500 Cummins