wiper woes

[aqua190]

i have a 1991 190e 2.6. my windshield wiper stops all over the place. it doesn't return to the park position when turned off and on intermittent is stops wherever it wants. anyone have this problem and find out what it was? can it be fixed? if i have to remove the wiper arm how do i get the cover off at the base?

[A264172]

I just finished fixing a problem with my wipers today… over the course of about a month they would not park… then the intermittent setting stopped working and finally this week they stopped working altogether unless held manually slightly beyond the fastest setting. Below is what I did today that has them working correctly now on all settings.

-Take off the end cap of the combination switch by prying it out with a very small flat screwdriver blade (held on by two tabs – front and back)
-Remove the washer fluid contact piece (white plastic with a small spring and contact disk) and the large spring.
-Push the body of the combination switch handle down the stalk, to expose the workings of the switch’s wiper functions.
-There is a white colored plastic piece at the end of the switch. Remove this (pry off front and back – two tabs) with a very small flat screwdriver blade.
-There are two contacts (for the washer fluid activation mechanism) that come out of the stalk and bend toward the center. They keep you from easily removing the small barrel that activates the various wiper settings. Bend these gently back to remove the barrel.
-The barrel has a pin through the front to connect it into the handle and two contacts that also pass through the barrel to make contact on each side… In my case the front of these two contacts had bent out of shape slowly on one side until it no longer made contact with its circuit (unless pushed out of the switch’s range)…

I bent the offending contact back into shape cleaned up the others as best I could and coated them with Dielectric grease… reassembled everything and… Viola I have my wipers back.

Hope this helps.

[aqua190]

thanks for the reply, but not the same as my symptoms. mine works, it's just spastic. anyone else have this problem? i'm thinking maybe the arm is loose on the motor shaft but can't figure out how to get the big cover off to chk it. has anyone removed it successfully?

[pberku]

I removed it about 3 months ago, but now can't remember exactly how I did it. I'll go by memory. Try the following:

Unferneath the cover there are two tabs at roughly the 5 and 7 o'clock positions. Spread these tabs out with both hands. Once they are released, lift the bottom of the cover slightly towards you, then slide it up towards the top of the wiper arm. The mechanism will now be exposed.

Let me know if that worked.


Phil

[A264172]

Originally Posted by aqua190

...not the same as my symptoms. mine works, it's just spastic..

...intermittent parking problem... I got real good at stopping it where it should park before it deteriorated further... I even enjoyed parking it over on the passenger side (USA model) occasionally for variety The intermittent wiper setting was the first to show a problem where it would just stop in mid wipe.

The disassembly of the combination switch is pretty easy stuff... if you go slow and observe how the pieces fit together as you take it apart... it doesn't spring out into a confusing mass of pieces or anything ... might be worth a look to see if a little tweak might cure it.

[pentoman]

Originally Posted by A264172

I even enjoyed parking it over on the passenger side (USA model) occasionally for variety

Interesting that they reversed the wiper for left/right hand drive - i.e. the wiper always stops on the drivers side.

Which part is it that decides where it stops then, I wonder (might help aqua190's problem too)?

Your problem, aqua190, could also be the wiper fuse under the bonnet (hood). Sounds ridiculous but many of us have gone to switch on the wiper and it's just sat motionless, requiring a rapid stop before visibility completely disappears. It's always the fuse that needs re-seating. Your problem may be a (slightly more advanced and bizarre) version of that so give it a check/clean/replacement anyway.

[A264172]

Originally Posted by pentoman

Interesting that they reversed the wiper for left/right hand drive - i.e. the wiper always stops on the driver’s side.

Which part is it that decides where it stops then, I wonder (might help aqua190's problem too)?
...

Interesting indeed. I always assumed that they had wanted it over their... out of the way of the driver and we in the left hand drive part of the world had just better put up with it. I guess if you want to get water out of the way of your eyes... its better to start right in front of them.

Hope this attachment of a wiper circuit map can be read without a magnifying glass. Edit: (Its from a 91 300E 2.6 query to the 124 CD set.)

[aqua190]

thanks for the suggestions. i'm beginning to think it's in the combo relay.

[aqua190]

been thinking about this some more and i believe i may have 2 problems. i think the intermittent cycle is the combo relay, but the wiper park problem i think may be something else. isn't there a tab inside the motor that lets the wiper know when it has reached the park position? i'm beginning to think that may be broken as well.

any ideas?

[Adelescomp]

Did you ever get this fixed? I have a 1991 500SL and it's doing the same thing!

Thanks!

[A264172]

Has anyone with this problem disassembeled there combination switch yet, to check that both the contacts on the barrel are straight and alligned the same way?

[haasman]

So did anyone figure out what was ailing the intermittent intermittent wipers? Was it the combo relay?

Haasman