Can't turn the wipers off

[boxboy]

My 520 had an issue with the wiper switch when I bought it. The wipers go on, but you have to fiddle with the switch to get it just right and at just the right time to get the wipers to stop at or near the bottom of the windshield. So I got a different switch from a fellow Ratsuner thinking I would fix the issue. No luck. Worked with the key on accessory, but with the engine running I have to fiddle again just like before. If I run the wipers and then turn the engine off and restart the truck with the switch to off, they stay off as well.

 

Any ideas? I live in the Willamette Valley, so wipers are kind of important. Any help appreciated.

[Skib]

you have to fiddle with the switch to get it just right and at just the right time to get the wipers to stop at or near the bottom of the windshield.

 

 

every datto except my 79 620 Iv had to do that.

none of my Z's or my 510 ever had auto return for the wipers, thats just the way it is.

[H5WAGON]

Check the little adjusting can on the motor....that switch may have bad contacts, clean and see what happens....:cool:

 

How do all the wires look?

 

The wipers on my White wagon stop at the correct spot, and I just fixed my other cars wiper motor. But have not installed it yet. Hope it stops also.:D

[datzenmike]

Are you now saying you can turn them off, but they don't park properly at the bottom of the windshield?????

 

 

There is power to the wiper even when the switch is turned OFF. In the OFF position power is re-routed through a parking circuit that has a switch that interrupts this power as the wipers swing down to the bottom of the windshield.

 

Your wiper switch in the OFF position must connect two wires for this to work. The Yellow and the Blue. This will enable the parking circuit to work.

 

If your wipers are not parked properly, connecting the Yellow and Blue wires should cause them to finish wiping and park. If this does not work then there is a bad connection at the wiper motor OR the wiper motor is bad.

[boxboy]

Okay, I will try to clarify. I turn on the wipers (truck running) and when the rain lets up enough I go to shut them of, putting the switch in off position and it changes nothing. In order to get the blades to stop at all, I have to fiddle in and out with the switch to find a "sweet spot" were the wiper motor will stop. Alternatively, I can put the wiper switch in the off position, but the wipers are still moving, and turn the engine off. When I restart the engine the wipers will be off in correspondence with the switch position.

 

I wouldn't so much care if I just had to push the switch at the right time to keep the wipers out of the line of sight. My problem is the tickling it takes to find the sweet spot to get them to stop wiping. The motor doesn't make noises or anything, so it is hard for me to imagine the motor itself is bad. But I don't know anything about electrical stuff either, so what do I know?

[datzenmike]

Sorry, thought it was a 521... but the park circuit should be similar. Two switches the same would suggest it's the wiper mechanism.Try un-pluging the wiper motor and checking the contacts for corrosion, specially if the plug is in the engine compartment.

[boxboy]

Back to this topic if folks are still lookin'. I cleaned up the wiper motor today and from what I could tell the connections were all decent. But a funny thing happened when I went to re-install the motor. I of course had the wiper arm disconnected from the motor, and I tested the motor before I hooked it back up. Everything worked fine. Switched on and off well. So with the switch off, but the key still on accessory, I went to hook up the wiper arm to the motor and it through sparks and made the motor rotate! What ?!? As long as the wiper arm is not attached, the motor works as it should, but somehow when the arm is hooked up it won't turn off with the switch, only the key.

 

I know you guys probably have some wisdom on this one, so let's have it.

[datzenmike]

If it works as described then somewhere inside the motor the return to ground is touching the motor case. As long as the motor isn't grounded through the arm then the ground return works properly on the OFF position on the witch, but when the case is grounded it keeps running.

 

I'd replace the motor assy or check it carefully for a ground condition. Borrow one if you can to test it.

[boxboy]

Is the 520 wiper motor unique, or do others cross with it? Can I use a 521 or 620 motor? Seems like RA wants a lot of money for one.

[datzenmike]

The 521 might work. I'm pretty sure the 620 is different.

[wayno]

Hi there Boxboy, I expect you could use the 521 wiper motor, the 520 has 4 wires, and the 521 has 5 wires. Since your wiring harness has only 4 wires the fast speed wire(#5) would not be used unless you changed over to a 521 wiring harness. I looked around and found only one wiper motor in my inventory so your on your own for the moment, if I find another one I will let you know. I would also check the ground wire, check/trace it all the way to the ground, even if you have to jumper/piggyback another wire from the ground wire to a ground. Has anyone messed with the wiring in the truck, could they have mixed up two of the wires? I wired a 521 wiper motor into a 1982 datsun 720 wiring harness, it took me several times to get it right, the point is. that it sorta worked in several differant configurations, it even would work with the ground connected to the wrong place/wire. But I didn't give up and finally got everthing working, I only smoked two intermitant wiper electronic units that day.:lol:

[boxboy]

Update. I took the back cover off of the wiper motor and there are three long flat copper contacts under there. Wedged in between the bottom and middle contact was some sort of small metal chunk. It looked machined like it was supposed to be in there somewhere, but I flicked it out of between the contacts and now the motor works as it should. Strange, but I will not complain.

[datzenmike]

Good. Everything began to point to the motor assy.

[dat521gatherer]

nice going guys. now maybe i'll re-read this a few times and play with mine cause it doesn't park correctly.