Hi,

I've found a similar thread on here but with no real conclusion...

In November the front wipers on my '05 Panda 1.1 Active started juddering and working intermittently. Mostly they'd only start working after driving for 2/3 mins, but then they started working slow and juddering sometimes, then stopping intermittently. I found a used motor on eBay (although on receiving it it looked brand new, perhaps someone bought it only to find the motor wasn't their problem?) and my boyfriend who used to be a Fiat mechanic about 22 yrs ago fitted it for me. All was well again!

That was until a few days ago when they stopped dead in heavy traffic in a downpour. Terrifying. They've been completely dead since then.

As with the previous problems I think that I can still hear the tick, presumably of a relay, when I move the stalk to any of the wiper "on" positions. Washers and rear wiper are fine. I've looked in the fuse box and there doesn't appear to be a symbol for any wipers so I'm not sure where/how to check any relevant fuses. Although my boyfriend was a mechanic for many years he's not an auto electrician!

Really getting to hate my Panda now, this recurring problem, along with the fact that is misses/loses power every time I put petrol in it and then again when ever it feel like it, although it never stalls (and there apparently isn't an in-line fuel filter I can simply change) are driving me mad.:bang:

Any help very gratefully received!

To test the wiper motor you could remove the connector and then wire in 12v and an earth to see what happens (or your mechanic chap could!). This would prove the wiring in the car or the motor itself.

Engine glitches when fueling could indicate tank breather or vapour recirculation safety kit and canisters not in the best of health. Stuff like this is dealer service only normally, as most DIY folks won't realise that there are serviceable items in there.

Here's the picture of the components and I suspect one of those needs cleaned, replaced or whatever.

Phil

Thanks for that R1NGA, I'll pass that info on to him tonight.

Wipers Fixed!

On the spur of the moment I decided to investigate my wiper problem, on removing the trim and extracting the wiper motor/linkage assembly, as soon as I unhooked the grey PVC cover I could see a tiny drip of rusty water on the underside of the part of the motor where the electronics are. On applying a tissue quite a bit more rusty water came out of a little hole on the bottom. I carefully removed the black plastic cover and found that it was damp inside and there was considerable signs of rusty water deposits all over every surface. I dried this up with tissue jammed into every corner with an electrical screwdriver, I also unscrewed the circuit board and dried all that off. However rusty water was seeping out of the motor housing via where the contacts emerge into the where the electronics are, so I removed the cover from the motor its self too and dried up the damp rusty mess in there too. Reconstructed it all, bit of WD40, good as new!.

Also found cause of water ingress - both the drains in the bottom of the well beneath the windscreen had become completely filled with compacted debris (leaves?), removed the drains, prized out dirt with a screwdriver, replaced. This does explain the horrible sloshing noise when going round first corner on setting off after/during rain.

Dismantled old motor from original wiper malfunction, no sign of water ingress but I wouldn't mind betting that was the cause of that motor's failure too.

Hooray! Just got to sort out fuel annoyance now. Unfortunately my BF says I have to change my own brake pads now I've been able to fix the wipers by myself!

well done for having a go yourself, wish more people had the courage to have a try. Debris in the water traps are a common problem on my company car (Vectra), but the bills caused by that are HUGE. I think the recent snow has caused alot of water ingress faults, WD40 to the rescue.

Good luck with the fuel problem, and have fun with the brake pads, more people should be car savvy, I think it's great when people understand how things work.