Technical Wiper Motor Problem

[Fiat Ducato Motorhome]

Hi forum

I have a 1997 Fiat Ducato 1.9TD Motorhome, been left standing for a while. The wiper mechanism gear seized solid so when my boys were playing in the cab they knocked the lever on. And as a result the motor starting smoking and almost caught fire.

I purchased a brand new replacement wiper motor. And fitted it, now MOT is due and having problems with adjusting it just right. First tried removing the wiper arms and changing the position on the splines, then re-tightened them back down. That didn't work, so then removed the pivot arm thats conencted to the motor, then adjusted my wipers to the correct position then attached the pivot arm again. Still no joy.

What seems to be happening, not sure if it's meant to do or it's fault. when you switch the wipers on, they wipe and return to rest position in the horizontal position on my windscreen close to the bottom (normal) then before the next wipe, the wiper arms decide to go down first a slight bit before in the forward motion. So after setting the wipers in what I class as the normal position, they then go too low hitting the bottom of the windscreen scuttle.

It's baffling me, been outside playing around with them for about an hour or so and just can't get them to lay in the correct position.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Maybe it's me just been thick and it's a simple fix. Fingers crossed

 

[andytw]

This does sound like the crank that is bolted to the motor spindle. The motor spindle will only be going in one direction from start to stop. Start, rotate, stop etc etc ad infinitum.
I would remove the wiper arms, then turn on the motor and adjust the position of the crank on the spindle until it does not go one way before starting it's ascent. When you are happy with that, then park the motor and fit the wiper arms back in their parked positions.

andytw

 

[Fiat Ducato Motorhome]

Hi thank you very much for taking the time to reply. Just a bit confused by what you mean. I get the bit about the motor only going round and round, took the motor off and tested it on its own, it just goes round and round in the same direction at different speeds.

And I understand taking the wiper arms off, but when you say the crank arm from the spindle and adjusting it's position so it does not go one way before starting it's accent - this part I'm totally lost.

Think that's what I have been doing as now it does stop at the bottom of the windscreen and comes straight up with carrying on in a downward motion, however now I seem to have lost the automatic stopping (parking) and intermittent wipers. They work perfectly on the other settings just have to park them manually by gauging the motion and stopping position, right pain.

Any ideas what could have caused this?

 

[CDK]

Now you didn't connect the wiring in the proper way.
The auto parking function is done by a switch in the motor. It connects to a terminal that should always get 12V; the other terminal is commanded by the wiper switch on the steering column.

 

[Fiat Ducato Motorhome]

Hi thanks for replying to my dilemma. But I'm pretty sure I haven't connected the wiring wrong as It's a connector block and can only go in one way.

Could be faulty wiring somewhere I suppose, although the wipers were working on intermittent and stopping automatically before I started playing around with them. They were going down past the scuttle after the stopped position, so before the next upward motion they were going down.

At some some point they got jammed, I wonder if this as done something to the motor inside. I immediately switched them off, and sorted the problem. Got them going to the right position on the windscreen now, but now they just don't automatically stop or do intermittent wiping.

 

[Crossingkeeper]

As you are not sure whether the issue lies with the motor or the crank linkages, could you disconnect the linkage and mark the motor spindle in some way? (tippex or a bit of wire shaped like a clock hand)

You then should be able to see if the self parking action is taking place correctly within the motor thus eliminating this or wiring issues. (if working correctly the motor spindle will always stop at the same radial position)

 

[Fiat Ducato Motorhome]

As you are not sure whether the issue lies with the motor or the crank linkages, could you disconnect the linkage and mark the motor spindle in some way? (tippex or a bit of wire shaped like a clock hand)

You then should be able to see if the self parking action is taking place correctly within the motor thus eliminating this or wiring issues. (if working correctly the motor spindle will always stop at the same radial position)

I am fairly sure now, that it is the actual wiper motor itself although it is brand new, I disconnected it from the linkages and left it connected to the power connectors, unbolted it from its location and rested it on top of the air filter housing.

Using the different settings on the wiper lever and watched the spindle on the motor. The spindle doesn't stop in any place it just rotates round and round and round. And it would appear at just one speed.

Can't tell you all how fed up I am messing around with it, removing it, testing it and playing around with it, putting it back on, still doing the same. Cleaning the electrical connectors, even removed the cover from the motor itself to see if all looked ok inside. Which it did.

 

[andytw]

If you test it as you describe then when on the first speed it should go round and round, forever. If you put it on the second speed it should go round and round, forever...but faster. When you turn it off the motor should stop at the same place every time it is turned off. You could mark the shaft with some paint.

You should be able to check the 2 speeds by putting a pointer on the motor shaft and counting the revolutions for 1 minute.

 

[digger58]

For want of a better description, wipers are like a camshaft, they need to be "Timed" you can't just take off the linkage and put it back on any old way, The motor "parks" not the linkage so they are "timed" to each other. Did you mark the linkage and motor shaft before taking them apart? Best thing if you are not familiar with them is try to get a look at a similar one. The motor will park irrespective so it's the linkage you need to set up.

 

[Fiat Ducato Motorhome]

Update on this long irritating problem with my wipers on my van. Been back out to have another look at them. Finally got linkages timed so they wipe the screen correctly not passing over the screen or under the scuttle. They seem to work at different speeds from what I can tell.

I have also disconnected the connector from the motor and tested each coloured wire from it to see which relates to which wiper setting from the stalk with a multi meter and they all show a reading of 13.80V with the engine running in accordance to the correct setting on the stalk, except from the plain blue wire which seems to read a constant 13.80V even when the wiper stalk is on OFF position, so I presuming that this is the permanent LIVE FEED.

The only problem that I have left now is that it is still not AUTOMATICALLY PARKING, no matter what I do it will not automatic park itself. Even when the motor was disconnected it didn't stop, just rotated round and round.
Someone mention that it is the motor that self parks and not the linkages. So does this mean my brand new motor is faulty. Want to get it all working properly for when I start using it again for my long trips during the summer.

If anyone can shed any further light on this problem I will be eternally grateful.
Paul

 

[corcai]

Someone mention that it is the motor that self parks and not the linkages. So does this mean my brand new motor is faulty. Want to get it all working properly for when I start using it again for my long trips during the summer.

If anyone can shed any further light on this problem I will be eternally grateful.
Paul

Motor is self parking there are wipers and tracks inside, it may not park if there is too much dielectric grease, track or wipe is corroded, wiper is out of place / bent or damaged. You can remove the cover in place and see what is going on inside.

 

[Fiat Ducato Motorhome]

Motor is self parking there are wipers and tracks inside, it may not park if there is too much dielectric grease, track or wipe is corroded, wiper is out of place / bent or damaged. You can remove the cover in place and see what is going on inside.

Thank you for replying and for this very valuable information, I will take the motor apart and take a good luck inside, already did it once but wasn't sure what I was looking for and as it is brand new thought it surely couldn't be the motor.
Paul