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Troubleshooting Wiper System Malfunction: Seeking Advice

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    Troubleshooting Wiper System Malfunction: Seeking Advice

    Hello everyone,

    I'm currently troubleshooting an issue with my car's wiper system and could use some advice. Despite replacing several parts, I still don't have functioning wipers. Here's a breakdown of what I've done and the symptoms I'm experiencing:

    What I've Replaced:
    • New wiper motor (Note: I've switched out the wiper motors but lost track of which one is the original and which is new. The "new" one is from a '02 M3, while my car is a '04. I believe the gear covers are different, so I should be able to identify them.)
    • Replaced the stalk (wiper control lever), but this did not resolve the issue, so it can be ruled out as the source of the problem.
    • New wiper relay
    • New 30 amp fuse located in the glovebox

    Additional Details:
    • I have bench-tested one of the motors, but due to the duration of this issue (5-6 months) and my busy schedule, I've forgotten which motor I tested.
    • I plan to remove the wiper motor currently in the car and bench-test it as well.
    • Additionally, I will disconnect the motor, put a new 30 amp fuse in, turn on the wipers without the motor connected, and see if there is a short. If there is, it should cause the new fuse to blow.

    Symptoms:
    • Intermittent Operation: Initially, pressing the wiper stalk down sometimes triggered the wipers to function. This was inconsistent.
    • Erratic Behavior: When it did work, I intended for a single pass, but the wipers would make multiple sweeps and then stop arbitrarily mid-windshield, never in the same position.
    • Temporary Fix: Turning the car off and back on seemed to temporarily resolve the issue, allowing for one full pass of the wipers upon pressing the stalk down.
    • Fuse Blowout: On one occasion, immediately after replacing the 30 amp fuse and activating the wipers, the new fuse blew.

    This problem has been a bit of a head-scratcher for me. Here are my queries to the community:
    • Has anyone encountered a similar issue? If so, what was the root cause in your case?
    • Could this be a wiring issue I'm overlooking, or is this indicative of a more complex electrical problem?
    • Could this be a GM5-related issue?

    Any advice, suggestions, or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you in advance!

    #2
    So this might be a bad idea, so not sure how much thought you want to invest into this. But when you talked about the symptoms of it kinda working, and then having to turn the car off and on again to make it kinda work again I had flashbacks of when I fought with my RLS. Could the RLS somehow be messing things up here? I think you can test various values of the RLS in INPA. Might be worth taking a cursory look to just make sure that thing is behaving and not contributing to your problem.

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      #3
      Originally posted by bagger View Post
      So this might be a bad idea, so not sure how much thought you want to invest into this. But when you talked about the symptoms of it kinda working, and then having to turn the car off and on again to make it kinda work again I had flashbacks of when I fought with my RLS. Could the RLS somehow be messing things up here? I think you can test various values of the RLS in INPA. Might be worth taking a cursory look to just make sure that thing is behaving and not contributing to your problem.
      Mine wasn't connected at the time now that I recall, but I wasn't using “auto mode” (if there is even an auto mode on the car, not sure) but I was just pressing it down once for it to do a singular sweep. But at this point the wipers don't even work lol.

      I've been driving a wiper less death trap for 6 months now 😂.


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        #4
        Fixed !


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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          #5
          Originally posted by Stilt View Post
          Fixed !


          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
          Can't leave us hanging like that - what was it?

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            #6
            My bad lol. I had the original motor in the car and that's why it wasn't working.

            Many months ago I put the replacement motor in the car but it didn't work, this was because the fuse was blown and I didn't check.

            Popped the new fuse in and the replacement motor and good as new, all in all it was about an hour worth of work.


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