Intermittent and auto stopped working on my 2011 200 just all of a sudden. Low and hi work just fine. I already replaced the computer behind the glove box and that didn't work. Anyone have any other ideas on what might be going on?
Intermittent and Auto wipers stopped working - any ideas? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter LCAdvocate
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Just an idea; might be rubbish. Sensor up behind the rear view mirror with a gel pad between the sensor and glass which transmits the vibration on the screen. Unclip it and see if you can trip the sensor by tapping it. Sometimes the sensor isn't in contract with the gel pad sufficiently and will need refitting. I did mine when the windscreen was replaced; ended up cutting a small pad to pack out the gap. Might of course not be that at all !!
I would check the relay for the auto and/or intermittent functions in the fuse box. If the relay is bad, that would make sense why the low and high speed functions work normally but the other two do not.
This happened to me. You need to buy the reseal kit for the windshield sensor. Its that square plastic under the mirror.
You can just unplug the sensor on the windshield, and the wipers will work in the usual delay mode.
bloc
SILVER Star
How competent are you with electrical troubleshooting? There is a somewhat involved process for troubleshooting the int/rain wiper modes in the FSM. Including the ability to trigger Diagnostic Trouble Codes, if you have access to techstream.
I didn't see any sure-fire things to look for, other than making sure the special clear tape between the windshield glass and the face of the sensor is flush and doesn't have any large bubbles in it. For the record in the US it doesn't detect vibration, it bounces IR light off the outside surface of the glass, and looks for anomalies in how it is reflected, usually caused by drops of water. That's why having a significant bubble in the tape interface can throw it off.
I'm attaching the EWD for the rain sensing wipers.. with it you can at least make sure the sensor is getting power. Or like @KLF said you can unplug it and see if Int works then.
Either way I think you'll need to spend some time with TIS/FSM. Contact user Linuxgod if you don't already have access to the FSM.
Edit: I just realized this diagram doesn't have wire colors. Odd. I'll try to find something more useful.
Edit2: the full EWD is a big file and I don't have an easy way to save and attach it. The SIG wire into the rain sensor pin 4 is green, the ES wire to sensor pin 1 is white, the LIN wire from the sensor to the ECU is Red, pin 3 on the sensor, pin C-7 on the ECU. You should have +12v on the green wire to the sensor with the ignition on. There are a bunch more wires to look into later but that should cover the rain sensor which I think will knock out auto/int if it isn't working correctly.
I didn't see any sure-fire things to look for, other than making sure the special clear tape between the windshield glass and the face of the sensor is flush and doesn't have any large bubbles in it. For the record in the US it doesn't detect vibration, it bounces IR light off the outside surface of the glass, and looks for anomalies in how it is reflected, usually caused by drops of water. That's why having a significant bubble in the tape interface can throw it off.
I'm attaching the EWD for the rain sensing wipers.. with it you can at least make sure the sensor is getting power. Or like @KLF said you can unplug it and see if Int works then.
Either way I think you'll need to spend some time with TIS/FSM. Contact user Linuxgod if you don't already have access to the FSM.
Edit: I just realized this diagram doesn't have wire colors. Odd. I'll try to find something more useful.
Edit2: the full EWD is a big file and I don't have an easy way to save and attach it. The SIG wire into the rain sensor pin 4 is green, the ES wire to sensor pin 1 is white, the LIN wire from the sensor to the ECU is Red, pin 3 on the sensor, pin C-7 on the ECU. You should have +12v on the green wire to the sensor with the ignition on. There are a bunch more wires to look into later but that should cover the rain sensor which I think will knock out auto/int if it isn't working correctly.
Last edited:
Dealer just fixed mine it’s the gel pack on the mirror dried out he just put a new one in.
Happened to me on a 2014 LC. Ended up being the gel back on the windshield sensor -- as others have already stated. I fixed it myself but never liked how erratic wiping was on rain-sense mode even when the car was new. I eventually unplugged the windshield sensor (behind rearview mirror) and had the normal wiper delay adjustable with the wheel on the wiper control stalk. The rain-sense wipers on my 2019 seem to be much more controlled so I have left the sensor hooked up and used as intended.
I had rain sensing in both a '05 ES330 and a '11 LC, and they were terrible. Unusable. Annoying. Found the solution for the LC here, unplugged that numb sensor.
They were much better on my current '15, so I left them be. Then I had the windshield replaced in June, and they are not the same. I'll probably get fed up and unplug the sensor again at the first snow storm. It's aggravating, as it makes no difference what you set the knob on the stalk to, it has no effect. I just wish Toyoda had put an additional position on the stalk: AUTO, INTER, and LOW/HIGH.
They were much better on my current '15, so I left them be. Then I had the windshield replaced in June, and they are not the same. I'll probably get fed up and unplug the sensor again at the first snow storm. It's aggravating, as it makes no difference what you set the knob on the stalk to, it has no effect. I just wish Toyoda had put an additional position on the stalk: AUTO, INTER, and LOW/HIGH.
- Thread starter
- #12
Unplugged it at the mirror and the intermittent now works so it must be the gel pack issue. Thanks for all the help
The "plug" on the top side of the sensor (near the ceiling liner) doesn't seem to budge when I tug at it and/or hunt for a unlatch button/release. Can someone be more specific how it unplugs - even if it is so simple a caveman can do it...
Just returned from a long road trip and the lousy "sightline" wiper (just realized those are what came with my 1 owner preowned) and lack of intermittent or rain-sensing mode was a super annoying combo. Solving both this morning since apparently we are in 40 days and 40 nights of rain in the SE.
Just returned from a long road trip and the lousy "sightline" wiper (just realized those are what came with my 1 owner preowned) and lack of intermittent or rain-sensing mode was a super annoying combo. Solving both this morning since apparently we are in 40 days and 40 nights of rain in the SE.
First, you have to remove the black housing. The housing has a retaining clip that removes from the bottom. Then the housing can pop off. Once the housing is off, you have access to the sensor wiring attachment.
Thanks man. Got the housing/cover off - so just use pliers and gently pull the attachment piece out of the rain sensor unit? It is resisting my fingers pull effort quite well. ha
Can you identify the locking tab in this pic? Thanks again for the assistance on something so simple. I have plenty of experience with wiring and whatnot, but this one is fighting back on me. Likely operator error related to big hands in a very small space..
CharlieS
GOLD Star
@thammer62 you could also use a trim tool or small screwdriver to depress the tab. Often pushing the connector in, or together, releases the tension on the locking tab, making it easier to depress.
