Wipers Worky all the time. D'oh!

[FJTOYMAN]

Hi all,
I finally got my 60 on the road for a test drive and it was raining a bit. So I tuned the wipers on... great no problem. THEN it stoped raining. (imagine that in Oregon )
SO I tried to shut off the wipers and no luck. They won't shut off. I had to disconnect the wiper motor to get them to stop.
Do ya think its the switch or a relay?
Electircal is not my stong point, come to think of it mechanical isn't either.
Thanks all.

 

[lovetoski]

Switches wear out, but they also get dirty. I'd start by taking the plastic cover off of the steering column and spraying the wiper switch with electrical cleaner. Might have to remove the switch to thoroughly clean it (never tried it, so just guessing). If it doesn't work properly when cleaned, then replacing it seems like the next logical step.

 

[brett76]

when i bought mine they only worked on hi.
then i took it wheeling and theyve been fine every since. very strange

 

[FJTOYMAN]

Ok, I pulled apart the steering colum and cleaned the switch. I notice the contacts were a little green. I took a rag and cleaned em with acetone. They shined up a little. The problem still exsits. Its gotten better but still does not work right.
I can alway get them to work in low and high. I got the interm. to work for about 10mins kinda. The wipers would swipe 3 times then pause. Turning off is still a pain. I have to play with the switch till they turn off and park.
Could it be the relay? How would I test for this?
Thx

 

[cruiser_guy]

It WILL be the relay. It sends power to the wipers and relays do fail eventually. Mine is starting to do that too. Sometimes tapping the relay will cause it to behave again but a new relay is in our future!

 

[FJTOYMAN]

It WILL be the relay. It sends power to the wipers and relays do fail eventually. Mine is starting to do that too. Sometimes tapping the relay will cause it to behave again but a new relay is in our future!

Is there a way to test the relay?
Thanks

 

[batman]

yes there is a way to test a relay.

first find the relay.
next multi meter, ohm meter
9v battery with two wire leads about 1' long each.

look at the relay and notice how it goes in.
there is going to be two pins bigger than the rest.
you need to find out what pins are positive and negitive.
you do this by using the multi meter and testing the female pin where the
relay mounts
Pull the outside cover off of the relay then connect the 9v battery to the pos and neg leds of the relay notice that when you pull the neg wire on and off the leg the relay closes and opens. When you have it energized test the pins with your ohm meter to see if you have a falt. I could get more in depth but i need the pin out diagram. You might want to clean thoes contacts inside the relay. That might be the problem. Remember that this is the basic way to trouble shoot a basic relay.

 

[FJTOYMAN]

yes there is a way to test a relay.

first find the relay.
next multi meter, ohm meter
9v battery with two wire leads about 1' long each.

look at the relay and notice how it goes in.
there is going to be two pins bigger than the rest.
you need to find out what pins are positive and negitive.
you do this by using the multi meter and testing the female pin where the
relay mounts
Pull the outside cover off of the relay then connect the 9v battery to the pos and neg leds of the relay notice that when you pull the neg wire on and off the leg the relay closes and opens. When you have it energized test the pins with your ohm meter to see if you have a falt. I could get more in depth but i need the pin out diagram. You might want to clean thoes contacts inside the relay. That might be the problem. Remember that this is the basic way to trouble shoot a basic relay.

GREAT info. Thanks alot. I'm still trying to figure out the electrical side of things.
Thanks.

 

[batman]

IF you need more help, send me a PM with your number and a time to call and I can explain more on the phone

 

[FJTOYMAN]

It was the relay! I finally got the INT to work for a bit and located the clicking relay. I unbolted it and opened it up. It looked clean but the part that clicks and sparks would stick. A flick of the finger would free it up again and it would work for a while. I hooked it back up and left it unbolted for the mean time. Now I just kick it when I need em to stop.:hillbilly

Any body used a replacement from cruiserparts.net? Toyota wants an arm and a leg for them.

Batman, Thanks for the offer. I'll keep ya in mind.

 

[cruiser_guy]

It was the relay! I finally got the INT to work for a bit and located the clicking relay. I unbolted it and opened it up. It looked clean but the part that clicks and sparks would stick. A flick of the finger would free it up again and it would work for a while. I hooked it back up and left it unbolted for the mean time. Now I just kick it when I need em to stop.:hillbilly

Any body used a replacement from cruiserparts.net? Toyota wants an arm and a leg for them.

Batman, Thanks for the offer. I'll keep ya in mind.

Told ya so!!

James at cruiserparts.net is good, I've got stuff from him before.

 

[batman]

It was the relay! I finally got the INT to work for a bit and located the clicking relay. I unbolted it and opened it up. It looked clean but the part that clicks and sparks would stick. A flick of the finger would free it up again and it would work for a while. I hooked it back up and left it unbolted for the mean time. Now I just kick it when I need em to stop.:hillbilly

Any body used a replacement from cruiserparts.net? Toyota wants an arm and a leg for them.

Batman, Thanks for the offer. I'll keep ya in mind.

Hey the reason it sticks is that the contacts need to be cleaned. They make a special tool call a nail file or emory board works great, sand paper something thin. Or you could use your muff bearings to clean it...LOL

 

[FJTOYMAN]

I tried. There is a cover over the part that clicks that I'm afraid I'll break while trying to get it off. What do you call the square box? is that the actual relay of is the hole assembly considered a relay?

 

[batman]

yes the relay moving parts are under the cover. if you look on the sides of the relay it should have something that holds the cover down. The cover should snap onto the base and you just need a thin knife to pry it open. you wont brek it, if you do, super glue the cover down it should be fine.