one more problem

**Arkansa Dave** · 04-17-2007, 05:34 PM

this one is weirding me out. ok it has to do with windshielld wipers and the fluid pump. with the wires unplugged from the resevoir right under the hood latch my wipers work fine but no blue bug juice can be had. with it plugged in the pump will spray the fluid but the wipers will not function properly if at all in any setting. am i lookin at some sort of short somewhere or bad ground i dunno i'm lost and don't really want to pay 85 bucks an hour to get it fixed seem like somethin i could probably live with

**chris01ss** · 04-18-2007, 06:49 PM

I have an 01 Camaro SS and have the same problem. I am working on, hopefully, the solution. Wipers work great with the pump unplugged; they stop when I plug it back in. Keep in mind my wipers gradually stopped working like everyone else's until finally they would only come on when I hit the washer switch and then stop in the middle of the windshield or stop in the inner wipe position (just b4 they park at the base of the windshield).

Here's what I've done:
Tried swapping out the wiper motor, same thing. So it's not the motor. Tested voltages at the motor plug on all the 5 wires, with the washer plug plugged in and unplugged. I found that all the voltages are what they should be when the washer is unplugged. With it plugged in, I was getting .9V on the DK GRN wire, which is the wiper switch on signal, for all the different wiper sw settings. It should be 12V anytime the wipers are on. It would jump up to 12V when the washer sw was pushed.

I have a factory repair manual showing the wiper schematic. I have troubleshot it to the wiper switch in the steering column. For those that don't know, the switch is the part that you can see that the turn signal lever is connected to. So far, I have completely removed the switch from the column for further testing. PITA. Just need patience and time.

The schematic shows a diode connecting the PNK wire (From washer switch) to the DK GRN (Wiper switch on signal).
Note: when testing the actual switch, it is the GRY wire. It swaps with the DK GRN at the plug at the base of the steering column for unknown reasons. The diode tests bad. Diodes should only have continuity in one direction. When I put a meter across it on diode test mode of my DMM, it conducts in both directions. I also tested the isolation diode which is at the base of the column taped up. This one tested good.

SO....I'm pretty confident I found the problem and have ordered the wiper/washer switch. The part number is 26098535 for 2000-2002 and 26020950 for 1993-1999 Checked the stealer, they wanted $156 for it?!?! I ended up ordering it on GMpartsdirect for $98 shipped. I still haven't received it.

I will update when I get it and test out the diode in the new switch to confirm my suspicions.

Chris

**Arkansa Dave** · 04-20-2007, 09:43 AM

man i can't say how much i appreciate the info you are saving me such a headasche of tryin to figure out the schematic. and its good to know that i'm not the only one with this problem. again, thanks man

**chris01ss** · 04-24-2007, 06:14 PM

I tested the new wiper switch I received today to confirm my prior diagnosis. The diode in the new switch is good. I probably won't have time to install it until this weekend, but I'm sure this is what was causing the erratic wiper operation.

Stay tuned for update

Chris

**Steve Crowe** · 04-24-2007, 06:28 PM

At that price I'd be trying to replace just the diode itself, cost of $1 at Radio Shack + a $5 soldering iron.

**chris01ss** · 04-25-2007, 04:20 AM

I thought of it but the switch is riveted and I didn't want to mess with trying open it. I may try to get the old switch open to see if I can fix it. There's like 3 or 4 pieces that may be hard to get back together properly.

Chris

**chris01ss** · 05-05-2007, 03:55 PM

Finally got the wiper switch in....It is a PITA to get everything back together just the way it was. Wipers work perfectly now.

My assumtion is that the diode burns up/shorts out from overcurrent when the wipers were frozen to the windshield a few winters ago. They never worked right after that. A lesson learned to make sure the wipers are free to move and all the snow/ice is out of the area BEFORE getting in when it's cold out.

My suggestion to anyone with crazy wiper operation is to unplug the wiper fluid pump at the front of the car. If the wipers work properly, the problem is the diode in the wiper switch.

I also tried taking the old switch apart to see if it could be fixed. Believe me, it is more trouble than it's worth. There is one rivet you can't get to but I got it apart but couldn't find any fasteners with a completely flat head that would interfere with layers when they're sandwiched back together.

Chris