General Wiper gone again :(

[Didge3]

A while ago my wiper stopped working, fortunately VmanC sorted me out by cleaning the drivers side hedgehog by the Airbox. Tonight whilst driving to meet a friend it died again... It randomly worked over the course of the journey but I was mainly left blind.
I've wiggled the connectors on the hedgehog but to no avail... Anything I can try before I attempt drive home later?

Thanks

 

[homeward]

Anything I can try before I attempt drive home later?

Contact cleaner -- or WD40, if you're desperate -- on all the connections you can find; or (if you're really desperate) into the wiper motor itself. :idea:

Otherwise, pray to your nearest weather god.... :devil:

BTW: have you tried a new fuse...?

 

[panda1408]

Fuse!

 

[homeward]

Fuse!

Beat you by a microsecond...!

 

[Didge3]

It worked occasionally on and off so doubt the fuse, hoping my charming friend has WD40 in his boot.

 

[Didge3]

Also, if there is a wiper fuse, I couldn't find it last time I looked at the fuse box...

 

[homeward]

Also, if there is a wiper fuse, I couldn't find it last time I looked at the fuse box...

Should be a 20 A one, labelled "Servizi" or "Services". Does the rears and the washers, as well.

 

[Didge3]

Well the rear and washers work so definitely not that....

 

[homeward]

Can you hear the wiper motor making any noise; or see the blade trying to move...? Just wonder if the spindle's frelled....

Sadly, wiper motors don't seem to last forever (designed in Italy for Italian weather...!?) -- could just be damp, though, somewhere, ruining a contact.... :chin:

 

[Didge3]

Can you hear the wiper motor making any noise; or see the blade trying to move...? Just wonder if the spindle's frelled....

Sadly, wiper motors don't seem to last forever (designed in Italy for Italian weather...!?) -- could just be damp, though, somewhere, ruining a contact.... :chin:

I think motor/spindle are fine. I left it switched on throughout my journey and it would occasionally do a few wipes before stopping again (always parking itself properly though, never stopping half way in its wipe)
Anyway, couldn't get life out of it by jiggling wires but fortunately when I went to leave the rain had stopped, tested the wiper before I set off, working perfect.... Still working about the 15mile trip home too so definitely a damp problem...
Great wiper works in the dry and not in the rain.... WD40 will be promptly put back in the car for emergencies but I'll need to look into this....

 

[Arti]

A while ago my wiper stopped working, fortunately VmanC sorted me out by cleaning the drivers side hedgehog by the Airbox. Tonight whilst driving to meet a friend it died again... It randomly worked over the course of the journey but I was mainly left blind.
I've wiggled the connectors on the hedgehog but to no avail... Anything I can try before I attempt drive home later?

Thanks

This happened to me last night it was raining so bad i couldn't see nothing i was all over the place lucky police didnt see me they would of thought i was drunk :/ why do fiats have so many problems

 

[Palio]

This happened to me last night it was raining so bad i couldn't see nothing i was all over the place lucky police didnt see me they would of thought i was drunk :/ why do fiats have so many problems

They don't!

We are talking about a car which is 22 years old after all, so a few earthing problems are almost certain (and that applies to any make or model which has managed to last so long) A new car has a design life of 6 or 7 years then you're meant to throw it away - anything more than that and components can start to fail.

All of the cars in this section are between 21 and 33 years old - many of them never have any issues, which is amazing really considering it was a design from the late '70's built as cheaply as possible to sell in the cheapest market segment.

 

[kolza]

why do fiats have so many problems

They are not problems, they are challenges.

Panda owner motto for today is:

...New day, new challenge.


It would be problem on i.e. 2006 year Audi A4 as the bloody comfort module would be on it's way out (+£400 to replace)

 

[homeward]

They are not problems, they are challenges.

Panda owner motto for today is:

...New day, new challenge.

Thank you for this (even when I'm having intractable electrical gremlins with Pippin...)! Made me laugh out loud (which shows just how stupid you have to be to be a classic Panda owner...) on a day when I'm feeling quite grotty...!

 

[varesecrazy]

pretty sure there is a relay,( metal bodied)
under steering column area,

burn my fingers one wet day trying to figure out why the "intermittent" had packed-up.. those things stick in your memory..!!

probably bad-earth related..but replaced the relay and all was good

 

[Alixcompo]

Only on the MK1 was the relay the wiper delay.
The relay (which is on the fuse board) is only to 'park' the wiper motor
by giving a pulse of power. All the timer gubbins are built into the motor itself.
Earth fault or the wrong type of rain I would say.

 

[kolza]

Only on the MK1 was the relay the wiper delay.
.

Depends which type of wiper motor was used, I know some of the initial sisley batch '88 had the wiper relay externally.

to identify motor type, plug and cable colours details would need to be known