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windshield wipers won't shut off?

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BigRed84 K5

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I have run into a bit of an issue, my wipers will not shut off. The truck is an 83' K10 so it has the in-dash switch. I replaced the switch thinking that was the problem as the intermittent would act up when I wiggled the switch, but changing it did nothing. In fact, I completely removed the switch and they kept on going! I also removed the small relay or box behind the wiper switch and it still kept on wiping away. I unplugged the motor under the hood for now and it stopped but I am confused as to what might be going on, is the wiper motor bad? is this a common problem I am unaware of? Any help or info would be great, it is supposed to snow this week and without my wipers i am lost.
 
Most wipers have a park switch on the motor. When you turn the motor off with the wipers in any position other than the park position, it keeps the motor running until they reach that position.
It pretty much bypasses everything else. I suspect it is stuck.

The ones I have worked on, have a pin that rides on a cam with one notch in it. The pin pushes the contacts together. If the pin is gummed up, that would do it.
 
Fordum said:
Most wipers have a park switch on the motor. When you turn the motor off with the wipers in any position other than the park position, it keeps the motor running until they reach that position.
It pretty much bypasses everything else. I suspect it is stuck.

The ones I have worked on, have a pin that rides on a cam with one notch in it. The pin pushes the contacts together. If the pin is gummed up, that would do it.
Click to expand...

Yep.
 
thank you guys so much for all the input, I really thought this thing was possessed or something. I should be able to get this thing working right on the weekend. It sucks having a daily driver as the project vehicle, but so far it's a great learning experience. Thanks and hopefully I can get myself a membership in the near future!
 
My intermittent feature dosent work, but I have high and low speeds. Is it the switch in the stalk or the motor? I have an 86 k5 4x4 with the 305 4bbl engine.
 
Some of the newer body style trucks have a wiper control module on them,and the printed curcuit board often goes bad on them (much like the taillight sockets have!)--Dorman now sells them separately...if yours has none,then it has the park switch inside,the contacts are probably corroded ,ir the pin thing is sticking as suggested..

I had a '79 C-10 with factiry intermittent wipers,and the darn wipers would often activate all by themselves when I stepped on the brakes or turned the headlamps on..the ones with delay wipers used a different switch and wiring,and were noted for doing that...I tried cleaning the park switch and a few other things,it kept doing it,but not as often...I was tempted to snip the power wire to the switch and put a toggle switch in line so I could "kill" it completely,but I sold the truck before I got around to doing it..the next owner called me a few days later and asked "how do I shut off the dam wipers??"...I said I'd put a switch in for him,but he never called o came back,maybe he found someone who could figure it out,or he decided to do what I did--live with it!..usually the wipers make one sweep,then shut off,but sometimes they kept running with the switch off,but by turning it on and off quickly,they usually would park and stop again..
 
My wipers don't keep running. The intermittent speed just don't work. They're either off, on low, or on high. I wouldnt mind changing out the wiper motor in it since the k5 is 25 years old, but if thats not the problem, I'll be right back where I started.
 
I'd say if the two speeds work on it OK,that the "conroller" for the delay part is faulty...I dont know if its separate or built into the motor or not...
 
On mine they turn on and dont shut off when I turn them off on the switch. I have to twist the switch and basically walk the wipers back to the bottom of the window. any ideas on what I would need to clean, fix, replace (I have a 91 suburban)
 
patrickgraven said:
On mine they turn on and dont shut off when I turn them off on the switch. I have to twist the switch and basically walk the wipers back to the bottom of the window. any ideas on what I would need to clean, fix, replace (I have a 91 suburban)
Click to expand...

Mine did the exact same thing. I changed the wiper motor, and it still did it. I started tracking wire from the wiper switch, and found a loose connector under the dash by the wiper replay module. Reconnected and working fine for now.
 
The park switch just clips in place. Unplug it and check with an ohmmeter. It should open and close on every cycle of the wipers. It may help to clean the contacts by polishing them up with some 500grit or try contact cleaner if you have some. Check to see if the switch is bent so that it's not activated by the wiper mechanism. Then look inside and make sure something is coming in place to push the switch in and out on every cycle.
 
crazedyak said:
Mine did the exact same thing. I changed the wiper motor, and it still did it. I started tracking wire from the wiper switch, and found a loose connector under the dash by the wiper replay module. Reconnected and working fine for now.
Click to expand...

My 91 does the same. I started looking really closely, trying to hear something when switching from off -> lo -> hi, and to my surprise I see smoke when switch positions!

I've left it as is, but rainy season is starting so I'll be trouble shooting it soon.
 
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