Windscreen wipers - where to start?
Discussion
That would sound to me like the switch itself in the stalk.
Do the wipers park correctly when you switch them off?
Running at full speed but not at lower speed is a typical fault with blower fans where the resistor fails but I’m not sure if the wipers work in the same way.
ETA - this thread indicates there’s no resistor, so I’d be first checking the connector to the wiper motor under the bonnet and hosing it out with contact cleaner, then looking at the switch.
Do the wipers park correctly when you switch them off?
Running at full speed but not at lower speed is a typical fault with blower fans where the resistor fails but I’m not sure if the wipers work in the same way.
ETA - this thread indicates there’s no resistor, so I’d be first checking the connector to the wiper motor under the bonnet and hosing it out with contact cleaner, then looking at the switch.
Edited by miniman on Saturday 28th December 13:27
First things first: which design of wiper system does yours have?
Many people, including quite knowledgeable folk, are completely unaware that Chimaeras after about 1998/9-ish have a completely different design which is not particularly vulnerable to water ingress because the wiper motor is inside the cabin (just above the driver’s knees) rather than in the left rear corner of the engine bay.
At least one response so far seems to have assumed that the wiper motor is in the engine bay, but this ain’t necessarily so. Your 1998 car is on the cusp of this design change, so it could either have the older design with the wiper motor in the rear corner of the engine bay, or the newer design with the motor inside the cabin.
The newer design can also be identified by the behaviour of the wipers, where the passenger side wipes a much smaller arc, and both wipers park much tighter down to the bottom of the screen.
Before we start speculating about corrosion and water damage, we need to identify which wiper arrangement you have.
Many people, including quite knowledgeable folk, are completely unaware that Chimaeras after about 1998/9-ish have a completely different design which is not particularly vulnerable to water ingress because the wiper motor is inside the cabin (just above the driver’s knees) rather than in the left rear corner of the engine bay.
At least one response so far seems to have assumed that the wiper motor is in the engine bay, but this ain’t necessarily so. Your 1998 car is on the cusp of this design change, so it could either have the older design with the wiper motor in the rear corner of the engine bay, or the newer design with the motor inside the cabin.
The newer design can also be identified by the behaviour of the wipers, where the passenger side wipes a much smaller arc, and both wipers park much tighter down to the bottom of the screen.
Before we start speculating about corrosion and water damage, we need to identify which wiper arrangement you have.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Saturday 28th December 15:51
I’ve tried the above to no avail. Disconnected/connected and plenty of contact cleaner, but the issue persists. There was a fair amount of moisture around the area of the connector/wiper motor.
When I use the fastest wipe setting (the only setting that still works), the blades don’t return to the “parked” position - issue with the park switch possibly?
When I use the fastest wipe setting (the only setting that still works), the blades don’t return to the “parked” position - issue with the park switch possibly?
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