Symptoms of Bad Wiper Motor

In article >,
issary (User132384) wrote:

> Hi,
>
> The wiper motor on my 85 Chevy Caprice makes a squealing sound on "High",
> and once I even saw smoke coming from it, when on the "High" setting. The
> wipers move more slowly than usual also. Is this what happens when a wiper
> motor has gone bad ?

General rule covering anything electrical or electronic:
If there's smoke, it's broke.

Get yourself a new motor. This one is on its last legs.

--
Don Bruder - - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
Short form: I'm trashing EVERY E-mail that doesn't contain a password in the
subject unless it comes from a "whitelisted" (pre-approved by me) address.
See <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html> for full details.

I hate it when people let the smoke out of their electronics.


Don Bruder wrote:

> In article >,
> issary (User132384) wrote:
>
>
>>Hi,
>>
>> The wiper motor on my 85 Chevy Caprice makes a squealing sound on "High",
>>and once I even saw smoke coming from it, when on the "High" setting. The
>>wipers move more slowly than usual also. Is this what happens when a wiper
>>motor has gone bad ?
>
>
> General rule covering anything electrical or electronic:
> If there's smoke, it's broke.
>
> Get yourself a new motor. This one is on its last legs.
>

Yes or when the ground to it has gone bad.

I would first run a booster cable from the battery negative or even the
engine block to the motor case. If it speeds up, I would be cleaning
the grounds. One on the motor, a strap across the rubber mount on one
bolt I think and the second is a wire mesh from the bell housing to the
firewall.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

User132384 wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> The wiper motor on my 85 Chevy Caprice makes a squealing sound on "High",
> and once I even saw smoke coming from it, when on the "High" setting. The
> wipers move more slowly than usual also. Is this what happens when a wiper
> motor has gone bad ?
>
> Thanks
>

"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
...
> Yes or when the ground to it has gone bad.
>
> I would first run a booster cable from the battery negative or even the
> engine block to the motor case. If it speeds up, I would be cleaning
> the grounds. One on the motor, a strap across the rubber mount on one
> bolt I think and the second is a wire mesh from the bell housing to the
> firewall.
>
> Mike

I'm starting to think your motto is : If a new ground doesn't fix it, it
ain't broke. lol...
Bob

Bob wrote:
>
> "Mike Romain" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Yes or when the ground to it has gone bad.
> >
> > I would first run a booster cable from the battery negative or even the
> > engine block to the motor case. If it speeds up, I would be cleaning
> > the grounds. One on the motor, a strap across the rubber mount on one
> > bolt I think and the second is a wire mesh from the bell housing to the
> > firewall.
> >
> > Mike
>
> I'm starting to think your motto is : If a new ground doesn't fix it, it
> ain't broke. lol...
> Bob

LOL! I live in the rust belt and on older vehicles here it is amazing
how many times it is the ground...

Mike

User132384 wrote:
>
> >Yes or when the ground to it has gone bad.
> >
> >I would first run a booster cable from the battery negative or even the
> >engine block to the motor case. If it speeds up, I would be cleaning
> >the grounds. One on the motor, a strap across the rubber mount on one
> >bolt I think and the second is a wire mesh from the bell housing to the
> >firewall.
> >
> >Mike
>
> Thanks for trhe ground info, and the test method! There is a flat
> bent-at-a-rright-angle piece of metal ( a strap?) with a hole in it that is
> supposed to be held in place by a bolt which attaches the washer pump cover to
> the motor. But this bolt refuses to seat up tightly ( ! ) and therfore if
> this is indeed a ground, it is loose. I will try to shim it in with something.
> I've tried just pushing it in tight with a finger, but it doesn't help the
> operation of the wipers. I did notice that the wipers are faster with the
> engine running, sometimes, than with just the battery powering them.
>
> I think the bad motor (or bad ground) is possibly frying the circuit board
> for the wipers. I just installed a new circuit board since the other one died.
> I hope I don't end up frying the new one with my testing !
>
> Thanks for the info. Any additional info would be appreciated, also !
>
>
>

I would see if the booster cable helps. The motor could just plain be
worn out too, but that strap is supposed to be the ground. If it has
been scrounging ground for a while, the guts of the motor also could
have overheated and need replacing.

You could just get lucky and tightening that strap or replacing it with
a cable (10 ga.) might do it.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Thanks for the replies. I tried grounding the motor case to the frame, and it
didn't help. Also shimmed the ground strap tight with a screwdriver, also
didn't help.

So, today I bought a rebuilt wiper motor with the washer pump and circuit board
in it too, and installed it. Everything works right now.

$52 at AutoZone for the motor / pump / board combo.

Thanks again.

Thanks for the follow up. Too bad it wasn't the free fix.

Mike

User132384 wrote:
>
> Thanks for the replies. I tried grounding the motor case to the frame, and it
> didn't help. Also shimmed the ground strap tight with a screwdriver, also
> didn't help.
>
> So, today I bought a rebuilt wiper motor with the washer pump and circuit board
> in it too, and installed it. Everything works right now.
>
> $52 at AutoZone for the motor / pump / board combo.
>
> Thanks again.
>