Windshield Wiper Issues

[06camarodude]

Alright, so I read on here that there is/was a recall from GM for the windshield wiper issues. . . My wipers work fine, but when I turn them on delay, when they stop, they stop pointing up, instead of at the bottom. When I turn them off, they will pause at the top, then move to the bottom of the windshield where they stop.

I went to the Pontiac dealer in town to check if it was covered under the recall, they said there is no recall for windshield wipers on '98 GTP's, but there is one that covers potential engine fires, so they had me schedule an appointment, this thursday they are going to replace the front valve cover gasket and the spark plug wire retainers.

This, however, doesn't solve my windshield wiper issue, and I really don't know where to start trying to fix it. The wipers work fine, they just don't pause in the right place. . . Any ideas?

 

[06camarodude]

Wow, nobody has ever had this problem before? Should I replace the wiper motor?

 

[KeithGTP03]

I had that happen on a 97 that I had. I disconnected the battery for a few minutes and it never happened again.

 

[06camarodude]

I had that happen on a 97 that I had. I disconnected the battery for a few minutes and it never happened again.

Thank you, I'll give it a try.

 

[06camarodude]

Thank you, I'll give it a try.

I tried unhooking the battery, no such luck. The wipers still do it. If you turn them on "Delay", they wipe twice, start to cycle back to the bottom of the windshield, but only make it about 3 inches, then pause, go back to the top, and finally return to the "home" position at the bottom of the windshield, where they stop. If I put them on "low", they will wipe fine until I turn them off, then they go up, 3" down, back up, and return to the bottom of the windshield. It's more annoying than anything.

Any more ideas? I really don't think it's the wiper motor, I think it's something wrong with the linkage somewhere.

 

[KeithGTP03]

Scroll down in the following link. It has pictures and stuff.
wipers stop in upright position - Automotive Forums .com Car Chat

 

[06camarodude]

Scroll down in the following link. It has pictures and stuff.
wipers stop in upright position - Automotive Forums .com Car Chat

Thanks for that. I think that's what it is, I'll try to take a look at that tomorrow. I figured it was something simple like that, but I honestly didn't even know where to start. Thanks again!

 

[06camarodude]

Alright, I disassembled everything, and it would appear that I don't have the same setup as in the link you posted, Keith. Here are a couple pics of the linkage and motor assembly, I removed the whole thing from the car so I could figure it out, fix it, and put it all back together. . .

I don't see any "stop mechanism" or cam in there, it looks like it either never existed there, or it was removed.

 

[KeithGTP03]

Its right here ↓

 

[06camarodude]

Its right here ↓

Yeah, but the "transmission" that is supposed to be on the shaft from the wiper motor that actually contacts the part you point to is NOT THERE. I looked it up a little more online, it looks like somebody actually removed the transmission and put a different linkage in it's place. I'm going to order the new part, I left the cowl cover and wiper assembly off the car, I'll get it all put back together this week.

 

[KeithGTP03]

Oh..I thought you removed it. So they must have never stopped correctly?

 

[06camarodude]

Oh..I thought you removed it. So they must have never stopped correctly?

I didn't remove it, they would always pause at the top of the windshield, then the motor would reverse from the direction it normally turned and turn about 180* to stop at the bottom of the windshield when turning them off. I'm ordering the "wiper transmission" online later today, I'm not spending $60 on a part I can get for $40 online. I may even check out the local junkyards for it, I'm sure I could land a deal there, if any of them have a similar car.

That tab you mentioned was bent, I did straighten it out, but with that linkage thingy on the motor missing, it doesn't do any good at all. lol

 

[KeithGTP03]

Im guessing the p/o removed it thinkin it was bad. When all they had to do was bend that tab back...lol

 

[klj5022]

Mine does the same exact thing i just deal with it because im afraid if i pull it apart it will get stuck up like some peoples

 

[06camarodude]

Fixed the wipers. Bought a replacement "wiper transmission" from an '02 Buick Century for $20 at a local junkyard. They had 3 GP's there, all three of them had the wiper assemblies removed already. Got lucky, and spotted the Century on the way out after I gave up looking. lol

Took about 15 minutes to remove from the Buick, 10 minutes to install everything back into the GTP, then another 5 minutes getting it all adjusted so it stopped in the right place. I didn't have any lithium grease to put on the moving parts before I put the cowl cover back on, so it's a little hesitant when I first turn on the wipers, but I'll get that taken care of soon enough.

Anyone who has been avoiding this repair, do it. It's simple, cheap, and just gets rid of one more problem with the car.

 

[Randy GP]

My car does the same thing. The tab is fine. My transmission was cracked where the pin is pressed into. My motor parks at one location and intermittent stops at another.
Is this a board problem.? What exactly is the transmission for? It looks like it disengages the wipers when they park, the cam moves the drive pin away from the notch that it is in. I don't get it.