Windsheild wiper motor or wiper arm switch?

[shinotheweevil]

Has this happened to you? Its raining and you decide to go to the store and took the Saturn for a spin. As you drive, you turn on your windsheild wipers on the appropriate settings (of course), but in a matter of minutes the wiper doesn't work, then I starts working again. Getting annoyed you try every level and noticed that the highest setting works fine and doesn't stop at all. Then you wonder why that is the only one working. You conclude the wiper switch is malfunctioning, the motor is dying, or there are some loose wires in the switch/ motor.

Is there other possibilities? Has this happened to you? And sorry for the story, I felt like writing one :P

[hholbein]

Pretty common problem on these cars. The wiper functions are controlled with a single wire from the stalk switch, with variable resistors and thus voltage settings. The different voltages are sensed by a governor/controller circuit inside the wiper motor under the cowl, and it in turn makes it go slow, fast, or intermittently at different intervals.

Great idea on saving wiring harness costs, except the quality control on the motor controller component was GM, not Toyota.

If you want it fixed, you likely have to replace the motor, which is a royal pain in the a**. It could be the switch, but with your symptoms, I'd lay heavy odds on the motor.

For 4-5 years, we drove our SW2 like this until eventually the relay inside the controller fixed itself. Weird, huh?

[mfabel]

shinotheweevil,

I have a wiper motor in good working order that I pulled from my 95 SL2. I am also in San Diego, so you might be able to avoid shipping. Let me know if you are interested.

[shinotheweevil]

Thanks I'll look into that motor. Also Mfable, I sent a PM