I reviewed archives and did not find info I need, so here is situation:
I have an '86, V6, SE w/cruise and wiper control. The stalk is about three years old, and the wiper motor is remanufured and has wiper delay function.
Everything works on the stalk...cruise, wash mist, high low wipe.
When I put it on delay function, wipers will make one swipe of windshield and then stop.
ANY IDEAS AS TO WHAT MIGHT CAUSE THIS?

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baby boomer

On your car the wiper delay timer function is built into the board that's on the wiper motor. So, either the board is bad, or the wiring/switch that feeds a variable voltage to the board is bad.

JazzMan

Jazzman: "by wiring switch'" do you mean the turn signal lever (stalk)?
From wiring diagram, I think either the purple or the gray wire, should control the delay function. Do you know which of these two wires controls delay?

According to the schematic I have, the grey wire is the speed control for pulse. Purple is the high-speed signal. By wiring/switch, I was referring to both the wiring from the switch to the motor, and the switch itself.

JazzMan

Your problem is most likely in the cruise/wiper switch, however it could be in the circuit board in the wiper motor. Good luck.

Phil

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87 FIERO GT 2.8 5spd
0-60 in 6.8 seconds!
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Hate to sound naive, guys, but when you say "switch", are you referring to the stalk mounted by the steering wheel? Do the wires from the stalk go directly to the wiper motor, or is there a junction box or relay between the wiper motor and the switch on the stalk?

My question is really, can I test the gray and purple wires for at both the motor and the switch to see if the cause is a broken wire? David

The wiper switch is in the top of the collum, it is a differant part than the cruise switch/turn signal lever (commonly refered to as the stalk). The lever/stalk simply pulls straight out of the wiper switch.

The problem with testing it is that what causes the wipers to cycle once is a voltage spike. A fast surge in electricity does the same thing to the delay feature as bumping the mist. Likely you can test for days and never find anything "broken". Since it is happening when you touch the lever/stalk it is very likely to be the wiper switch.

If it is any consolation this is a very common problem on 80's GM wiper systems.

Actually, his symptoms (if I read it right) are that it will wipe normally in the fixed rate positions, but in the pulse wipe position it will only wipe one, then stop. Here's the wiper switch:

You have to remove the shroud to remove the switch, and you have to remove the bracket under the steering column (but not the column itself) to get the wiring out. There is a separate connector under the dash for the wiper switch, it is the shorter of the two connectors that have all the wires in a row. Pull the cover under the column and it will be easy to see.

JazzMan

I'm following the advice......one question, do I need to remove the steering wheel to make this repair?

Yes. Pull the steering wheel, then the lockplate. Remove the screws from the t/s switch, pull it up. Remove the key alarm contacts, then pull out the screw that retains the key cylinder. Now you can lift off the upper bowl of the collum. You are now in the exact position that is in the above pic.

Before you go and disassemble the column, get a known good switch and simply plug it into the connector under the dash. If that switch causes the wipers to work normally, then replace the switch. If not, then look at the wiring to the motor and the board on the back of the motor. It only takes a 7mm screw removal to gain access to the board.

JazzMan

Thanks, Jazzman, I will check out switch first...Truthfully, I looked at Haynes Manual and am apprehensive about pulling wheel. I don't have the tools, for one thing and, also, repair looks fairly complicated.
Your tip will help.

First, rule out (or in) the switch by using a known good switch to test the function first. Once the need to replace the switch is established then you can worry about tearing down the column. It's not all that hard to get to the switch, all you need are some basic metric sockets, some torx bits, and two commonly available special tools. Those would be a steering wheel puller and a lock plate compressor, each runs about $10 at AutoZone.

JazzMan