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Topic: Buggy electronics and computers... (Read 1885 times) previous topic - next topic

Buggy electronics and computers...

...they just cant make some decisions!
 
I had a problem this summer with my wipers. Wouldnt go back down. Bottom of stroke then theyd go UP 1/4" when I tried to turn em off. Happened once and messing with the swtich and pulling the fuse and blah blah and they went back down. Fast forward a few weeks and it happened again and they STAYED like that. No dice. I didnt like the faint buzzing I heard in the dash with this condition so I pulled the fuse when I didnt need the wipers.
 
Well fast forward AGAIN to two weeks ago. I go to put the fuse in cause it might rain that night....turn the key backwards to roll my window up....BAM...they just crept right downward.:spit:
 
 
I SWEAR....when they would go haywire would be when I would turn them off and "catch them" at a wrong time...like just as it was starting the upstroke or something. Maybe this is all in my mind but I just know it. Ive been using them some, to test it, and what I do is set the delay really long. So they come to the bottom of the stroke, in interval mode, they stop. I wait a second, then turn them off. They go all the way down.
 
This has been working flawlessly. I mean just taking a couple compsci courses in college so far tells me, hey, bugs are out there. Maybe that's a bug in the design of whatever makes em tick???? Just doesnt know what to do in that situation. Hey its 21 years old right!?
 
All I know is theyre workin again and this slight idiosyncrasy doesnt bother me one bit. Im very good at dealing with those. Becomes habit real quick. What I DID have a problem with was my uber-cool hood designed to hide em away being totally useless and them siting there looking goofy as hell :rollin:
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #1 –
Our wiper systems were flaky, that's for sure.

Some wiper tips here:
http://www.coolcats.net/tech/troubleshooting/wipers.html

Generally, if it's a "wiper not parking correctly" issue, then the park fix on that page will solve the problem. But if it's a general delay problem then you have to look at the governor. I've only had to change the governor once, on my old '88 Blue Max V8. Needless to say, there's a pile of delay wiper motors at my disposal, and none of them solved the problem in that case.

It could be worse...imagine if you had to track that down to the wiper switch. ;)

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #2 –
Mine did that exact same problem....I put in a different wiper motor.
Problem solved.

Dunno if that was the cause though..;)
'98 Explorer 5.0
'20 Malibu (I know, Chevy, but, 35MPG. Let's go brandon, eh)

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #3 –
Quote
Mine did that exact same problem....I put in a different wiper motor.
Problem solved.

Dunno if that was the cause though..

OK, likely that was the park mechanism in the wiper motor. That explains why changing it solved the problem. If you still have the old one you can fix it using the link above, from my site.

I have an old one that I'm going to do this to, and actually dospoogeent it for the site with photos. One of these days...

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #4 –
Sheesh you'da thunk I'd have gone to the site and looked at your write-up myself LOL. Thanks for the reminder. Good read.
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #5 –
Quote from: EricCoolCats;233691
OK, likely that was the park mechanism in the wiper motor.


 One of these days...


I still have the old one...as you say, one of these days..lol
'98 Explorer 5.0
'20 Malibu (I know, Chevy, but, 35MPG. Let's go brandon, eh)

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #6 –
It could be worse...imagine if you had to track that down to the wiper switch. ;)[/QUOTE]

I have the same problem going on right now. I had a switch that when set on the lowest setting would only let the wipers move about once every 10 min. I replaced it & the wipers still wouldnt go down. I tried 2 diff. governors (NOT FUN!) with no luck. So learn from my dumb ass mistake & start at the wiper motor.

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #7 –
Hell I haven't even used the wipers on my 88 in 2 years......
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #8 –
When I had my old '86 Cougar, I had the buzzing and refusing to park problem. I added a ground wire to the wiper motor, and the problem went away. :burnout:
95 Ranger Splash 2.3
88 Tbird Sport :ies::ies:
5.0 SO, stainless shorty headers, w/ Magnaflow lers. KYB struts, KYB shocks. 5lug conversion from sn95 Mustang, subframe connectors, drilled and slotted rotors, 03 Mach 1 wheels. sequential taillights.140 speedo

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #9 –
Quote from: cougarman;233735
When I had my old '86 Cougar, I had the buzzing and refusing to park problem. I added a ground wire to the wiper motor, and the problem went away. :burnout:


typical fox body problem
http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00043.html
RIP 1988 and 1990 Lincoln Mark VII LSC
I welcomed the dark side and currently am driving a 2000 Dodge Durango SLT plus, with a 5.9, Code named project "Night Runner"
Shes black on black, fully loaded, with headers, 180 tstat, e fan, straight exhaust into a cherry bomb vortex ler, full tune up, ported intake and T/B, MSD coil, and round aircleaner.
Mods to come: Fully rebuilt and heavily modded 46RE, and a richmond rachet locker.
my $300 beater ;)
R.I.P Kayleigh Raposa 12/18/90 - 2/24/07

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #10 –
Quote from: cougarman;233735
When I had my old '86 Cougar, I had the buzzing and refusing to park problem. I added a ground wire to the wiper motor, and the problem went away. :burnout:


Did you ground it to the chassis, or back to the battery?
Mike

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #11 –
Quote from: thunderjet302;233728
Hell I haven't even used the wipers on my 88 in 2 years......

 
Alright....ya know what!!!??? Why dont you just.........ohhhhh nevermind ;)
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #12 –
Would any of these be the delay type wipers. If so the delay wipers have a BLACK BOX above the fuse box in between the switch and motor. That is the delay control box. That box being toast can also give you the no park and weird wiper actions. Trust me. Mine would never go down and only had high speed and would stop the second you took the switch off high. New delay box and no problem. I had already tried switch and motor.
84 Turbo coupe 2.3T Modded with 88 upper and lower intake, 88 injectors, E6 manifold, T3-4 AR.60 turbo, 31X12X3 FMIC, Homemade MBC , Greddy knock off BPV.
4 eyes see better than 2! 
Da Bird!

FreeBird

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #13 –
I also removed the control box and inside was a relay with burnt contacts.
Under a magnifing glass, i was able to clean the contacts.

The problem went away and came back quickly.

I looked at the relay and it was good.  I thought to myself what could be putting such a load on this relay to cause the contacts to overheat.

My first thoughts were moving parts.............
I went up to the motor mounting and loosened each bolt a little while the wipper was buzzing.
suddenly the wipers parked when i had just the right combo of bolts loose.

moral of the story.....................
there are bushings up in the cawl panel for the arm linkages.  One was oblong looking and so with a little creative shimming , I tightened the motor up and they park.

I think the root cause is mechanical but over time the buzzing is a relay drawing too much current and that kills or corrodes contacts in the rest of the circuit.

Buggy electronics and computers...

Reply #14 –
Quote from: mcb82gt;233817
Did you ground it to the chassis, or back to the battery?


Ran a wire from the bolt on the wiper motor that has the ground wire, to the firewall, worked great. :burnout:
95 Ranger Splash 2.3
88 Tbird Sport :ies::ies:
5.0 SO, stainless shorty headers, w/ Magnaflow lers. KYB struts, KYB shocks. 5lug conversion from sn95 Mustang, subframe connectors, drilled and slotted rotors, 03 Mach 1 wheels. sequential taillights.140 speedo