Front wipers pause momentarily but only in auto?

andy1985 · 8 Nov 2016

I seam to have picked up a gremlin over the weekend, when the wipers are in auto they pause about half way back down on the return sweep. Wierd thing is it only happens when the wipers are in auto, they work fine in any other setting.

I'm guessing its a relay fault?

Anyone else experienced this and found the fault?

chriscoates81 · 9 Nov 2016

I get a pause, however it's that intermittent I can't remember which setting it occurs on, I think it might be the down setting as in rain sensor mode. My plan it to lube up the bearings in the mechanism today but as it doesn't happen all the time I won't truly know if it fixes it for a while.

deMort · 9 Nov 2016

Not something ive seen before ..

Wiper motors usually have a permanent feed going to them so that they can park , once the motor has started to move this feed should take over and park them so i was initially thinking it has to be a wiper motor fault .

You could try switching to 1 speed then switching it back off straight away and see if the same thing happens .. if so then its a fault with the motor or feed to it .

But only in auto doesn,t make sense so ive had a look at a wireing diagram ..

I think its possible its the intermitant wiper relay that might be at fault .. diagram below .. i would need to strip a motor to be sure .. but from the diagram this seems possible .. if the relay is not too expensive then i would suggest just replaceing it and see if it fixes it .

If it is then youll need to have a meter on the permanent feed to see if this drops out and possibly strip the motor to check the contact rings inside .

andy1985 · 9 Nov 2016

Had a play on the way to work in the snow.

If left to run in auto the fault is intermittent, no pattern to it, can happen once or 5 times on the trot then be fine for a few sweeps.

If I do 1 sweep manually by pushing up on the stalk that is also intermittent.

Manually set to run they work fine.

They always hesitate at the same spot about half way back on the return sweep.

They also park perfectly everytime.

I'll have a look into the price of a relay.

chriscoates81 · 10 Nov 2016

andy1985 said:
Had a play on the way to work in the snow.

If left to run in auto the fault is intermittent, no pattern to it, can happen once or 5 times on the trot then be fine for a few sweeps.

If I do 1 sweep manually by pushing up on the stalk that is also intermittent.

Manually set to run they work fine.

They always hesitate at the same spot about half way back on the return sweep.

They also park perfectly everytime.

I'll have a look into the price of a relay.

That's exactly where mine pause, at first I thought it was just the drivers side so thought it was the blade then I noticed it was both of them. Extra annoying as its on the downward sweep rather than the upward one.

deMort · 10 Nov 2016

Ok thats clarified it for me .. the fault happens with intermitant and if you turn on 1 speed then off so its nothing to do with the intermitant relay as thats a seperate circuit from 1 speed .

IMHO the fault is either going to be the permanent feed to the motor or the motor itself .

The motor has contact rings , the park side ( battery + ) is not in contact untill the motor has started to turn .. if the 1 speed is switched off this is the feed used to park .

Intermitant would probably be a pulsed feed and so would rely on the park system to take over .

To find it i would have a meter on the permanent feed to the motor then try and simulate the fault .. if voltage drops off and motor stalls then its the feed thats at fault .. if not then its the motor.

It is possible to dismantle the motor and check .. there will be some brass rings with contacts pushing against them .. might be this thats at fault .

The wire according to the diagram is bk/yw 1.5 mm and terminal 53a .. this is for an old car but for any car the terminal 53a is wiper park .

I guess its possible to be a linkage fault , tight ball joint etc .. need to remove it to check for that.

Any work on a wiper motor then do it with keys out of the ignition .. there is no load sensing on a wiper system so it will take your fingers off if it starts as you are working on it.

gahewson · 24 Dec 2016

juddering windscreen wipers

Interesting thread guys as mine seem to be doing the same thing. Would be interested to see the outcome as I was plumbing for a motor replacement? Not sure how easy this is and therefore how much it would cost as it's not something I would do myself.

deMort · 24 Dec 2016

Replaceing a wiper motor and i expect youll get charged 1.5 hours labour ... to do the above tests then it would be easier with the motor out .. that way it could be checked and proved for not much more cost .

Will only work though if the fault is permanent or happens whilst testing .

chriscoates81 · 16 Jan 2017

Did you manage to fix this, mine did it a bit before but now it seems when it does 2 consecutive wipes the 2nd one judders. Im wondering about trying to grease the joints.

Pickse · 16 Jan 2017

I've seen what sounds like the same behaviour on mine since I bought the car.
It is so intermittent that the dealer I bought it from couldn't find a fault under warranty.

But I wouldn't describe mine as a pause. It is more like they skip backwards slightly before continuing. As if skipping/slipping a tooth on a cog.
I think I've only seen it on the down stroke. Can't say if the mode, auto or not, makes a difference.

Like I said mine feels to me more like a mechanical fault. Do these drives wear to the point they can skip a tooth?

deMort · 16 Jan 2017

Ive yet to see this on a car to investigate it further .. its possible i guess that its a linkage fault .. may be partially siezed , first reports do seem electrical though .

Some of you lot need to move closer to me so i can look at these things lol .

For anyone looking at this fault though then never get your hands in the linkage when its on .. unless you want to look like the joker in mad max when he caught the boomerang !

chriscoates81 · 17 Jan 2017

I wondered if it was a linkage that maybe wasn't quite as smooth as it should be and that's what causes it? I'll try and have a play at the weekend to sort it.

chriscoates81 · 27 Feb 2017

I noticed mine doing it again this morning. Seemed to be worse when first used and after a few minutes, no juddering. Very weird, any ideas?

Robertb · 27 Feb 2017

Me too- mine occasionally does a little jolt, always on the return sweep, and generally after I've triggered a wipe via the washers or just pushed the lever up. When they are on constant, or in auto, they are fine.

I imagine it must be a relay thing, or it would do it all the time.

One of those disproportionately annoying faults!

Also, does everyone's only do one sweep after squirting the washers?

chriscoates81 · 4 Mar 2017

Having a look at the bracket when ots running, the whole thing moves. Not sure if it's meant to.

Front wipers pause momentarily but only in auto?

Trainee

Suzuka

Monaco

Attachments

Trainee

Suzuka

Monaco

New member

Monaco

Suzuka

Nurburgring

Monaco

Suzuka

Suzuka

Yas Marina

Suzuka

Similar threads

Porsche Model Range

Porsche 911

Porsche Hypercars

Other Current Porsche Model

Porsche Legacy Models

Forum statistics