Intermittent wipers?

[Yatesy350i]

Evening fellow wedgers.

At the minute everything seems to work on my Wedge except the intermittent wipers?

I know they used to work due to the amount of times I've accidentally knock the stalk while messing around with other bits on the car.

First time I've ever driven the beast in proper rain was yesterday on the y to the MOT and back (been out in sow though). And there was no intermittent what so ever. Wipers also don't auo cancel. I have to stop them at the end of stroke.

Is ther something a vinous I should be looking at?

Didn't get round to it today, I managed to check the front wheel bearings and then it distracted by Stella

[Wedg1e]

Circuit diagrams for the wash-wipe are here:

http://www.wedgeneering.co.uk/TVR%20390SE%20p12.ht...

A faulty wiper delay module might cause the symptoms you describe.

[Yatesy350i]

Thanks Ian


Where does the delay timer live? On the relay board or up behind the dash?

Cheers Karl.

[Wedg1e]

Yatesy350i said:

Thanks Ian


Where does the delay timer live? On the relay board or up behind the dash?

Cheers Karl.

Usually up by the wiper motor, top left of the dash. It's a black box with 'Pektron' on it. Bit of a problem to fault-find on the bench, it needs the motor connected in order to work properly. Last two faulty ones I've seen both needed the electrolytic caps replacing and then worked OK.

[Hamish400]

If wipers are not self parking, the park switch is suspect. The intermittent wipe timer just cuts the power to the wiper motor after a short time, and then the wipers self park.

Rgds
Hamish

[Yatesy350i]

All done

Found a white/green wire lurking outside of a connector up behind the dash. Looks like it was one of a pair of wires going into one of the dash plugs. Looks like they were never crimped very secure from day one. I must have disturbed it while fitting the immobiliser. All sorted now though.

Those pins are a bit of a #### to get out of the plug connectors!

[Wedg1e]

Yatesy350i said:

All done

Found a white/green wire lurking outside of a connector up behind the dash. Looks like it was one of a pair of wires going into one of the dash plugs. Looks like they were never crimped very secure from day one. I must have disturbed it while fitting the immobiliser. All sorted now though.

Those pins are a bit of a #### to get out of the plug connectors!

Easy fix then

The terminals have (as is common with this type of multi-plug) barbs on the contacts that latch them into the plastic housing.
There's a special tool (of course) that pushes back the barbs to allow you to extract the pin but you can usually furgle it with a jeweller's screwdriver... the extractor is essentially a thin-wall cylinder and if you slip, it does a fantastic job of taking a core sample from your finger...

Edited by Wedg1e on Tuesday 27th May 22:00

[adam quantrill]

I hate crimping - the wire underneath tarnishes over time and as you have found can fall out. Best to crimp and then solder.

[RCK974X]

For some of the round pin types, you can also fiddle an old female connector (i.e. tube) by widening it a bit, and then use it to compress the lock tabs. Even a rubber sleeve (if small and narrow enough) sometimes works.

But I agree, a jewellers screwdriver set is a wonderful addition to the tool kit for this kind of work.

I tend to solder the connectors too - it can make the wiring brittle though, but doesn't work loose..

[Wedg1e]

adam quantrill said:

I hate crimping - the wire underneath tarnishes over time and as you have found can fall out. Best to crimp and then solder.

This (or soldering alone) was always my preferred choice until it was pointed out that aircraft wiring looms are crimped only. This gets around vibration and flexing snapping soldered strands and does of course rely on absolutely correct use of the correct tool - which is to be expected on a hairyplane
One might expect the same standard to be attained by car makers but we all know what happens in the real world.

[adam quantrill]

Wedg1e said:

... it was pointed out that aircraft wiring looms are crimped only....

I wish you hadn't told me that - I'm flying away on hols in the summer.... ;^{}

[RCK974X]

too right - it's pretty much impossible to crimp exactly right with a home bought unit, Having worked in commercial wiring (a long time ago) I know how different the commercial tools are (proper hydraulic ones for example).

here in NZ we have crimped water pipe joints for the plastic piping, which have a reputation for leaking when they get older, a little bit of temp cycling, a bit of vibration, and Bob's yer [wet] uncle...

Wiring is the same kind of issue....has to be done PROPERLY.

[V8 Fettler]

I had intermittent wiper until I tightened the earth connector to the wiper motor. I thought all Wedgeists could park their wiper wherever they wanted to?