Wipers won't stop

hamadyr · 03-11-2005, 06:55 PM

I have a 1991 E30 318is.
Once, the wipers started chaging speed on their own. Switch at slow but wipers would run to fast then back to slow.
Tonight, they have a mind of their own and the washer pump won't stop either.
Anyone have any hints ??
Thanks

rich22 · 03-11-2005, 08:56 PM

Yeah, that happens to most of them. I looked pretty stupid driving down the freeway with my wipers and washers on with not a cloud in sight. Unfortunately there was also not an exit in sight and my washer was empty by the time I got stopped. It was pumping the last of the washer fluid, which gunked up the nozzles, which haven't worked since. Be sure to flush out the nozzles afterwards.

The relay is just stuck. Find which one it is, take it out, and whack it on the side with your finger to loosen it up. Put it back in and you should be fine. In extreme cases the relay will be hosed and you need a new one.

pjgonwa · 03-12-2005, 02:57 AM

Washer pump spraying and wipers running constantly in the E30

There is a wire harness that serves the washer pump and other devices in the right front corner of the car. This harness travels through and behind the nose panel at about the bumper level. As it approaches the headlight assembly, it makes two 90-degree bends. One hangs in midair, and the other bend goes up and over a panel seam, just before it passes behind the headlight assembly.

This seam is nasty. It is sharp and unprotected, and over time, with drying-out of the harness cover and wire insulation combined with minute vibrations, the harness is slowly cut and the pump wire shorts to ground and completes the circuit bypassing the switch.

hamadyr · 03-12-2005, 03:19 AM

Thanks guys ...
I am in montreal and as Murphy would have it, we are in the middle of a winter storm.
The stuck relay sounds like it may be less painful than I thought.
According to the Bentley Manual, there is only one large relay (Control Module) which manages the wiper speed and intermittence.
If I understood your feedback, the mode of failure indicates the relay more than the switch or harness.
I will keep you guys posted as I dive under the hood later today. (After the kids' swimming lessons and the weekly grocery shopping in the family car.)

hamadyr · 03-12-2005, 04:05 AM

Hi Rich22,

I couldn't go through the day not knowing so I snuck down to the garage while my wife was prepping the kids.
You were absolutely on the ball. Two minutes and it was fixed (at least temporarily). I guess I will be ordering a wiper relay and a pair of nozzles as they were in dying mode before this happened..

Thanks a million !!!