Wiper wont turn off: (relay) question

[22lambo]

So this weekend I picked up an 83 944. The owner said he disconnected the wipers cause they would drain the battery but I forgot to ask how fast they would drain it. Anyways now it's raining and I need to drive so I connected them and tomorrow morning I will see if I need a jump but when I connected them and tested them out, I had a problem. It works fine in every mod but OFF. In off, it is exactly the same as intermediate. So could the wiper relay that is causing it to not turn off the wipers and drain the battery? Thanks

[zedsn]

MY 83 had a similar problem and it turned out to be the plastic on the on off switch at the end of the stalk itself under the steering wheel had deteriorated and somehow caused the wipers to not shut off. I replaced the stalk assembly and problem went away. It might not be your relay. Steering wheel removal is fairly easy job to do if you find it is not your relay

[Brozoar]

Congrats, mate. Forget about all those naysayers who bash the early 944.

+1 on the switch diagnosis. I haven't fixed mine yet, but I've been having the same issue, and I think it's much more likely the switch than the relay.

Does your wiper switch have 3 or 4 positions? Because according to the manual it's supposed to be 4, whereas mine has only three (the bottom 2 go intermittently, the top one goes frequently). I'd check that out before you ever get a new relay, because it could be as simple as a bent or broken contact, broken plastic obtrusion, etc. for which you don't even have to buy a new switch.

Good night, and good luck.

[914efi]

Mine was just the relay for the intermittent not shutting off, a known problem I think.