Rear Wiper Cut Out

[favero]

Hi:

My model of car is a 2001 Ford Focus Ghia 5-door hatchback and my rear wiper no longer works. When I bought the car it didn't work or went half the wipe and got stuck. Took it back to the dealer and for whatever reason started working when I got the car back, even though he said there was nothing wrong with it. Since then it worked for around 2-3 months but gradually got worse where it would wipe for a full wipe and then stick on it's return journey. Put some WD40 on the nut and released and retightened it and now or certainly for the last 6 months or so it doesn't move at all. Looked at buying a whole new/2nd hand rear wiper motor but before commiting myself to this is there something I could be missing? Is this a common fault on such cars. Please help as now it's winter it would be handy to get this working again.

Thanks you all in advance and Happy New Year.

[jgriff]

have you checked the connections, could be something has come loose

[jeebowhite]

Do you hear the noise of the motor? do you hear the click as you move the stalk to trigger the rear wipe?

As jgriff said, you need to check the connections, you may have a faulty motor, in which case a straight swap wouldnt be too difficult to achieve, and for a second hand / cheaper unit off the net, you could probably get it back to full health. Although the car is now a few years old, so I would also focus on checking any other electricals that *may* be of fault, i.e. any flickers in the lights, or dimming of a light as you apply brakes - anything at all that could backup a possibility of a bad earth! so do a full electrics / lights check, and see if that helps...

[Stoney871]

Check the wiring loom in the umbilical between the car and boot.

The insulation gets brittle with time and snaps the cables.

You've probably got water in there and it's shorting where the insulation leaks.

I had that and it blew 2 wiper motors, 3rd brake light and boot lock solenoid.

[mintalkin]

also check the relay

[favero]

Thanks for all the hints. I'll endeavour to do these checks before shelling out for a replacement rear wiper motor first. Now where is that Haynes manual?

[catch]

Wife uses car more than me as I'm on a fitness drive, walking where possible. Anyway a week back she did not come straight in, I said what's up ? There was a sound like an electrical motor going coming from the rear of the car. I played around with the rear wiper stalk and the noise did eventually stop.

Now I've had reason to use the car and I've noticed the rear wiper is acting up, always works but sometimes it does not park it's self properly, or even do a complete sweep of the rear screen.

Not being sexist, but my wife is crap at noticing anything different about the car, so it's reasonable to assume that both experiences are part of one and the same problem. Though I don't suspect the problem lies with the wiper stalk on the steering column, [cannot give a valid reason for that assumption, just a gut feeling I have]

Any ideas anybody, anybody had the same problem and know of a solution ?

[catch]

Wife uses car more than me as [i'm on a fitness drive, walking where possible] And a week back she did not come straight in, I said what's up ? There was a sound like an electrical motor going from the rear of the car. I played around with the rear wiper stalk and the noise did eventually stop.

Now I've had reason to use the car and I've noticed the rear wiper is acting up, always works but sometimes it does not park it's self properly, or even do a complete sweep of the rear screen.

Not being sexist, but my wife is crap at noticing anything different about the car, so it's reasonable to assume that both experiences are part of one and the same problem. Though I don't suspect the problem lies with the wiper stalk on the steering column.

Any ideas other than what's already been posted on this thread. Anybody had the same problem and know of a solution ?

[jeebowhite]

Welcome Back Catch, glad to see the sabbatical has left you feeling better in yourself!

As for your issue, I would wonder if you have checked the earth to it? is there any play in the stalk, as it wouldnt surprise me if it is a stalk issue. There was something in the forums a week or so ago, Mondy that squirted the front screen, but intermittently not the rear, turned out to be a stalk although looked in good health.

[tomo2001]

Remove plug connector from the motor, switch stalk on/off and check voltage is switching on/off at the plug connector. This should rule out the stalk and indicate a motor fault.

[catch]

Thanks for the replies lads......when the wife has finished with the car tomorrow, and if it ain't to parky and or wet outside [ as I made an extra bedroom out of the garage] I'll start the old elimination process. Your right jeeb it could be an intermittent open circuit /loose connection, and as tomo2001 says testing voltage at the motor connector is a good place to start in relation to narrowing it down..........might do a with pictures Find and Fix Guide on it....................there again I might just go for a walk as I've still got to burn off some of those extra pounds you tend to collect over the feasting/ boozing period.

[jeebowhite]

lol, who needs to walk to burn them off when you can jump up down, over and under your car trying to fix a problem... lol

[catch]

To right Jeeb................

Well I had a proper look at it today, switched the rear wiper on.....goes for about a second then stops after about 7 seconds it goes a bit more stops, another 7 seconds goes a second stops ...get the picture? Meaning if you leave it on long enough you can get it to park at the bottom of the screen one side or the other, then just need to move the stalk to the off position.

Though you can get by with it like this it is obviously not how it is suppose to work so I

took panel off the tail gate, unpluged the connector to the motor tested voltage. And using the same timings as aforementioned.......11 to 12 volts for a second then zero 7 second wait and voltage returns. Straight away I came to the conclusion these are the characteristics of a faulty relay. Power applied to the switching coil in the relay, this in turn over comes the spring holding the wiper motor circuit switch in the off position, but more or less immediately the coil warms up it open circuits, thus the spring in the relay returns the wiper switch to the default open position. Coil cools down, the open circuit on the coil closes and again the cycle starts all over again.

Now with the wiper motor disconnected I could actually hear the relay kicking in and out .Traced the sound to the fuse block in the passenger foot well. But on looking there there are only two relays in the fuse block, neither of which are the relay in question. It's there or there abouts but I'm buggered if I can locate it. I disconnected and dropped the fuse board but still cannot see it, I'll take the glove box out tomorrow and see if it's lurking at the back of that.............loads of empty relay sockets on the fuse block so why in hells name would Ford want to hide the fricking thing where you cannot easily get to it

[catch]

popped into Ford main dealers after I dropped wife of at work across the road from them. Guy on the parts desk could not identify particular relay on the system. Went into another office had a word with somebody, comes back tells me it is an integral part of the main fuse board. Now whilst this sounds absolutely barmy to me, when I was trying to track it down the switching noise was indeed appearing to be coming from the main fuse board module. In fact I would have put money on it if I had no option but to make the call....but then I thought surely not, that's sheer madness.

Any how the faceless guy in the back office said, it really needs to come in to be looked at to determine what the problem is. Well me being me, said to the parts guy if its a component integral to the fuse board module that's going to cost replacing that............how much are they? ..........£495 for the part............now that might be without 20% vat added I dunno I didn't even bother asking. Because to be honest I ain't bothered, as I ain't about to pay dealer diagnostics costs, then that on top + time to fit then 20% vat.

Anyway back home I whipped the Main fuse board module out, turned it over it has two screws in the back of it, it looked like it might split, but with the screws removed it refused to split. And as I was not prepared to attempt to overcome it's resistance to opening for fear of damaging it. I promptly reinserted the aforementioned screws, reconnected it [had to recode the radio] and that's it for me, I'll let it park it's self in it's own time, then just tap the stalk switch to the off position.

I still cannot believe that's what it is, but as I'm not prepared to pay to prove that is indeed the case. And until somebody else goes in to a Ford dealer with the very same problem and comes on here telling us how much the fix is, it can stay as it is.

[jeebowhite]

Tony, how about lookin in your local scrappy's surely an interior fuseboard on a writeoff wouldnt be a bad start? as there easy enough to pull out, you could get it for a lot less than ford want it...?

[mjt]

Catch,

What you're describing sounds like the intermittent wipe is energising the rear wiper relay for 1 second in about every 7. What should happen is that this should start the motor moving then a set of contacts in the motor should change over to maintain the power to the motor after the relay has dropped out until the wiper gets back to the park position. It may well not be the relay but a broken or corroded wire in the tailgate, maybe where the loom flexes in the rubber sleeve between body and tailgate, or a bad contact in the motor.

[catch]

Jeeb, yes I thought of the Breakers yard route, but have not bothered because it's not that bigger issue just waiting for it to get to a position where it is parked at the bottom of the screen, then just knocking the column switch to the off position. Besides before shelling out for another Main Fuse Module I'd like to [by the process of elimination] narrow it down to a definitive MFM fault.

mjt, whilst I really do appreciate your assistance with this issue, I cannot see your explanation as to how the power feed to the motor works. I say this because I do not see the relay within the Main Fuse Module having a one second on / seven second off [for as long as the stalk switch is in the on position] as being normal behaviour. I mean why would it be?

Have you had experience of this fault before?

But for the moment, before you get back to me, and running with what your saying. Am I right in thinking that your saying that there should be another constant 12 volt power supply at that three wire female connector that plugs into the body of the wiper motor assembly. That is there for the sole purpose of supplying power to the motor once the initial relay fed power feed is lost? And your saying it is not there because the wire supplying that feed could be broken within the wiring harness?

You / anybody care to whip the rear panel of your / their tailgate and stick a volt meter on the female socket that plugs into the wiper motor and confirm that a 12 volt power feed is indeed ever present?

What I really need is a wiring diagram, that should enable me to pinpoint where the wire from the column stalk switch connects to the Main Fuse Module and the corresponding wire coming out of the MFM that heads off to the rear wiper. Once I identified both of those I could apply a known power feed To firstly the MFM connector. Thus eliminate the possibility of a wiring harness to stalk switch and or stalk switch fault. And I suppose I could also temporarily supply another known switched fused power feed to the wiper assembly [by passing the stalk switch and Main Fuse Module] If the wiper functioned correctly then the fault lies either in the wiring harness from the motor back to the Main Fuse Module or the Module its self. Just a process of elimination really if I could source a schematic, and I'm sure I could find some wire in my garage long enough to under take those test.

[mjt]

before you get back to me, and running with what your saying. Am I right in thinking that you're saying that there should be another constant 12 volt power supply at that three wire female connector that plugs into the body of the wiper motor assembly. That is there for the sole purpose of supplying power to the motor once the initial relay fed power feed is lost? And your saying it is not there because the wire supplying that feed could be broken within the wiring harness?

Yes. That's the way I see it. I can't help with a schematic as my car is a Mk1.5. In my model the stalk drives the GEM module which then intermittently drives the relay. The delay is quite a bit longer than 7 seconds but the Mk2 might easily have a faster timing. The 1-second pulse from the relay gets things moving then the contacts in the motor bypass the relay, keeping it going until it gets back to park.

Your system might work differently so really the best answer would be to invest in a Haynes manual (other products are available :) ).

[catch]

Cheers Mike,

well from what your saying the GEM module is functioning as it should do....that's a relief at £495 a throw for a new one And as the relay trips in and out, I think it's fair to rule out a faulty stalk switch.........so it kinda narrows it down to either a motor or wiring harness twix motor and Gem issue.

Dare say I'll get around to having a look at it when the better weather arrives.

[jay1981]

A quick look at the wiring diagrams would suggest that there should be a constant 12v feed to the rear wiper motor with the ignition on. You should have possibly 2 other 12v feeds that are engergised depending on the wiper switch position (on or intermittant). All of the 12v feeds come from the GEM, so that could be the fault (more likely to be a broken wire or duff motor).

If you don't have the 12v with the ignition on and wiper off, then you have a broken wire between the Fuse panel/GEM and the wiper motor, probably between the tailgate and the body, inside the rubber boot.

If you do have 12 v with the ignition on and wiper off, then a new wiper motor is required, as the park contact in the motor is broken.

[Stoney871]

If you need a wiper motor i have a working on from a MK1, i'm pretty sure they're the same in the Mk1.5.

[catch]

Jay , Stoney thanks for the input, sorry it's late [i must turn email notification back on]

Talking to an RAC guy today visiting a neighbours [key not firing up his 10 year old Rover 25] and like you say Jay, the park contact is in the motor. So just got to nail it down one way or the other, just waiting for better weather.......old bones and all that, and what with loosing all that blubber I'm feeling the cold alot more

PS: RAC man sorted the key job out, by squirting lubricating oil via a syringe [down to his last three syringes, you cannot buy them in store any more] My neighbour reckons its his fault because on returning from the rugby club he uses his ignition key to clean the treads on the soles of his shoes...........Well I would have kept quite about that as his wife just looked at him .....you know ....that look