Windshield Wipers Stopped

[Mary and Mike Boone]

We are new to RV'ing and on our first trip in our 2000 Marquis.  (currently in Anchorage) Today we used the windshield wipers during a rain storm.  They started being intermittent then just stopped working completely.   Are there fuses related to wipers or could this be  a wiper motor issue?   It's the weekend so guess we are stuck here till we can resolve.  Suggestions welcome.  

[Gerald Farris]

The problem probably is not a fuse or circuit  breaker because you said that the problem was intermittent before the wipers quit. If the other functions that are controlled by the steering wheel controls (Smart Wheel) are also acting up, your problem is probably the Smart Wheel control module. If everything else is operating properly, you will have to take a volt meter an trace down the problem.

Gerald  

[Bill Sprague]

A few years ago I found the Smart Wheel Operation Manual and Trouble Shooting Manual on line as .pdf files.  Mine are dated about 2001.  I think you can still get them here:  http://www.vipwheels.com/WEB%20PAGES/techsupport.html.  If you can't,  I can e-mail them to you.

As a temporary fix, I've used Rain-X.  Not perfect, but it does help if you have to drive in the rain without wipers.

[Larry Fisk]

First welcome to the club, hope your Marquis gives you many years of good service. I think Gerald is right on target as usual. it does sound like a problem in the smart wheel controls. There are always things to work out on a new to you coach. We had a few to work out when we first got ours. This forum is a great place to go. We are currently in Homer,Alaska. It's been beautiful here. Good luck finding the problem.

[Mary and Mike Boone]

Thanks for the great advise.  My husband is not too mechanically inclined (sorry Honey) so tracing something is probably not an option.  After stopping for a few days, the wipers worked for a while then stopped again.  We did notice that the drivers side wiper was hitting the center window divider before they stopped. I read where this might cause a wiper breaker trip. Since we are still in Alaska and won't get to Bend, Oregon for another few weeks, can someone tell me if there is a way to adjust the wiper sweep to stop it hitting the center divider?  RainEx saved us today when the wipers stopped again. .

[LarryNCarolynShirk]

There is a nut that holds the wiper arm on a splined post.  Remove the nut, and pull the arm off the post.  Rotate the arm one notch clockwise on the spline.  Push the arm back on the spline, and tighten the nut back on the spline.  I hope that helps.

Larry

[Mary and Mike Boone]

Sorry for a late reply on the resolution, but we just left Bend getting the wipers fixed.    

The problem turned out to be the wiper power plug. It was halfway unplugged, which is why the wipers worked when you hit a bump.   They cut an access in the dash, and secured the plug so it wouldn't come loose again. All is back to normal.  

We love the Beaver Motors repair facility in Bend, Oregon.  They really know the Beaver and repairs took half the time of other shops.  

Thanks all for the responses.

[Larry Fisk]

Yes they are great!

[Ken Buck]

As an add on to this thread, I started having similar problems with my 07 Contessa wipers. The on wheel switches would work sporadically, sometimes not come on at all or not turn off until the key was turned off. One of the first troubleshooting things listed in the Smartwheel guides is make sure the wiper motor has a good ground, don't rely on the ground wire from the VIP module to make things work.

Because of the fiberglass front end cap and not being able to find a real metal to metal path to ground, I made a separate ground wire, conected to the mounting bracket on the wiper motor and then to the grounding stud on the frame. The problem is gone. When in doubt read the instructions, sometimes they help.

Ken