[Shotimes] Wiper Problems

[George Fourchy]

Hey All

Happy New Year, and watch out for the troublemakers!!

The wipers on Slorider went out the instant I got home from my midshift last Tuesday
Morning.  I figured it was either the MFS or the motor, because that MFS is really
squirrly, and the motor has been noisy the whole life of the car.

Turns out it was the intermittant module, mounted under the dash.  I troubleshot it
this way.  I looked at the Helms and the EVTM, to get the layout and wiring in my
mind.  Then I tried a functioning system, Black Diamond, with a voltage tester.  I
found the plug (the three wire one) that comes from the module, and tested it for
voltage with the key on and wipers on.  There was one wire that was hot.  Slorider
had no hot wires with key on and wipers on.  That points to the module (the wire
that should have been hot comes from it).  Now to find the module.  There is a
plastic 'tree' with all the modules on it, just above the throttle pedal.  The wiper
module is the highest one, and the Helms, in its wisdom, says "remove two screws and
remove the module".  ...sorta like, unbolt the engine and lift it out....yeah,
RIGHT!!

You can feel the module clicking by reaching up under the dash and touching it while
turning the MFS wiper knob on and off.  It will pulse a bit when it tries to turn on
the motor.  This will verify you have the correct module.

So I took out the seat so I could lay down, and saw that the two screws the book was
talking about held the whole tree to the dash.  After they are out, the tree will
fall down and each module is accessable.  The door chime, horn relay, cornering
light relay, and a police relay, if installed, is on the tree, with the wiper module
the highest one.  The good thing about that is that its plug is a push-button type,
which is easy to release, without having to pry plastic clips over bumps.  I swapped
in the module from BD, and the wipers work fine.  The module is still available new,
and one is on order...I get a Travis Hobbyshop discount at the Ford parts counters
around here, so it is about $80, vs $100.  I would have gone to PnP, but "the boss"
said it was OK for a new one.

...On the road again!!"...

File this away somewhere....your modules will finally die sometime.

George