Hey guys, I tried searching for any previous posts about this on possible solutions...but I came up with nothing, so maybe this is a very uncommon problem?

Anyway, the story is.

I was driving to work, and there was some mud on my windshield (it's winter so it's everywhere). So I finally got annoyed with the mud and decided it was time to clean it off. So i hit the windshield wiper fluid, everything's normal, the windshield wipers automatically come on like normal...but then something strange happens....45 seconds go by, and they still haven't turned themselves off....So i start getting confused I try turning the wiper dial to on and then to off hoping to override whatever mechanism is causing the problem, but after switching every wiper dial, and even trying to hit the washer fluid button again, nothing works, so i give up just decide to stick it out until i get to work and turn the car off.

So I drive to work the whole way with a clear blue sky and my wiper blades just going crazy on the highest setting! (I sure got a few weird looks on the way to work) Anyway, so I turn the car off and hope that once I turn the car back on again, the internal mechanism would get reset and the wiperblades would be tranquil again.

So I come back out at the end of my work day, and start her up. and.....they just resume what they were doing....

Now I don't know much about the electronics that deal with this, I'm a piano teacher, so I honestly don't know much about this at all, but it seems like it could be a pretty simple fix if I knew what to do.

I tried looking through the manual and researching things on google but didn't come up with anything solid.

Anyone have a solution? If you do, that would be GREATLY appreciated...I don't think i can take anymore of that dry squealing sound of the wiper blades rubbing up against a dry windshield.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Andrew

 

*sniff* no one's got any solutions?

 

Start by pulling the wiper fuse. The fuses are near the clutch and brake pedals. That will stop the wipers for now.

From there a forum search may help, since wiper switches commonly fail (and I don't know much beyond that). I'm gonna guess that it's a stuck relay. I think the relays are in the wiper switch. You can get a rebuilt wiper switch from www.mazdamark.com, or you can pull it out and fiddle with it yourself. It might be another relay so I'd search the forums first or wait for someone else to chime in before you buy anything.

 

your Wiper switch is either Faulty or Dirty..I know that my Wipers,every once in awhile will go From Intermittent to High.or from Low to High on it's own sometimes..and other times they Operate well.I have found that if I hit the MIST on the Switch when it does that,and then Click it to OFF,it will Stop the "maniac Wipers"..But if you haven't found the Problem and just want the Darn things to BE off,then reach up under the driver's side,under the Dash,and pull the wiper Fuse..I am betting that Now you wish STEINWAY made cars eh?

 

i just smashed mine when it did that, worked fine ever since lol

 

Mine are still not working must be something with these cars

 

thanks so much! i really appreciate it. ^_^ I'll pull the fuse, how would i got about fixing a relay? Is that something I should get a mechanic to look at or would I be able to do that myself?

 

Replace relays inside of switch.

 

The wiper switches aren't really made very well. They are just plastic coverings instead of actually being a sealed electrical component. It's time to get the soldering tools out to replace some relays in the switch!

 

Pull the switch and take it into you local electronics repair place.The can test it and fix the issue.That is an expensive part to replace new.

 

www.allelectronics.com has various relays. They're super cheap but shipping is a flat $7. Dunno if any of them will fit. You'll have to pull it apart and look inside. Various electronics stores near you may also have relays. For the replacement relay(s) you need to make sure it can handle 12V and that it can handle at least enough current to run the wipers (look at the number on the fuse you remove). Relays typically have 4 prongs. 2 prongs control the switch, the other 2 get connected when the switch is closed. It doesn't matter if either pair of prongs is hooked up backwards.

Or you could buy a rebuilt switch or have your old one repaired, as mentioned.

 

If you do feel like doing it yourself, Icemark has a good writeup on his site.

http://www.mazdamark.com/DIY_wiper_repair.htm

 

I'll be honest. The wiper relay is hard to replace without messing the PCB up. I put in a new relay and pretty much butchered it despite being fairly good at soldering and having done it for a long time.

I ended up putting an off-low-high switch right below the original and have had reliable wipers ever since. The only downside is that I have to time it so they are down when it's turned off and not having intermittent wipers.

 

I had to completely destroy the old relay to get it off. I drilled a hole in the top of the old one so that I could pull up on it while I heated the old solder off to get the thing loose. The new one hasn't given me any problems (yet). It's been about a year now.

 

How'd you do it?? Any write ups online about doing something like this? I haven't taken mine apart just yet, but your solution seems good enough for me.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...t=wiper+switch

Ignore the problem that guy had with the speeds being the same. Mine work fine.

What I did was make a ground wire on the steering column bolt. Then remove (you can de-pin them from the connector without cutting wires and use the existing female spade connectors IIRC) the two power wires (med and high) from the switch harness. Plug the connector with the rest of the pins intact into the old wiper switch. Then, simply mount your new off-on-on switch and connect the wires you de-pinned and the ground wire you made to the proper terminals.

 

Yeah, it's not easy. I definitely wouldn't expect most people to get it right on the first try, let alone the 3rd.

 

Thanks Alexdimen!

 

in the mean time try hittin gthe underside of the dash right below the switch. A fw weeks ago mine started doing this. the only way to get them to stop was the hit the underside of the switch. Evidently it pops whatever is sticking loose.


BC

 

im sorry, but i was laughing my *** off the whole time reading your post.
sounds like a coroded solder in the actual switch.
i think icemark had a thread recently about it.

peace

 

My car was doing this about a year ago. You have to do the same fix as with the wipers that will only work on one speed. What seemed to happen with mine is that the relay rather than not operating at all gets stuck in the position it is in when it's on. As a temporary fix, you can just remove the bad relay which will be the bottom most relay on the board if I remember correctly. Doing this will allow you to leave the fuse in and operate your wipers on speed 1 only with no auto return until you have a new relay to put in there.

If I remember correctly there is a good write up in the FAQ on the wiper switch relay fix so just try to follow that. IMO it really isn't that hard... just be careful and remove as much solder as possible before trying to pull the old relay out and you'll be fine. If you do dammage the board, all the traces are surface level so it is easy to see where they go and jumper them if needed. Good Luck.

 

I had the same problem with additional difficulties. You can read about it in the following thread: https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showthread.php?t=662012

I bought my relays from Mouser.com. I was going to pay Icemark to do it but he was not responding to anybodies emails or pm's at the time.

Read the following links and threads and you will be an expert on repairing the switch:

http://www.mazdamark.com/DIY_wiper_repair.htm
http://fc3spro.com/TECH/HOWTO/WIPER/wiper.html
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-gen-archive-72/those-thinking-about-doing-wiper-switch-fix-19344/
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...t=wiper+switch
https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=35372

 

Hmm think it may be the relay.