I'm having an issue with my '88 convertible's windshield wipers and need some insight/help. My wipers stay on even when my wiper switch is in the "off " position and only stop moving when the car is off or when I take the fuse out.
Would it be easy to just replace the entire switch with a brand new one? I found a switch on mazdatrix and I don't mind paying for it I just want to make sure there isn't anything else I could try beforehand.
I think my best bet would be to buy a new switch?
Thoughts?

 

Staying on all the time is a bit unusual, but the relays in the wiper switch often fail. You can replace them yourself if you know how to solder, try googling and it should give you the part numbers.

I will try and look them up for you later, I bought them a few years ago and may still have the receipt from Digikey.

It's not 100% certain to fix your issue, but for a few dollars and 30 minutes labour it's worth a shot

The other possibility is something wrong with the wiper motor, since the traces inside are designed to break contact at the resting point at the bottom of the windshield. Not sure how that would happen, but hypothetically it could.

 

Same thing happened on my S5 coupe a few years back. I just swapped out the switch with another one that I had and that fixed the problem. Most likely, one of the relays in the switch is stuck. As WondrousBread mentioned, it could possibly be the motor. I think the switch is more common cause of this. It's good to know that a new S4 vert wiper switch is still available from Mazdatrix. Most of these switches are NLA. There used to be a service that rebuilt these switches. Here's the web link: https://www.13betc.com/product/86-91...build-service/

 

Okay, so here's the guide:

FC3S Pro v2.0:&nbsp How-To - Fixing RX7 2nd Gen Wiper Switch

It only talks about one relay, but in my case I did all three. All of mine were bad, but even if they're still good I just like taking care of them all at once. Unfortunately, I believe that guide only gives you one part number, whereas you need two types of relay (three units total, two are identical) to replace all the relays in the wiper switch. I think models with no rear wiper only have two relays.

Digikey won't let me look back far enough to find the order, so I'll see if I still have any relays around to give you the number on them. Otherwise, many of people have used the service Hot Dog linked and been happy with it, so you could always do that if you don't want to DIY.

EDIT: It occurs to me now that you have a convertible, so there's no rear wiper. I also believe the switch is different. I'm guessing Mazda used the same relays, but I'm not sure since I don't own a vert.

 

I thought the vert switch was different too. I thought it had a stalk, but apparently not. Here's a photo of the switch: https://mazdatrix.com/product/switch-wiper-86-88-conv/

I posted on the wiper switch last month. Part numbers are listed near the bottom of the thread. Here's a link: https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...washer-936579/