Houpty GT

I pushed the wiper switch on my '91 vert down once to wipe them clean and then they would not stop wiping. If you set it to high it will go to high speed but on any other setting it will always stay on low speed.

To stop them I did the sensible thing; pull the 15 amp fuse. Mazda is not sensible though and this did not shut them off so I had to pull the dash apart and disconect the switch.

I would assume the switch is bad but I wanted to see if any on could confirm this. I searched the forum and found a couple post by people with the same problem but all they got was a bunch of people with wipers that did not work at certain speeds jumping in with what they did to fix they different problem. I will guess that people are going to do the same thing to this post. I would like to hear how this particular problem is fixed and I want to know why in the world the pulling the fuse won't shut the wipers off!

87 t-66

iTrader: (133)

sounds like the switch

micah

I don't see how pulling the fuse wouldn't work.... Perhaps you pulled the wrong fuse?

Sideways7

iTrader: (7)

Because you didn't pull the correct switch. I don't know which one you pulled, or even the correct one to pull, but it you pulled the right fuse it WILL stop, without exception.
As for the problem, perhaps the relay that controls the low speed got stuck in the closed position. This is just speculation, though, so wait for someone like Icemark to chime in.

red87tll

iTrader: (4)

hahaha i had that problem once. had to unplug them from under the hood. it's a switch. uuummmm be careful when replacing it though, mazda sucked at making anything out of plastic and making it last.

-j

Houpty GT

I did indeed pull the correct fuse according to the fuse box cover and the wipers did not stop. This means that Mazda marked the cover incorrectly, wired the car wrong, or there is some sort of short. But has anyone dealt with that?

I was playing with the switch yesterday and it does seem to be the relays. I think I can get the relays working but I may buy a new switch from Icemark since my Hazard lights don't work either and there is probally a lot of time involve in fixing those. When you drive an RX-7 , hazard lights are important.

Icemark

why didn't you just unplug the motor... hell of a lot easier than taking apart the dash to get to the switch.

Most of the time on wipers that are always on, you have either a bad motor (most of the time) or a bad switch. Occasionally you also get the hacked up car by someone that tried to put in a aftermarket ECU or remove the emissions and the shorted wires from that can cause the wipers to be always on.

and you probably didn't pull the correct fuse. The 15 amp (blue) fuse for the wipers powers the switch and motor and neither the switch or the motor can work with it removed unless some one has hacked the wiring in the car. Sure you didn't pull the 10 amp wiper fuse?

Houpty GT

I did pull the correct fuse, like I said. Blue 15 amp one space up and one space back from the front of the car. The car is completely stock. I need to fix the switch anyway because I can't be driving such a bad houpty that I need to go under the hood everytime it rains. The dash takes about 5-10 minutes to get apart especially since half the cheap plastic crap is broken anyway. The parts are broken before you even pull the screws out. I read about someone elses method of fixing these broken holes with JB Weld. Pretty redneck but just do not tell anybody and you will be OK.

How much do you sell the switch for?

rx7racerca

iTrader: (1)

Its possible you have a short somewhere - usually, but not always caused by someone messing with the electrical system. Sometimes it's just wires that have cracked or rubbed thru because they aren't secured properly. Since pulling the fuse hasn't worked, try pulling other fuses - if you find, for example, that pulling the cigarette lighter fuse kills the wipers, that suggests a short with something on that circuit.

Icemark

Do your turn signals still work? If so and you really pulled the correct fuse, you have a wiring issue (probably related to why the wipers are always on).



See there is only one power source for the wiper motor and the switch...



and it is the 15 amp wiper fuse. There is no other wires that power both other than that blue wire from the wiper fuse.



I suppose you could have water or something inside the switch shorting out, but I doubt it.

I rebuild your style switch for $50 + shipping (http://www.mazdamark.com/Rebuilding%20Your%20Parts.htm)

Houpty GT

Icemark,

Will that price also cover fixing the Hazard light switch?

A few other quick questions if you can help me. Are the front floor mats the same for the convertible as the coupe? Did the convertible come with floor mats behind the seats? What did the original black floor mats look like for a '91? Black dragon has mats for $50 but I don't know how close they are to the original mats. Is there a place you know that sells replica mats for a good price?

Icemark

they never fail... look at your CPU's flasher board

Yes

No

They matched the carpet

Houpty GT

What I was trying to ask about the floor mats was if they had any writing or embroidery on them.

What goes goes wrong with the CPU flasher board?

Icemark

The relays can clog up with carbon (then one or both of the turn signals stop working or work with a fast flash), or cold solder joints, or overheated transistors.

In you case it sounds like cold solder joints, if the turn signals work fine, but the hazards do not.

Houpty GT

Both turn signals work. One relay had corrosion and I cleaned it off. I do not see these cold welds you are talking about. Cold welds are those aluminum rivets like in the interior light that make poor contact, right?

Icemark

cold solder joints... not welds... the joints fail where the plug meets the circuit board