Intermittent wiper working intermittently

[Dommo]

Hi all

Long time no speak on here I think, I've been busy buying and fixing up my first house (about time at the age of 26...)


Anyway, the Xantia has a few ailments just lately, one of the more annoying ones being that the intermittent wipers don't always work. Is there a common area for me to investigate? I recall doing a relay mod near the ignition switch on this Xantia when I first got it, but I don't remember what it was to cure?!

If it helps, when intermittent isn't working, the wipers don't function when I do a wash/wipe pull back on the stalk.

Thanks very much - Dom.

[Stickyfinger]

Wiper switch dirty inside ?

[xantia_v6]

I think that it more likely to be a faulty delay relay, check by substitution, or check the soldered joints inside. I think it is blue and near the under-dash fuses.

[wurlycorner]

Yep, I would go with the relay as a starting point, too.

[Old-Guy]

Me too. Broken solder joints on the Blue relay (actually a timer/relay unit). Find it (Wiki) pop off the blue plastic cover and examine the solder joints of the connection tags onto the PCB. These fail because the relay in effect supports part of the loom via the plug-in connector and the joints are the weakest link. Resolder with a generous fillet of good quality electrical solder fixes the problem but be careful not to overheat the PCB.

The rear wiper uses the same unit plugged into the wiper motor assembly, the same problem is caused by it being subjected to high G-forces whenever the tail-gate is slammed!

I'll add a page to the Wiki when I've got time. If you're stuck, PM me with an e-mail address and I'll send you instructions as a PDF document.

[Dommo]

Thank you chaps, I took the wiper relay out and my dad found a couple of dry joints inside. Sure enough it was on the joints that hold the connection tabs to the PCB as you said - duly fixed and so far, wipers are working perfectly. I hadn't spotted your post Guy when I went to get the relay out, but the information you gave would have got the job done perfectly. All I will say is that my wiper relay was held in by a little metal tab that had a torx screw holding it in - a little awkward to get to and I had to resort to a socket torx bit as my torx screwdriver couldn't get straight onto it, but a socket + flexy extension got straight onto it.

Thanks again. I will update if this fails again but I can't imagine it doing. Dom.

[Old-Guy]

I'm glad you got it fixed. Now when the rear wiper starts playing up, you'll know how to fix that too!

My experience is that the rear wiper 'relays' give more trouble than the front ones. Not long after I'd fixed, the Green Lady's front one, the rear one failed too. On investigation, I found evidence that the rear relay had been replaced before: the water shield had been sliced open and 'repaired' with duct tape, and the relay was several years younger than the car. Having had to replace the entire tailgate a few years ago, I've rather lost track of what relay is in the replacement tailgate, but the wiper went intermittent months ago and has now 'died' completely. I'm in the throes of building another replacement tailgate (with an undamaged HRW, sound water seals around the window, and paint that isn't flaking off the GRP); now I've checked that its 'relay' has been modified, I'm going to support it with a generous blob of silicone between its case and the motor case to help cushion the high G-force when the tailgate gets slammed accidentally (new struts would be a good idea!).