16 replies to this topic

[germini30]

On my 1989 mini the wipers have stopped working.
I've taken the plug off the motor park switch.
Looking at the plug so the four pins are horizontal and the vertical one is on the right.
I have power to the bottom pins, one on slow speed and to the other on high speed.
There's no feed to the other two wires, but I'm not sure theres meant to be.
On the multiplug below the steering column I have a 12v permanent live, and again feed to two pins depending on the stalk position.
Is the wiring correct?
I haven't had the motor off yet.

[gazza82]

One of the pins should be switched live.

Got a wiring diagram?

Edited by gazza82, 29 August 2025 - 07:46 PM.

[germini30]

OK I was thinking that, I go check for any inline fuses that aren't in the fuse box as a start.
Yeah I've got a diagram

[germini30]

Took the wiper motor off and connected it.to a battery, it turns.
Went through all the fuses and followed what should have been the live feed but couldn't find it anywhere.
The park switch to motor was wired up all wrong too.
I've now gone into the fuse box and taking a feed from the blower motor circuit for the wiper motor and its all working apart from the park, but, as the car hardly goes out in the rain I'm not too bothered about it

[gazza82]

Wiring schematic for wiper plug below

 

 wiperplug.gif   5.92K   0 downloads 

 

[Ethel]

It can just be mechanical resistance from the rack & particularly wheel boxes / arm spindles.

 

 

Pinched this off the interweb a while ago

 

[Ethel]

Things to note:

 

 

That +12v is an ignition switched live & there should be another to the stalk on the column.

 

It's effectively 2 motors in one the yellow wire only does fast, red provides the juice to motor  proper for everything else.

 

Running the motor is very  simple - the stalk just connects its +12v to the fast & slow connection as required.

That would be a decent place to start trouble shooting - split the stalk connector below the steering column and bridge the supply to fast & slow in turn.

 

Parking the wipers is just a little bit more complex:

 

When you put the stalk to off you're actually connecting the slow to park. That allows the park switch to take control by connecting its live  feed up the park wire, through the stalk, to the slow feed. When the motor turns to where the blades should park, the park switch plunger is lifted by the ramp on the gear wheel. That disconnects the +12v at the park switch and also earths the feed to slow. Both sides of the motor windings are earthed so it stops dead & doesn't overrun the park switch to reconnect for another lap.

 

 

...so adding to the stalk connector trouble shooting. Connect park to slow and you'll have identified a faulty stalk is everything did as it should. If unhooking the park switch (ignition off to avoid surprise wiper action) gives slow speed you can control with the park switch plunger it may just be the feed to the stalk.

[germini30]

Upon test with ignition on i found that the plug to the park switch two pins were live, depending on stalk position.
I had no ignition live to the plug at all. I've now sorted that out and the wipers are working.
Upon removing the motor to clean it and grease it I noticed that the park switch to wiper motor wires were wired up incorrectly.
I've put them all in the right positions now but the only thing not working is the park.

[Ethel]

How?

 

Are the wipers stopping immediately they're turned off where they are, or do they not stop at all?

 

The latter suggests the  park switch isn't fully home on the motor or  it's worn enough to not open the contacts.  Pull it off & try operating it by hand.

 

If they stop dead, the contacts aren't closing, either in the park switch or stalk, or there's no live feed to the park switch.

[germini30]

Stop dead as soon as I turn them off on the stalk. I have to stop them at the bottom of the sweep. I have ignition live to one of the pins, then two others have feed dependent on whether the stalk is in fast or slow position. There's nothing to the last pin at all.

[germini30]

Should add, I've had to run a new ignition feed to the motor plug from the fusebox

[Ethel]

I'm not quite following if it's the stalk or park switch end you mean, but if it  stops dead it's the park circuit.

 

Check if there's  power on the light green / orange at the park switch when the ignition is on.

 

You could do a continuity test on the stalk, in the off position, between brown / light green & red / light green if you have a meter or a battery & bulb.

 

If you don't, bridging the same terminals on the car side of the stalk connector should make it 'em park if you set the wipers going by bridging light green / orange to red / light green.

 

From either of the previous 2 tests you should be able to figure if it's the stalk or elsewhere.

 

 

...it looks like the heater motor taps off the wiper stalk, so it could be worth  removing the light geen /orange spade from the heater switch, just in case - since it's so easy to do.

[gazza82]

Should add, I've had to run a new ignition feed to the motor plug from the fusebox

Sounds like your new loom has some issues ...

[germini30]

Yes it does.
Maybe I should have been clearer on previous posts.
Basically I had no wipers at all, which had worked previously albeit with no park.
They stopped working one day so I took the plug off the motor.
With ignition on I was getting feed to the two speed wires but nothing to the other 2 at all.
I have since run a new 12v feed to the plug and they now work but still no park.
Should the fourth pin, labelled park connection in the diagram above have a 12v feed too???

[Ethel]

If you mean the diagram in my post. The  connection numbered 4 should have an ignition dependent live feed. Don't mix it up with the brown striped park feed to the stalk. The switch parking earths connector 3. As I stated previously, that's to stop the motor abruptly by earthing both sides of the slow speed motor windings. Earth the live feed instead and you'll get a blown fuse.