Just bought a used 2003 MCS and am having a problem with the rear wiper. It seems to work occasionally then not work for quite a while. The washer squirts fluid but the wiper doesn't move.

I just got a manual so figure to dig into a bit but just playing with it while the car was sitting in the garage I noticed that it would work until I opened the trunk lid. Shutting the lid would get it running again.

Can anyone tell me if that is normal operation? Or is it cutting out because I am flexing the cable by opening the trunk?

 

It will stop when rear hatch is opened. If you take the access area apart inside the hatch you will find a micro plug attached to the wiper motor. I took mine apart and cleaned and then reassembled it and have not a problem since.

 

Jagfixer,

Thanks for the tip. After checking the wiring diagram, it clearly shows that the "tailgate switch" is in the control circuit. I'll give cleaning that plug a try and report back here if that doesn't fix it.

 

Well I removed the rear hatch cover and found the micro plug on the wiper motor and cleaned it. Made no difference. Looked it up in the wiring diagram and it is actually the connector for the rear hatch release switch. While I was in there I checked the wiper motor connector and that was clean. Looks like everything needed to make the rear wiper work runs through the General Module (BC1) and from the picture that doesn't look very accessible.

Guess I'll do a little internet searching before digging into that.

 

Finally had the opportunity to chase this gremlin again. I pulled the wiper motor and put it on my bench so I could feed it 12 volts and verify operation. It worked just fine. A common ground with a constant 12 volts into the park circuit and a controlled circuit to make it run. So I followed the controlled circuit back to the fuse panel by the drivers left foot. Being an old computer geek I swapped F17 (rear wiper) with F27 (sound system). Magically that "fixed" the problem and now everything is working.

I suspect that the fix is only temporary but I'm sure my bug is somewhere in that fuse panel.

 

Keep posting your results. Mine stopped working over a year ago on my 04, shortly after installing a bunch of new audio equipement. I just thought it was something related to that but now it sounds like it could be a connector or something in the fuse box. Hummmmm.......

 

Since mine now works and yours doesn't, the obvious thing to try is the same swap with yours. Swap F17 and F27 in the fuse panel. Just use the red fuse puller at the bottom of the panel. There is a chart of fuse locations on the back of the panel cover.

Let me know the results.

 

Well, it's not the fuse. Just swapped the two, and the radio still works but the wipers don't. The sprayer works though. Not sure if that ever stopped working though.

Is the strayer on a different connector than the motor for the wiper? Good to know before I open the back panel to check the connector.

Sam

 

Too bad that didn't work. The sprayer is on a separate circuit. Mine never stopped working. Where I was going to go next is the relay on the back of that fuse panel that controls the rear wiper. My thought was that by swapping the fuses the panel had flexed enough to free up the relay. That is where I would go next. Sorry I can't help directly since my rear wiper still works there is no reason for me to try to get in there.