Front wipers not responding

[J_C]

That's what I would try next but is it guaranteed to work? I would sooner try to find one at a local junkyard with a good return policy if damaged, drive the Explorer there and swap it on the spot in the parking lot.

 

[J_C]

Of course you could also open yours and see if there is any damage visible. Sometimes with circuit board damage you get lucky and it's just a cracked solder joint or 5 cent transistor, resistor, 50 cent capacitor, etc.

 

[rasouth]

Thanks for the input. I might try opening it up. It's been too hot here in So Cal (112 on Thursday and over 100 the next few days) to go out and find another one right now.

 

[rasouth]

Just got around to replacing the GEM and no luck. The same problem; no wipers or washer. I did notice with the old GEM the one-touch drivers window down didn't work properly. Window would go down 4-5 inches and stop. Hit the button again... another 4-5 inches.. and so on. The newer GEM does the same thing. (No place locally had the correct GEM so I had to buy online.)
I am at the end of my frustration limit on what else it could be. Motor works, relays seem to work, wiring seems okay, switch is new and tested to work, fuses are good, a different GEM...

 

[J_C]

Was the replacement GEM new or used? If used I wonder if it's available because someone had the same fault, replaced theirs then sold their bad GEM.

It sure seems like we've already established that the wipers themselves work but for the GEM not energizing the relay (shorting Wiper Hi-Lo pin #2 to ground to energize it). To me that suggests it has to be the switch itself, GEM, relay, or wire/connectors in between. You can use that diagram I posted to check for power all along the circuit, from battery to wiper motor, then focus on the part immediately before the point where power is lost.

If you were to again jumper the Wiper Run pin 2 to ground as I described in post # 16, then you can manually jumper the Hi-Low relay pin 2 (at the wire, with the relay still in) to ground to rule out that relay (if wipers come on, relay is good), or swap it to another relay position again to check that way again.

Next you could remove that Wiper Hi-Low jumper (but not the Wiper Run jumper) and manually jumper GEM pin 22 Pink/Yellow to GEM pin 21 gray/red, which takes the switch out of the circuit and wipers should be working on hi mode, unless the GEM or relay is bad but above you tested the relay. That would leave the GEM or the wiring or connectors to it.

Next I would look into whether the GEM can be non-destructively opened and inspected. I mean your old one.

 

[rasouth]

The GEM was from a wreckage yard and it came with the metal backing plate so I assume it was not a replacement, just removed from a non-driveable vehicle.
I will try your suggestions. I already tested pink/yellow wire from switch to GEM and got a good continuity. Retried jumping yellow/white and gray/lt blue and motor turned. I'm guessing it is not the ground because when jumping the motor works.
Same problem with drivers one-touch window button.

 

[J_C]

Keep in mind that worst case scenario is you could rig the wipers to work in high and low without the gem and window without one-touch down. That is, unless there is some other possible fault that I'm not seeing but we already established that the wipers work.

If you wanted to do that, you would need to add a switch to connect Wiper Run Relay #2 to ground. I mean dash or panel mounted that you always use to turn wipers on.

Then you have low speed as you already observed. To gain high speed with the existing switch, you'd run a wire from Wiper Hi-Low pin 2, directly to switch pin 685 pink/yellow wire, and then wire switch 993 gray/red to ground. However I don't know if this would prevent the washer switch from working, nor do I recall you mentioning if it still does. My best guess is it would still work, but I would proceed with a temporary jumper to test it all before permanently cutting and splicing wires. It would result in low speed by flipping the added switch while the original switch was off. Then turning the original switch on, at some point along its travel close to high and at high setting, it would turn the wipers on high.

Similarly you can just wire the window without the gem. I vaguely recall that I've either posted about this or at least read about it in a topic in (probably, lol) this forum. Sorry I can't be more specific but I'll look into it more if you decide you want to do this instead of getting the GEM working for one-touch down and wiper delay features.

 

[rasouth]

After all this testing and retesting and purchasing a switch and another GEM and then more testing, a friend of mine, who has a son that works for Ford as a technician, simple told me "The circuit board inside the wiper motor is probably fried." He said that a motor will run when bench tested or shorted out as explained in previous posts but will not except input from multi-function switch. It makes since considering all the testing and checking of different components.
He said Ford would charge about $125 to check out the system to confirm problem but considering everything you suggested that I try I don't see a need to let them check it, but then again "what if it is not the motor?"
Any input on this idea? I 'm at the end of my rope when it comes to the wipers. I was hoping to get away with a quick and inexpensive fix.

 

[J_C]

I do not see any facility for changing function in the wiper motor itself (from a circuit board in it) based on my diagram. I don't dismiss the possibility that the diagram is wrong, for an earlier version of Ford's implementation, but it seems doubtful with yours being a '96. I'd sooner assume that if yours was a decade newer.

On the other hand, their diagram is not a proper schematic. I am only guessing what the vague "Run/Park" switch-like drawing inside the Wiper Motor box is in the diagram. What it looks like is a signal to the GEM that the wiper reached full travel so when it is in timed interval mode, that it waits to park the wiper to start the timed interval, but the diagram is incomplete, gives no indication of how that is actually achieved.

For this reason, I am suspect of the idea it is a circuit board within causing failure in all modes, rather that if it only didn't work in interval delayed mode, but I don't rule it out since the diagram is incomplete. I wish I could give you a definitive answer but I can only tell you that he "could" be right about something internal to that switch in the wiper motor assembly, but it is probably incorrect that it has anything to do with input from the multi-function switch as that is handled by the GEM.

You might try shorting wiper motor pin 2 and 1 (red & black 1 (not black 3)) together to see if that makes it run (with wiper switch turned on to low or hi). If that does then I would suspect the motor itself, but I could be wrong about that since the diagram is incomplete.

 

[rasouth]

Come to think of it, the guy was a little hesitant to call it a circuit board. I was trying to grasp at what he was explaining and how the motor worked within the system. I am to the point where I am going to take a break from the wipers for a while. I don't use the car all that much except for running around town. I have another car if it rains and that does not happen too much in SoCal. I appreciate all the help and information you provided and I still might try what you suggested in the last post before I take a break. I will post back as soon as something comes up.

 

[Tripe46]

Hoping to bring this one back from the dead as I am having the same trouble with my 2001 ranger. I've checked the fuses relays and motor (all good) I was getting ready to replace the GEM, but am discouraged after reading through this thread. Did you ever get the wipers working? If so how?

 

[rasouth]

I haven't got the wipers working yet. I replaced the motor, multi-switch and tried another GEM with no luck. I thought I had it figured out when I started checking the wiring connections and found a broken connection in the wiring harness going into the GEM, and tried to fix it, but when I tried it no luck. I've been spending time replacing a head and dealing with oil leaks lately so I haven't spent too much time on wipers.

 

[Tripe46]

I figured it out. I first replaced the switch figuring that I had broken mine when I was installing a bunch of electronics. I had to diode isolate the factory door trigger wires for my keyless entry system (located in at the GEM). So after the switch didn't fix it I looked at the door trigger wires and realized that the passenger door trigger was not working, so I figured I would cut out the diodes, wire it back up the way it was from the factory and try again. After that, the wipers worked, but only at high speed and would not shut off until I unplugged the GEM. Figuring I had damaged the GEM I ordered another one. Then I thought "probably a long shot but I should try my old switch just in case the new one I bought was bad out of the box." Annnnnd it was. Wipers are working again and I don't need the door trigger wires.

In researching, I read a thread somewhere where someone mentioned that there are wiper switches that look identical but don't work in certain cars. So either I bought one of those, or it was DOA. Might want to try another switch on yours.

 

[J_C]

^ If the wipers aren't working at all, you can tell if the switch isn't working by jumpering the wires in the connector to it, Pink/Yellow wire jumpered to Gray/Red should put wipers in high mode.

 

[rasouth]

After buying another switch I tested it and the readings were right on the mark for what the book said and others on this sight said, so I don't think it was the switch. As of the keyless entry, I don't have it. I did ground out the pink w/ yellow wire going into the GEM, as someone suggested, and the wipers worked. It was at that point that I bought another GEM, which did not solve the problem.
With all new components and checking fuses, relays, I'm believing my problem is in the wiring connection somewhere.