Rear Wiper Will Not Shut Off | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Rear Wiper Will Not Shut Off

Tshark299

Well-Known Member
Joined
October 29, 2004
Messages
118
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City, State
Upstate NY
Year, Model & Trim Level
'93 XLT
... Even after shutting the switch off. I unplugged the switch completely and it still keeps running. Is there a relay somewhere for the rear wiper that could have gotten stuck? If so, where is it located? I searched for this problem but could not find any conclusive solutions, so help would be appreciated!
 



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The rear wipers on these have been a huge problem. Mine sometimes works, other times doesn't. A lot of times it will go one way across the window, but not return it's self untill I shut off the engine and then restart.

I would pull the plastic off the inside of hatch, and disconnect the wires from the motor it's self. You might be able to pull a fuse, but there could be other things on that same circut. Either way, I have never seen a 91-94 explorer with a fully functional rear wiper. I would disconnect the wires and pretend the wiper isn't there anymore.
 






My rear wiper functions work fine, never had an issue other than the wiper arm missing for two years until I found a replacement with the right size mount.

Attached is a wiring diagram for 93-94 that may help you troubleshoot.

EDIT: I don't see a relay; unless your wiper switch has a sticking contact/short, perhaps there is a fault in the wiper module? Looks like the module gets power whether the switch is on or not, so assuming the wiper runs when you have the key to START/RUN, the module may be at fault. I would first pull the switch and check continuities to see that it's working, if that's not the problem then look at the wiper motor's solid state module. I believe that motopsycho's problem can be traced to a bad module or motor position sensor for sure.
 

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Ok, some more information...

I pulled fuse 17 and the motor did not quit. In fact, I pulled all the fuses from the inside block and the wiper kept running... The only fuse that was able to kill it was the 60A Ignition fuse under the hood, but of course then half the power on the truck went with it.

I tested my switch with a continuity tester and it's good... which I figured wasn't the problem when the wiper kept running after completely removing the switch.

I tried opening both the glass and entire liftgate to see if that door switch would stop it... it kept running.

So short of disconnecting the battery there still doesn't seem to be a way to kill this thing! Ironically I have 174K miles on this truck and this is the first time I've ever had a problem with the rear wiper... I guess now it's making up for it!

Next step is to pull the inner panel off the liftgate and probe around in there. I report back with what I find, and if anyone else has any ideas let me know!
 






I would say you have a serious short. I wonder if the motor it's self might have shorted.

According to that diagram, (which is a generic ford diagram out of a haynes or chilton manual), the # 17 fuse should be the only power source to the motor. I would double check that fuse number with your owners manual, haynes & chilton have been wrong before. Somehow you are getting power from somewhere else.
 






I never had problems with mine on my 92, it always turned on and off fine, but sometimes, it would go about 3" farther than what it normally goes, and then STOP. I would either have to go hit it, or wait til I hit a bump or something, even if I turned the switch off or anything
 






My '92 had a bad rear wiper motor, my '94 is the same. My friend has a '93 that acts the same. 50% of the time the wiper does nothing, the other 50% of the time it gets stuck and won't return. IMOP, if you haven't had issues with the rear wiper, you are very lucky.
 






Haha someone can come trade my 92s rear wiper it's just parked anyways lol
 






So I've got voltage at all the right times coming out of the wiring harness connector that plugs into the motor. The red wire has juice whenever the key is in On or Accessory, the white wire is hot when the switch is on, as long as the rear glass is closed.

So I plugged the motor back in and it still just runs and runs no matter what. It seems like the control module on the motor has lost its mind, and is running the motor whenever it sees voltage on the red wire, regardless of the white wire's status.

I ordered a new motor, should be in tomorrow... I'm predicting it will solve my problem... hopefully...
 






Either way, I have never seen a 91-94 explorer with a fully functional rear wiper. I would disconnect the wires and pretend the wiper isn't there anymore.

I got four first gens and all thier rear wipers work fine. I guess i'm in for a hurtin' real soon! :shifty_ey
 






I would say you have a serious short. I wonder if the motor it's self might have shorted.

According to that diagram, (which is a generic ford diagram out of a haynes or chilton manual), the # 17 fuse should be the only power source to the motor. I would double check that fuse number with your owners manual, haynes & chilton have been wrong before. Somehow you are getting power from somewhere else.

It's not a short... it's a bad module. And that diagram is from the Ford Dealer Service Manual for 93-94 Explorer, so 91-92 may be different. I don't trust Chiltons/Hanes. The reason pulling the 60A Ignition fuse kills the motor is because as seen in the diagram it gets power at the module on start/run (ignition circuit).
 






I have a 1994 Navajo with over 374K on it. The wiper motor wrecked when I was picking up my boat and almost fell. I grabbed the wiper blade and messed up the motor gear. I can turn it on and the motor makes a sound. If I manually raised the blade toa certain position, the blade will go through it's motion, but gravity is needed to return it to it's resting place. Can the interior gear be switched? I think I have broken a few of the teeth off this gear, and since it never completes a revolution, perhaps the gear can be swapped out 180 degrees in hopes of using the part of the gear that is not wrecked. This sounds feasable, but has anyone actually gotten into the motor to see?
Please help, ANYONE..Thanks.
 






If it's anything like the electronic transfer case shift motor, there is a circuit on the gear for the sensor that tells the control unit where the motor is. You'll need to just replace the gear. It should be a cheap fix if you get a replacement gear out of a junkyard Explorer/Navajo. Parts stores likely will only sell the whole motor assembly.
 






If it's anything like the electronic transfer case shift motor, there is a circuit on the gear for the sensor that tells the control unit where the motor is.

That's exactly how it works.

You'll need to just replace the gear. It should be a cheap fix if you get a replacement gear out of a junkyard Explorer/Navajo. Parts stores likely will only sell the whole motor assembly.

I would just swap the whole unit with the one from the junkyard, rather than replace just the gear. Parts stores only sell the whole unit... only the Advance near me had one... sorta... They shipped the only one they had to my store in NY from eastern Mass. It was identical to mine except that its output splines were massive compared to mine. Mine was about 5/8" in diameter, whereas the new one is at least 1"... not even close, so that was a no go.

What I did instead was buy a used one that also happened to have the larger output, but I just swapped its good module in to my motor that has the smaller splines. Problem solved! The weather has been brutal here recently with the wind and snow... you don't know how nice it is to have a rear wiper until it stops working!
 






It was identical to mine except that its output splines were massive compared to mine. Mine was about 5/8" in diameter, whereas the new one is at least 1"... not even close, so that was a no go.

Yup, mine has that larger spline and didn't come with an arm, I was looking for a used one for a couple years! The 1" spline seems to be much less common. I think two Explorers out of maybe 50 I have seen had the larger size spline.

Glad to hear you got your wiper working! Some good info in this thread now for those who have the problem in future :thumbsup:
 






Definitely good info on this thread... I drive a 94 XLT and have the same issue; other day the rear wiper refused to stop moving. Pulling fuse (one indicated in the owners manual)stopped the wiper but also the heater fan and directionals! Put the fuse back in and the wiper remained still. Figured I'd leave well enough alone and just not use it, about a hour later (after a bunch of quick errands, starting/stopping the truck several times) wiper just started up again on its own! Haha... I posted about it again and someone suggested simply slamming the tailgate/hatch a couple times.... it seems to have worked! Fingers crossed it stays put, I will just not use it for the time being I guess and let sleeping wipers lie.... if it starts again I will disconnect it under the hatch cover until get around to replacing it altogether I guess
 






Most wipers have an 'always hot' circuit that allows it to return to the park position after being turned off. Some (certain forklifts, for example) circuits even bypass the ignition switch so will continue to park even after the engine is turned off. If the internal contact or switch gets out of adjustment, the wiper will not turn off. One solution to a 'won't turn off' would, therefore, be to disconnect the always hot wire. The wiper would operate with the switch, but would not self-park.
Our '92 and our '94 have each occasionally experienced the rear wiper 'failure to park' problem. Somewhere in this forum I read that it was caused by grease on the internal park contact. I make it a habit to exercise the rear wiper (and the washer) at least weekly which seems to help keep it operating properly.
 






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