[Fallout3]

56 reg vector sport,windscreen wipers when you use windscreen wash either just park in middle of screen straight away or work and then park in middle of screen.Intermittently does this when on auto.Work fine on low/high speed.

Everything worked fine until overtaking a lorry in heavy rain and suddenly wipers slowed right down and started working properly great when overtaking and you cant see a thing

Any ideas cheers

 

[jezz1]

The copper earth wire in the wiper motor has broken. The easiest thing to do is to replace the whole wiper mechanism. If you want to try repairing it, to save money, then have a read of this "How to" over on Vectra-C.com : http://www.vectra-c.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90019 (you'll need to register before you can acces it).

 

[tech69]

I would check if the 12mm nut securing the linkage to the motor is tight first. The nut comes loose, your motor turns but looses traction with the linkage so your wiper seem to stop. If it catches traction again then your wiper arms will be out of alignment and park elsewhere.

Well worth a go before spending your £££. Failing this, it may well be your wiper motor.


Remove your wiper arms and scuttle trim, WD40 is good if arms are tight, Slacken off the 12mm nut and lift off the linkage arm (part held down by the nut), spray your windscreen washers and allow the motor to finish its cycle, switch off ignition, manually park your wiper arms by hand, refit the 12mm. It may take a few attempts to get the linkage arm in the correct position in order for the arms to travel in the right direction. Theres a bit of a science behind it. You'll get the hang of it.


Tech.

 

[Fallout3]

Thanks for the replies! ihave checked linkages/motor nut etc all ok and tight so it sounds like the motor.Any idea where to get one and price

Thanks for the help

 

[Fallout3]

The wipers got worse,first i lost screen washers, then auto stopped working completely,wipers started parking all the time in the middle or top of screen then started stuggling until they gave up the ghost.

First found was 2 blown fuses,replaced and blew again.Completely removed panel at bottom of windscreen to reveal wiper linkages had chaffed the wiring loom to wiper motor even tho it was secured properly(looked like a design fault to me worth you having a quick peep if you can to check yours)Great i thought,so i soldered and shrink wrapped the 3 chaffed wires(one had completely worn through the copper cable inside)and tried the wipers again.The motor stuggled to work and would park where ever you turned the wipers off.

I removed the motor and water started to come out of the drain holes of the motor!Stripped motor to find that there was a sort of micro switch which the arm type part had come off and was now looking a bit mangled.

Using http://www.carpartsconnexion.com/defaultsaab.asp i found a wipermotor at £65 inc vat and postage but when i told my local saab garage this they as good as matched the price.Funny thing every saab dealer had one in stock!!!!!!!!.
Luckly i was told that in 2006 they changed design of mechanisn and all that was required was the motor and not the complete assembly (linkages) .Thanks to my local saab garage for there help.

Fitted the motor,re routed the loom and all worked well.I believe the wiring issue was a fluke and the problem was with the motor all along .

Hope this helps anyone

Cheers
part no is GM 12757153

 

[DADDY2k]

Hello all this is my first post on here, I joined the forum basically to say thanks to the people on here , my wife's 2005 93 convertible developed the exact same washer / wiper park position fault as described above and after reading your posts it allowed me to locate the fault so much quicker the fluffing around in the dark. I took some pictures of the actual defect and repair to help any one in the same position in the future. I am not sure if I can attach pics to this thread if I do not succeed perhaps someone can tell me how to and I will post the pics.

 

[DADDY2k]

These are the rest of the pictures I took of the repair The pics are not perfect as I used my phone but you can make out the corroded copper earth lug this is the source of your problems. It would be easier to clean up the copper lug with some 800 grade emery paper at this point and reassemble, but as its a common fault lets do it right this time. I do away with the need for this earth lug and solder a black wire directly to the micro switch. this is then taken out via a hole I drill in the plastic gearbox housing which I later seal with some silicon. I terminate the 2.5 cable with a ring terminal and mount to the wiper mechanism make sure this gets a good ground not on the rubber shock absorber side. I tried to post this during the summer but was unable to , well better late than never I hope this helps someone on here.

The reader assumes all responsibility for any alterations and modifications made to their cars. As the author of this DIY thread I am not liable for any damage to your car (or yourself) as a result of poorly documented instructions. This thread is for informational purposes only and should not be followed by people who are inexperienced when it comes to working on their cars. If you are not sure you know what you are doing, consult a qualified Saab.

 

[diveo]

Hi there,
I've had the non parking wiper syndrome on my 9-3 sportwagon. I checked out your own posting and the link above to the vectra site and followed through the instructions.The inside of the wipermotor seemed to be intact, and on my car (Feb07 reg), the wiper motor terminals are covered by a clear plastic cover, so were not corroded.What I did find was that on the harness (input side of the connector plug), that both the white and yellow wires were pretty well chopped through. The ends were dirty, and not freshly cut copper. I soldered the ends of each back together, wrapped them in insulating tape and replaced the motor assembly, trim panels and wipers,only to find that the problem is still there. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

cheers

 

[goldmember]

thanks daddy2k,i fixed my motor in about an hour saving myself £155+vat from saab,nice one.

 

[Stevo-360]

My wiper motor was having the same issue on 2004 9-3. My wipers wouldn't park my washer jets wouldn't spray. I followed the advice of daddy2k and its all fixed perfectly so thanks for that! The brass strip had accumulated dirt over the years and eventually broke the connection. Also in the rubber molding on the outside of the cover the wire is connected to a resistor which was half corroded. I chose not to add another earth lead but cleaned and sealed the existing connection which will stop the problem returning again but either way works.

What I Did:
1- Take out the wiper motor mechanism completely
2- Drill out the rivets with a 2.5 mm drill in preparation for tapping holes M3 on reassembly and also to allow you to pop off the plastic cover.
3- I chose to use a fine grade of emery paper to get rid of the dirt and to make a decent connection on the brass strip which loops around one of the bolt holes on the inside of the cover (top left of the internal switch).
4- on the outside of the plastic case I use a sharp knife to cut out the rubber molding. check the resistor as mine was corroded. i soldered a new 75 ohm resistor to the brown wire as a replacement. and filled the channel with silicone to seal.
5- I filed flat the rivet ends on the cast body and tap each hole to M3. there are a couple of blind holes so make sure they are tapped deep enough for the screws you will install and make sure you cover the internals when filing so they are not covered in metal shards when filing. make sure the connection point for the earth is clean.
6- use methylated spirit to clean the earth connection points and then fit the cover. I used M3 x 10mm pan head screws but you can use what you feel fit its only holding a cover on so it doesn't need to be to extreme. I also thread locking glue to ensure the screws are secure and tightened down.
7- I used a small bead of silicone sealant around the cover where it connects to the cast body. This should ensure it doesn't let in any dirt ever again! for some reason the seal SAAB provide runs behind this bolt hole which is the source of this problem.
8- refit to the car and you should have your wipers and washers back to normal.

Again thanks to Daddy2k for his post it saved me £150. If anybody else has the same problem and needs help fixing it please get in touch.


Thanks!