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View Full Version : 1997 Monte Carlo wiper failure


jarhead88
Jun 29, 2009, 06:10 PM
I'm actually asking this question for my father-in-law so my knowledge of the problem is limited to what he tells me.

He has a 1997 Monte Carlo with a little over 100,000 miles on it. Pretty much every time it rains and he has the windshield wipers running for more than an hour, they just quit. He has to pull over, wait about 10-15 minutes and then they start working again. The time is pretty consistent, about an hour or hour and a half, they quit. Somebody told him they thought they used cold solder during that year so we're not sure if that is the problem. Are there any aftermarket relays that would work better or could it be the wiper moter itself.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

TxGreaseMonkey
Jun 29, 2009, 06:50 PM
I suspect there's a problem with the wiper motor assembly, which shouldn't be too hard to replace:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalog/parts/partsShelf.jsp?categoryDisplayName=Electrical+%26+ Lighting&fromType=parts&fromString=search&parentId=cat30065&currentPage=1&filterByKeyWord=wiper+motor&isSearchByPartNumber=false&navValue=15700104&categoryNValue=15799999&fromWhere=&itemId=prod61248&displayName=Wiper+Motor&searchText=wiper+motor

Be sure to clean all electrical connections and apply dielectric grease.

If there's a printed circuit board (PCB), such as for a wiper pulse delay module, you can try resoldering electrical joints. Cold joints usually develop when not enough solder was originally applied. With the PCB heating up and cooling down, cracks develop on solder joints, where components have been soldered to the board. Resoldering efforts are not always successful--the proper method is to desolder the joint and then resolder it, all of which is an art. For most people, replacing the component is easier and provides the greatest reliability.