I am attempting to diagnose my non-working wipers by testing the switch directly.

So far I have removed the steering wheel and removed the 4 screws inside. The stuff in the column is 'loose' now, but I can't actually remove anything, only pull it out by about 1/2" or so. Is there a trick? I am afraid of breaking something if I pull too hard.

[quote name='mobymutt' date='May 12 2014, 03:14 PM' post='2036594']
I am attempting to diagnose my non-working wipers by testing the switch directly.

So far I have removed the steering wheel and removed the 4 screws inside. The stuff in the column is 'loose' now, but I can't actually remove anything, only pull it out by about 1/2" or so. Is there a trick? I am afraid of breaking something if I pull too hard.
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there is a plug that switch plugs into that needs to be removed under dash.usually you have to take the panel under dash off,but you can try to get underneath and look up,there is enough room to stick your fingers in to help unplug it.easier with dash panel removed,but it can be tricky to get all the screws back in

Remove the knee pad and unplug the two white plastic plugs

Have you disconnected the wires, and the windshield washer hose from the switch?
The two switches, wiper and turn signals, come out as a unit, and can be a little tough to wiggle out of the column.

Unplug the wires, thanks, I'll give it a go! For some reason I was imagining that there was enough slack in the wiring to just pull everything out while still connected.

Well, I guess I should have had a closer look around before I wired in the washer to the toggle switch on the fuse panel. Turns out there's a pushbutton switch under the kneepad on the right side of the steering wheel.

Is it normal for the washer tubing to be connected to the wiper switch, even with an electric pump? If so, why?

The washer spray isn't powered by a pump. There is a hose that takes air pressure from the spare tire and pushes it through a valve in the wiper lever.

Some install an electric pump to avoid the leaks that appear under the dash.

Mine has the electric pump add-on. It wasn't working, and I just rewired it to a disconnected toggle switch on the fuse panel (not realizing there was a pushbutton switch elsewhere).

With this setup then, it sounds like you are saying that the washer hose should no longer be connected to the wiper lever?

You could probably leave it but I don't see why you would. Avoid the risk of leaking on the electrics in there.

So I have the wiper switch out now. It does seem to have three positions, although they are not smooth at all, and I can't always get it into all three positions without a lot of messing around.

For testing, which wires should be connected in the three positions? I see a black, green, black/white, and black yellow.

Anybody? I can't seem to get continuity across any of the wires, no matter which position the wiper lever is in, so I'm thinking the switch is toast, and it doesn't look repairable to me.

Do you have a wiring diagram? You will need one to figure out what wires should have continuity in each position.
If it does not easily go into all three positions then it probably is broken.
I should have a good used one. What year is the car?

I have the wiring 'flow' diagram from the Pelican website, but I don't totally understand it. I will have to do some more studying!

The car is a 1974, 1.8L

Be aware that the wiring colour changes at the plug, and it may not be shown in the wiring diagram. It can cause a lot of confusion if you've got the switch removed and you're trying to trace things.

Ok, at some point I will need a new wiper switch. In the meantime, I would just like to wire in the wiper to the existing toggle switch that the previous owner mounted on the fusebox.

Do the wiper wires run near the fusebox (I couldn't see them there when I looked today)? Or do I need to cut them at the connector in the steering column, and then feed new wires back to toggle switch?

Don't screw around trying to wire in something. You make a wiring mistake and it could be expensive. Don't drive the car in the rain until a new switch comes in. Price should be reasonable.

I used the testing procedure in tech tips 700 to determine that I have a bad switch. I think we just hooked into the slow wiper speed wire on one side of the toggle switch and a spade on the fuse panel with switched power for the other side, but it's been a few years since I did it. It still works.