I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck and for a while now my wipers haven't worked well on intermittent mode. When I have them on full blast they work fine but in intermittent they will slowly cross the windshield, sometimes even come to a complete stop part way, and then slowly return to their park position. I replaced the multi-function switch inside the vehicle and the symptoms are the same. Does anyone have an idea on what I need to do to resolve this issue?
1999 Dodge Ram 1500 wipers slow on intermittent
- Thread starter anonobomber
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How do they work on LOW speed but non-intermittent? If its the same on low but works on high, then my bet would be on the 'ballast' resistor that is switched in to slow the motor down on low speed (if its implemented that way- it used to be). If its implemented by a different winding arrangement in the motor, then the motor or connecttion for "low" speed could be bad.
On low it works just as bad as it does on intermittent. I'll check out the motor next.
Originally Posted By: anonobomber
On low it works just as bad as it does on intermittent. I'll check out the motor next.
Or look for an in-line resistor that gets switched in on low to slow the motor down. On the old (60/s70s) wiper motors, there was sometimes a ceramic resistor attached to the motor/reduction gear itself, though I see from web pictures that its not there on the motor for a Ram. I wonder if the Ram uses the PCM to regulate current on low speed? If there's a resistor anywhere, it may look a lot like an ignition ballast resistor. Here's a picture of the old style:
On low it works just as bad as it does on intermittent. I'll check out the motor next.
Or look for an in-line resistor that gets switched in on low to slow the motor down. On the old (60/s70s) wiper motors, there was sometimes a ceramic resistor attached to the motor/reduction gear itself, though I see from web pictures that its not there on the motor for a Ram. I wonder if the Ram uses the PCM to regulate current on low speed? If there's a resistor anywhere, it may look a lot like an ignition ballast resistor. Here's a picture of the old style:
Originally Posted By: AandPDan
There's no resistor. It uses different windings in the motor.
The CTM controls the delay function via a relay.
Check out the relay first. Probably under the hood in the PDC.
This. Not long after I bought my Dakota the intermittent wipers went haywire with similar symptoms. No matter what I had the delay set on, the wipers would wipe twice real fast then wait 20 seconds and wipe only once, then again within a few seconds, no real pattern to it, just wonky operation. High and low speed wipers worked fine. The CTM was bad. Carmax replaced it for me and all wiper functions have been fine ever since. It's hard to believe that was 10 years ago.
There's no resistor. It uses different windings in the motor.
The CTM controls the delay function via a relay.
Check out the relay first. Probably under the hood in the PDC.
This. Not long after I bought my Dakota the intermittent wipers went haywire with similar symptoms. No matter what I had the delay set on, the wipers would wipe twice real fast then wait 20 seconds and wipe only once, then again within a few seconds, no real pattern to it, just wonky operation. High and low speed wipers worked fine. The CTM was bad. Carmax replaced it for me and all wiper functions have been fine ever since. It's hard to believe that was 10 years ago.
Thanks for your help! I tore it apart this weekend and it's the second set of windings in the motor that are going bad. When the motor runs with nothing connected in low speed mode it is very jerky in the movement so I think the brushes for this second set of windings are going bad. The timer and relay function are all good according to my multimeter. Unfortunately, the replacement part I got was DOA so a replacement is on the way and then it will be fixed for good.
Originally Posted By: AandPDan
There's no resistor. It uses different windings in the motor.
Thanks for your help! This was it. I got a new wiper motor in a couple days ago and it has been working as good as new since!
There's no resistor. It uses different windings in the motor.
Thanks for your help! This was it. I got a new wiper motor in a couple days ago and it has been working as good as new since!
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