Do I Need a New Wiper Motor ?

Your description sounds more like the linkage between the motor and the arms has stripped or fallen off. You'll have to get in there and see.

Does it have a wiper motor controller? The switch on delay and low might need to have a certain resistance to be seen by the controller. The switch could still be bad. The controller may also be shot.

Now another issue would be linkage but I'm not sure that linkage would be the issue because they work on high, but something may be loose or just on it's way out so it high gives the motor enough juice to force it's way through. Another issue might be a loose motor. I once had a car where the wipers would just stop and if I pushed them they would work again. I found that the motor's mounting was loose and at that part of the sweep the motor's ground connection would be broken.

Thanks for the replies. I was all set to buy a new wiper motor, assuming wrongly that it would come with the pcb board attached. It turns out that the pcb is only available at junkyards, or from the dealer (new for $134) or maybe on eBay.

Now I am thinking of finding a place which will repair the pcb . Anyone know where I might get a pcb resoldered ??

Thanks :)

Try your local TV repair shop. It's not a big deal to do.

--scott

You can find these pulse PCB boards in a lot of places, on the internet and also at parts stores.. This is a known problem (and weakness) with GM of that era.

You may still have other problems. Since your wipers dont work anywhere, they just jerk around, you might well have some linkage issues.

Dont go overboard and buy a bunch of crap you dont need. Diagnose and repair. No need to throw money at a ghost problem.

HLS,

I have only found the pulse board for my 88 GTA at the dealer so far, after searching internet and calling parts stores. $134 from the dealer ! Where are all those cheap products from China when you need them, right ?

The internet has tons of pulse boards, but not for my 88 GTA.

On a happier note (ching)... I just lightly scraped off the contacts on the PCB board and other contacts on the cover, including the grounding contact, and replaced the motor cover onto the wiper motor, and fired it up. It works again, just like it did when I bought it ten years ago. i.e. I have delay, low, and high, and wash, but it won't go off even with the selector in the off position. If I shut the car off for about 15 minutes, they will stay off. Going to leave well enough alone until the next problem with them, then I might try to get the circuit board out, and resolder it here and there, or take it (the circuit board) to some repair shop.

Well, I found a lot of listings for them, but as you say, maybe they were not for your particular model. It surprises me a little, but you have looked into it deeper than I have.

It has happened to me personally on a couple of company cars, before I stopped buying GM.

I wish you luck./