I have a 1999 5 door Punto. The front windscreen wiper is not working at all. Everything else is working fine.
I've taken the wipers off just in case they had siezed up and still not joy. One thing that I noticed is that the wiper motor is pretty hot to the touch even when the engine is switched off.
I've swapped fuses in and out to see if that is the problem. It's not.
Can anyone better versed than me in these things tell me if the motor is a gonner or if there is anything else I can try to get this thing working? I'd rather, If I can, get it working rather than fork out fourty pounds plus for a reconditioned one on eBay.
Shouldn't get hot with engine off, unless motor can't turn shaft back to self parking position, so stays energised but not turning.
Most of the Fiat wiper motors are similar in principle. They can be dismantled if you have the patience, and a bit of electrical/mechanical ability. Or find one in a breakers yard. Commonest fault related to not turning, getting hot, smell of hot insulation, is water ingress down the wiper drive shaft. This is of plain steel running in a zinc diecast tube, add water, instant corrosion and shaft binds up. The O-ring should stop this, but eventually they wear. You take the wiper off, remove the gearbox cover, then a few circlips, after which you can remove the compound motion arms, and with these out of the way get to grips (on occasions mole grips) with the end of the wiper shaft. There should be a wire circlip and O-ring at the blade outboard end. Work with penetrating oil until it frees up and can be pulled out. Clean shaft with fine wet/dry paper, re-lubricate Silicone Grease seems ok. Clean inside of diecast tube with kitchen roll, and brake cleaner pushed through with a fine electrical screwdriver. Re-assemble (you remembered how the compound linkage went together???) and renew 0-ring. Those with digital cameras can take a picture to guide them.
Rarely is it seized up motor, motor is usually on two bolts, undo and just pull out the motor with its worm drive shaft. Motor best lubricated without removing the armature, otherwise the brushes come out of their boxes, and it's a pain in the butt to get everything back into place.
Finally motor dead as a Dodo, probably one of three wiper fingers not contacting the three slip rings that do the self-parking. Usually you can just remove the plastic box, clean the tracks of black dried up grease and oxidised gunge (aerosol brake cleaner, kitchen roll, on a pair of surgical seizers works well). Very "slightly" bend fingers for better contact and relubricate tracks (I use petrolium jelly (Vasaline in the UK). Don't overbend the fingers or you will get rapid wear, and you can't buy new finger assemblies. But before you start make sure it's not a simple electrical fault, and not the slip ring contacts.
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