'96 850 wagon - rear wiper stuck?!

The rear wiper on my '96 850 wagon no longer moves.

I checked the fuse and it is fine. I thought it might be the wiper stalk, but I can still use it to control the front wipers. If I press the rear window wash, fluid flows, but the rear wiper doesn't move.

Does this mean the wiper motor is gone? How hard and expensive is this to fix?

Is there any other possible cause for this?

Reply to
Atif I. Chaudhry
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It could be the motor that's the problem, but it's also possible that there is a loose connection between the motor and the wiring, or a broken wire - sometimes the wire breaks where it passes from the body to the rear door (near the roof hinge on my V70, which is very similar to the 850) Considering that that part of the wiring harness gets bent every time you open and close the tailgate, it's surprising the wiring doesn't fail more often.

So check the wiring and connections first. If they are OK, and it does turn out to be the motor, it isn't that hard to replace, but buying a new part is quite expensive. (I live in the UK, and ALL Volvo parts are expensive!). As the rear wiper motor is not safety critical, I'd try to pick one up secondhand on E-Bay first for a car that's nearly ten years old.

Hope this helps

Bill

Reply to
Bill

Common to all Volvos are seized pivots, both front and rear. This is really bad if the wiper is not in the parked position because the motor will be trying to park the wiper all the time the car is on, whether the wiper is switched on or not. If you try to move the wiper arm back and forth a little, the seizing is obvious if you can directly compare it to a good one.

Reply to
Mike F

Talked to the local Volvo mechanic and said that it is most likely that the motor seized.

He claimed that it would take about 1 hour to fix and involves removing the rear inside panel of the door. He quoted me $60 and said I could make an appointment and wait while they do it, or I could just wait until I am bringing it in for its next service/oil change.

Is it really bad if the rear wiper isn't in the parked position? Should I manually force back to the park position? (It is almost there now)

Can I fix it myself and save the $60?

Thanks for all the > "Atif I. Chaudhry" wrote:

Reply to
Atif I. Chaudhry

You may have solved the problem. It may have stopped in a position where it won't restart. Maybe GENTLY nudging it back and forth when it is "on" will help it make contact and start up again. It is a long shot, but they do have a dead spot sometimes. It could be dirt on the contacts or a crack in the metal.

Reply to
Stephen Henning

If the rear wiper isn't in the parked position, then the motor will be stalled, which is a good way to burn it out. So not only will you need a new pivot, you'll need a new motor too. Some motors subject to this seem to have no trouble after this happens, some are dead, and some quit a couple of days later. The ones that quit shortly after a new pivot has been installed makes for great customer relations!

Reply to
Mike F

I turned on the rear wiper and then gave it a gentle nudge and sure enough with a little "help" it works.

I then set it to the interval setting, helped it get back to the start position, and ran back and turned off the rear wiper. This should leave it in the parked position, right? To protect the motor from burning out?

Reply to
Atif I. Chaudhry

Yes, now the motor is not powered, so won't suffer any (more) damage.

Reply to
Mike F

Hello Atif:

As I recall you live in my area, Central NY.

That's a good sign and indicates that the rear wiper motor is still OK. Most likely problem is that the pinion shaft is getting "stiff" due to water intrusion and lack of lubrication. Removing the control arm assembly and dosing it liberally with PB Blaster or a similar product and then working it back and forth by hand should solve the problem.

Leave it turned off and you should be OK--but be sure not to accidentally turn it on. New rear wiper motors are over $200 and are a dealer item only.

Ahhh..I can say with certainty is was not anyone at Alan Byer Volvo who told you that--but have a good idea who did.

$60 for what he says takes one hour? THat may be what a flat rate book says for this task, but now I know who the shop in question is and I have ZERO confidence in his skills.

In the Syracuse area there are only one or two guys who are true Volvo specialists. One worked for the local dealer for years; the other worked for Volvo in Sweden and is superb but basically retired now.

Keep ijn mind that any COMPETENT shop can do nearly all the service on your vehicle, but for some things the dealer is the shop of choice.

Don't force it, just leave it where it is for now.

Yes, it's a REALLY easy fix and I'll be happy to help you and show you how to do it if you have an hour and are not too far from Dewitt NY.

I have all tools required and the job at hand actually takes about 15 minutes if one has to replace the wiper motor but should take less on your car. I only ask you to set aside and hour as we will do it slowly and I'll explain it to you step by step.

No charge involved; I simply like meeting other local Volvo owners who wish to learn more about taking care of their cars.

I'm located less than ten minutes from Shoppingtown Mall, in the Woodchuck Hill Road area.

My email address is: snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net

Remove the "nospam" part of the address to contact me and I'll give you my phone number when you mail me.

Atif, please note that I'll not be able to do it this weekend as I'll be at my place in Old Forge and then out of town until Friday afternoon June 25th.

Only true if power goes to the motor.

So not only will you need

Wiper control assembly and pivot runs about $110 at the dealer and is generally a dealer only item, but IMHO if the wiper has not been run with a stiff or frozen pivot things should be OK

Regards,

Doc

Reply to
doc

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