Quick Tips on Front Wiper Replacement?

[JamesDZ]

So the 20A fuse on my 1998 4Runner keeps blowing after I turn the wipers off. They run fine when I replace the fuse, until I turn them off and poof, the fuse blows.

I suspect this is the park circuit on the wiper motor. It's the original wiper motor and I'm 324,000 miles in, so it's a good idea to swap it out anyhow.

A few questions:

1 - Should I change the linkage at the same time?

2 - Could this potentially be a stalk/switch issue?

Any other tips or tricks? Hopefully it's just a motor replacement, it looks easy enough. Thanks in advance!

 

[brillo_76]

Man, I have only seen one motor die on my 3rd gens. It was abused though before I got it. All good questions. What would do is check out the wiper linkage.. if all still tight no loose joints. I just leave it. If loose replace the linkage. Pull a wiring diagram up for the wiper circuit and apply the 12 volts to the motor on the correct pins. if everything works great, it lets you know its the stalk. Being she blowing fuses. I would suspect your wiper motor is dead shorted though... :-(

 

[JamesDZ]

Thanks for the reply, I realize I left out a critical word in my topic. Wiper MOTOR replacement! Sheesh.

Yes, it seems in fact to be a dead motor at 324,000 miles. Or at least dead enough to draw high voltage and blow the fuse.

I got the new motor and tested it, and the fuse does not blow. The linkage cleaned up ok and seems smooth. The only bugaboo is I forgot to save the wiper motor bushings, and the new one didn't come with them (doh!) I will pick some up tomorrow, and hope the linkage sets correctly. I ran the motor to the PARK position and I have my wiper blades set down, so if the shaft mounts to the linkage ok, I'll be a very happy man.