wipers

[B@fink]

My wipers seem to have taken a turn for the crazy. Last time i used them they worked just like they should, but then after i washed the car (possibly a red herring) they have gone slightly loopy. The first time i used them i was just "flick" wiping the condensation in the morning and they wipe and then jump up an inch! So i tried them at slow speed and then turned to off and the same and then full speed, the same and then intermittant.......you guessed it.....They still wipe and then do a little more just for no reason! Is this a typical sign of wipers on the way out or are they just getting giddy after having a bath?!? I would think they have a stop switch in them but i'm not pulling it to bits if i don't have to.....anyone seen this before?! :(

[PsYcHe]

Try a vigorous spraying of WD40 in the mechanism and see if it behaves better.

But it's usually a sign of impending failure... It's just a matter of when usually.

[B@fink]

begining to thing this might be electrical............having washed the windows the wipers just kept on trucking today........ swiping away happy as clams, had to turn them to on, then to off for them to stop. Looks like a stop switch thats thrown a wobbler. Anyone had the gubbins to bits before? or am i going into this one solo?

[entwisi]

If the mechanism has slipped a bit on the splines it does exactly this. When I had to refit mine I got it slightly wrong and it did exactly this. It took a couple of goes to get it right but it was fine after that.

[B@fink]

hmmmmmmmm interesting. They haven't been taken off, but it might be worth a poke at adjusting them i suppose. Just strange it's "happened". Is it the splines to the motor or the arm linkages you tweaked?

[entwisi]

The motor splines connect to a bar that then pushes the actual linkage. on mine it was the position of this connecting bar that needed adjustment.

Hope this helps a little

[IT]

The wipers are a common failure on the A8, A8parts have a waiting list during winter for them +++

Slow, irratic running is common, and wd40 etc often breathes some extra life into it, but ultimately it seems to be the motor that fails....

[B@fink]

but they run just fine...no judder, no slowness....they just keep going when i politely request them to stop......they either cycle a bit further than they should or ignore the stop entirely! a flick wipe or wash will make them keep running like i had them on normal wipe! occasionally they hesitate at the stop position but seem to have enough forward momentum to sneak past the stop switch and away they go again! Switching them back to normal wipe and then off and they get the message, but when stopped carry an inch extra "up" from normal rest. Looks like i'm going to have to dust off my spanner........poop.

[B@fink]

so i've had a nosey....yep............electrical issue. The multi plug was green which isn't good, and the contacts inside the motor were all corroded. Having given them a nice clean it works like a good un! Yay!. Ahhhhh but now the bad news.......looks like the passenger side spindle is heading the way of the dodo.....seems to have quite a bit of play in it compared to the drivers side. I've given it a bit of grease as best i can...not a lot of access and i'll see about getting a bit as soon as. But they now obey my command. On when i say..and most importantly (and the bit where they were doing what they damn well liked) off when i say.