Front wiper self park problem

[gb0wers]

Hello
The front wiper on my 1995 300TDI Disco is misbehaving slightly. It wipes fine but doesn't like to self park, and usually ends up staggering to a halt somewhere in the middle of the screen and then needs "help" by pushing the control stalk down to move it somewhere near to the park position, it then self parks.
I'm aware that there is some sort of switch on the motor that is probably dirty and/or worn and I just wondered if anybody had repaired their motor for this problem before I dive in.
I used the search and the only similar issue fixed it's self - a miracle :-))
Oh, and will this be an MOT fail please?
Cheers
Graham

[beattiedh]

Hi

I have the same issue and when it occurs I tend to go through all the positions of the wiper including pulling towards you to do the "one pass"

This seems to clear up the switch in the stalk and voila.

thanks

Duncan

[MuddyMike]

I have solved this problem by cleaning up the earth connections on the wiper motor on other vehicles.

Mike

[Leigh]

It would be an mot fail as it happened on my 110 but that was just a case of tightening. The wiper used to stop where ever it wanted!

[Mudlark]

If it's electric related, and I've usually found that it is, take the plate off the gearbox of the wiper, it normally has the wires attached to it.

You'll see a number of sprung contacts on the back  of the plate either 2 or 3 degrease and clean them up; also on the plastic gear you'll see some circular tracks they need degreasing as well especially the gaps in them, clean the track with very fine wet & dry give it all a smear of vasaline then put it all together.

Hopefully it should work properly :lol:  :lol:

[gb0wers]

Thanks for the replies guys.
The symptoms point strongly to wear/ dirt in the self park switch in the motor.

I can manipulate the control stalk to *make* it park so it's only an inconvenience, and if it's not an MOT fail, then I don't have a hard deadline.

Mudlark, have you done this job specifically on the wiper motor on a 300TDI Disco please. If it's fixable then I can fix it, but I'm trying to avoid pulling the motor off only to find it's crimped together in a way that makes repair unfeasible as the prospect of boxing it up again un-fixed doesn't appeal.

Cheers
Graham

[Range Rover Blues]

If j j jiggling the switch is what it takes to make it park it coould also be the switch as the self=park circuit is often switched off when the wipers are 'on'

[gb0wers]

If j j jiggling the switch is what it takes to make it park it coould also be the switch as the self=park circuit is often switched off when the wipers are 'on'

I'll check this out as all suggestions are gratefully received. I still do expect it to be a motor problem though as it's not a case of jiggling the switch, but pushing it down to actuate the wipers, then letting it go when the wipers are close to the park position. As I remember from earlier involvement with self park on articulated trucks, when the wiper switch is turned off, the motor continues to receive power via the self park switch on the motor until at the park position, the supply is stopped as the switch is opened. The problem with my disco seems to be that the self park switch is not providing power correctly through the full range of sweep.
Cheers
Graham
PS The articulated trucks were fun. 65 tonnes of muck and metal with 6WD, interaxle difflock and limited slip cross axle diffs, tyres up to my face level.

[Range Rover Blues]

Sorry, then I think some of the replies you have had are not the same problem you are getting.  Have you tried to see where exactly the self-park works? I had an old Escort that only self-parked in the last little bit of travel back down the windscreen.

[gb0wers]

Sorry, then I think some of the replies you have had are not the same problem you are getting.  Have you tried to see where exactly the self-park works? I had an old Escort that only self-parked in the last little bit of travel back down the windscreen.

It can stagger to a halt anywhere on the return sweep but with a little help by pushing the control down (to energise the motor manually) it can be persuaded to park properly. It's just that having to intervene manually is a pain in the bum and a distraction.
I was hoping to find out from somebody who had experienced this specific problem in the past whether the motor was fixable, or whether a replacement was the only practical answer.
Anyway, no need to be sorry about anything :-))
Cheers
Graham