Front wiper strange problem

[crippy21]

So... one morning my front wipers stopped working. After driving for about 5-10 minutes they start working again intermittently. This happens every morning. I’m guessing it can’t be the motor or fuse as they wouldn’t work at all.
any suggestions?
thanks

[jonathanfenton]

Bad earth or relay is my guess.

[crippy21]

Bad earth or relay is my guess.

cheers mate.

ive read that the relay is beneath the steering wheel? Is this right and how easy is it to get to?

[jonathanfenton]

Think it’s a couple of 7mm bolts that hold the panel in. Might just pull off but they are under there above the pedals. Either test with a meter or try flicking it when they don’t work and see if it then clicks. If it clicks each time you operate but the motor doesn’t always spin then could be the motor dying or a bad earth.

[crippy21]

35971

Any idea which relay it is as i cant seem to work out which it is. Have wiggled them all but hasnt made a difference.

[Crasher]

There is no relay... 8P wipers are LIN BUS controlled from the central electrics unit which gets its instruction to run from the steering column electronics unit.

The power comes from fuse 19 or 31 in the engine bay fuse box, which one depends on the cars specification.

Do you have an aftermarket HID conversion fitted?

[jonathanfenton]

Ha there you go, I stand corrected [emoji4]

[crippy21]

Thanks.

No aftermarket HID

[jonathanfenton]

I’d go with faulty motor then, changed mine twice now for 2nd hand units so guessing they are coming to the end of their working lives the 2006 ones

[Crasher]

Likely to be the motor, I have changed quite a lot of them but mostly on cabrio's for some odd reason. Which year is yours?

[crippy21]

2006

im useless with cars but may try and replace it myself.
are they pretty straightforward to replace?
cheers for the help guys

[jonathanfenton]

Wipers off, guard thing off and then two bolts. The hardest part for you will be splitting wiper arms from regulator. Plenty of penetrating oil and a proper splitter. God speed

[Crasher]

With it being a 2006, if it is a 2 door, to obtain a new motor you need to find out which side of VIN wauzzz8P95A075597 or wauzzz8P95B003714 it was built, if it starts wauzzz8p96xxxxxxx then it is late

[jonathanfenton]

It’ll be more than the cars worth. From memory with discount from TPS it was about £250 [emoji23] get code and eBay it.

[Crasher]

£246.07 early and £286.08 late now

[crippy21]

Jesus! Yeah don’t fancy paying that much. Considering the car was written off back in November and I bought it back from the insurance company.
plenty on eBay, would this be ok?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F 233208705058

[Crasher]

That is not a good part number, there is 8P1 955 023 E but that is up to 2005 left hand drive

[crippy21]

My VIN is: WAUZZZ8P26

[Crasher]

pm me the reg or full VIN.

[crippy21]

Is there any chance that it could be battery related?
battery is about 8-9 years old so probably due a new one. Is it safe to attach jump leads from another car and see if that’s works?

[jonathanfenton]

Not sure how to answer this one [emoji2361].... how badly did you write this car off? [emoji23][emoji23]

[crippy21]

Lol
milk lorry reversed into the back corner so isn’t bad at all35972

[jonathanfenton]

Ah, well I got a motor and regulator for £25. Took 5 mins to swap as I’ve had my wiper arms off recently to get them powder coated. You need a puller if you’ve never had em off in 13 years

[crippy21]

Luckily a dry morning so i could drive my car to work.

Same again, after 5 minutes the wipers worked and this time i turned them on for the duration of my journey (20mins) and they worked constantly which hasn't happened since the trouble started. Surely it cant be a motor problem?

[Crasher]

You have never known digital electronics to go wrong then? Without fault code equipment you are guessing which is always risky. Jump leads are banned from our building, they damage ECU's, we use a proper jump pack which has smoothing circuitry to prevent voltage spikes. Yours has the post update system so uses the later motor which is replacement part number 8P2 955 119 F at £286.08 and was used up to 2008. on the 2 and 4 door. There are a few on fleaBay.

[crippy21]

You have never known digital electronics to go wrong then? Without fault code equipment you are guessing which is always risky. Jump leads are banned from our building, they damage ECU's, we use a proper jump pack which has smoothing circuitry to prevent voltage spikes. Yours has the post update system so uses the later motor which is replacement part number 8P2 955 119 F at £286.08 and was used up to 2008. on the 2 and 4 door. There are a few on fleaBay.

Cheers the for part number. Strange though that all the eBay listings says its from 2008-2012.

Trying to keep the cost down as much as possible as dont want to spend a fortune on a car this isnt worth much as it is

[Crasher]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47971967041_e84d5daa38_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2g67Su2)

[crippy21]

Cheers!

really appreciate your help

[crippy21]

Quick update. Plugged another battery in and now the wipers are fine.

[jonathanfenton]

I’d be testing the alternator then because as soon as it’s running you should be getting 14v battery shouldn’t make a difference

[crippy21]

I’ve tested the battery with the engine off at 12.6v. Engine on at 2000 rpm and lights at 14v so battery and alternator seem to be ok. Don’t get why the other battery yesterday made them work??

[Crasher]

Digital electronics are very fussy, I see all sorts of odd problems from a battery that seems to be OK, it is catching a lot of people out these days.

[KevTrem]

Digital electronics are very fussy, I see all sorts of odd problems from a battery that seems to be OK, it is catching a lot of people out these days.

Try the French electrics, my 2008 Peugeot 407 battery was past its best, would randomly change radio stations overnight, or the language on the displays etc. Also other strange behaviour, they slowly shut down non essential equipment to keep the engine running. So people always say "it started ok but stuff isn't working".
Its one of the first things we ask people when they have weird faults, when was your battery replaced and what spec is it?

[Crasher]

:D what makes me laugh is these ultra high tech Italian cars, there going to be fun when a splash of water gets in there.

[crippy21]

About 7 years ago and it’s a Bosch 027 S4 005. Have order the Bosch 096 which is more powerful. The battery tray is much bigger than the 027 so I’m thinking it should have the larger battery in it anywsy

[Crasher]

Bigger is always better.

[crippy21]

Swapped batteries and didn’t work. Drove around for a couple minutes and now they are working. So still not sure if it’s sorted or not. If it’s the same tomorrow I might have to bite the bullet and take it to a garage