jackthehat.co.uk Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 It's me again. (2002 1.9 Tdi 115 Ghia - 68,000 miles) Yesterday the front wipers stopped working altogether. The windscreen washer jets stopped working at the same time. Oddly, when you pull back on the wiper stalk to operate the front washer jets the back wiper comes on. Very strange. I had a quick look at the fuses last night and they look OK. I tried two fuses, the green 30A fuse for the front wiper motor and the blue 15A fuse for the front wiper switch. Both looked OK. Any ideas what to check next? I've had this stupid car for about 7 or 8 months. It came with full service history and looks 100% mint. Already the wipers have packed in, the passenger footwell has flooded, rear wiper motor unit has broken, front heated screen has stopped working, gears are snatchy when engine is cold, alternator clutch/spring tensioner broke, remote central locking has packed in, oil leak from top of engine. What next??? The only thing good about this car is the Ford badge... everything with VW/Audi stamped on it is useless. Ahhh, I feel better now... Quote
Grumpy Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 Ahh, it sound like I have a twin! Different faults but the same feelings of love for the car! Quote
mumof4 Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 still half asleep here, but did you check the fuse box in the engine bay?there are two in the engine bay ..IIRC..the main fuse feed box and a silver box one at the back...could there be a short anywhere?.. Quote
jackthehat.co.uk Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Posted February 9, 2007 Hi there early bird! No, I haven't checked any under the bonnet yet. I have been working 12 hour day shifts so only had a quick look last night in the dark. The fuses I looked at were in the fuse box under the steering wheel. Quote
mumof4 Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 IIRC..the fuses for the wipers are in the main fuse feed box at the front on the top of the engine bay..in a black box....cant miss it..check those. Quote
littledaz Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 Hi jack........., you may have missed a fuse in the main fuse box you have already checked. Check fuse no33. It is in the row of horizontal fuses on the dash fusebox. It is second from the right 10amp red. This is listed as the fan fuse but actually feeds the wipers. It does on mine anyway. ;) Quote
Andrew T Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 The fuse for the wipers is on the horizontal row at the bottom of the internal fusebox, towards the right hand side (number 20 IIRC). However when mine blew I lost the rear wiper and front and rear washer functions as well. This suggests it could be the wiper motor or the wiring to it. Have you looked at the wiper motor itself? If the scuttle drains are blocked it could be sitting in a pool of water. If you look up clearing scuttle drains on the FAQs it will tell you how to get into it. Quote
jackthehat.co.uk Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Posted February 9, 2007 Hello again Littledaz! According to my manual, fuse 33 is a green 30A fuse for the front blower. I'm at work at the moment so I can't look at the car.Mumof4: my manual says there aren't any fuses under the bonnet that are relevant to the wipers. Quote
mumof4 Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 well..i was only waking up......as was suggested before..check the wiper motor on the linkage. Quote
jackthehat.co.uk Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Posted February 9, 2007 Andrew T: I will have a look at the motor this weekend thanks. It isn't the fuse (fuse number 24 actually) because the wiper stalk still operates the rear wiper. The front wipers and screen washer motor stopped at the same time. I suppose it could be the wiper stalk that is faulty. Quote
littledaz Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 (edited) According to my manual, fuse 33 is a green 30A fuse for the front blower Does in mine aswell. All I can say is the fuse I mentioned (2nd from right, horizantally aligned fuses) is not listed for the wipers but actually supplies them. To confirm it I removed it this morning and my wipers wouldn't work. In the wiring diagram it lists it as "Upto 2001 blower motor & 2002 onwards wipers", yours is 2002 isn't it? There are separate fuses for front & rear IIRC. Edited February 9, 2007 by littledaz Quote
jackthehat.co.uk Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Posted February 9, 2007 Ah, interesting. Sounds promising Littledaz. I will have a look at that tonight when I get home. Thanks again for your excellent advice! No doubt I'll be back when something else goes wrong with this blasted car. I'll let you know how I get on. Quote
jackthehat.co.uk Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Posted February 10, 2007 :( :( :) :lol: ;) :P :D :D Littledaz you are a star mate! You are totally correct (again). The car manual says fuse no 33 is a green 30A for the blower but it is actually a red 10A fuse. This had indeed blown and after replacing it my wipers are back to normal. I am chuffed to bits. Thank you so much! If you ever leave this forum I will hunt you down like a dog and savage you :) Is it really beyond today's manufacturers to even get the car manuals correct? Not only was it wrong about fuse no 33 but the other 15A fuse I checked earlier for the wipers is listed as a 5A fuse in the manual. Not a bit of wonder the Germans got thrashed in the war... if all their equipment was so badly put together they didn't stand a chance. Thanks again everyone and I'll be back next week when the bl**dy car breaks down again. Quote
Jay S Posted December 24, 2007 Report Posted December 24, 2007 :huh: ^_^ :D :D :D :D Thanks guys! I have exactly the same problem with my wipers and was beginning to think it was the stalk control that needed to be changed. This thread has just saved me a lot of time and money. As you can see for the date of my post it's Christmas Eve so my wife is thrilled that her car is working again. It's really made her Christmas ( ....and saved me buying a present :rolleyes: ) I will also put a note in the Owners Manual so I will remember for next time! Quote
jimmyd Posted February 17, 2008 Report Posted February 17, 2008 I had exactly the same problem this morning. Did exactly the same things, checked the fuses with the handbook, but no solution. Resigned myself to taking the car into the garage and all the hassle that goes with that. Thought I would do a quick search and am so grateful that I did! Changed the red fuse and problem solved, total cost Quote
jimmyd Posted February 19, 2008 Report Posted February 19, 2008 ......that was Sunday. Didn't use the car Monday, today the wipers worked in the morning first thing, shortly after the fuse has gone again. Not sure what is going on, it has been quite cold here in Bham for last 4 days or so, -6C last couple of nights, is this a factor? Will change the fuse again and see what happens. Anyone have any ideas? thanks Quote
MeoleMan Posted February 19, 2008 Report Posted February 19, 2008 Galaxy Ghia 2.3, 51 plate (2001 I think) I had same problem today, front wipers and washer stopped working (rear wiper ok).replaced fuse 33 now working. cold here in Shrewsbury too, -7 last night.not had this happen before in the 3 years I've had the car. This forum saved me a lot of effort and cost. I was going to try getting to the relays (came across this site via google search for relay location) - what a rubbish design!, Ford usually do better than that.Presumably that wouldnt have fixed it, so it would have ended up going to the garage. Quote
jimmyd Posted February 20, 2008 Report Posted February 20, 2008 ...and now the rear washer jet has stopped working [though the motor is making a noise]... i knew i should have bought the Previa. Quote
ianayres Posted February 20, 2008 Report Posted February 20, 2008 Many many thanks to Lttledaz. I had the same problem plus the fact I live in france I was thinking "merde" this will cost me dear but have now fixed it by changing that fuse 33. Perhaps we should call you Bigdaz instead! Quote
gregers Posted February 20, 2008 Report Posted February 20, 2008 jimmyd think you better take a look in faqs for rear washer pipe,i think yours has come adrift,dont use the rear washer until you do or your flood the inside of the car and if yours is a mk1 it could fubar the ecu. Quote
Simon Graham Posted February 21, 2008 Report Posted February 21, 2008 Many thanks for the information - I came here looking how to acces relays for the non functioning wipers and happened across this gem of advice.Mine is 2005 model but they seem to have the same incorrect labelling of the fuses . . . Quote
jimmyd Posted February 24, 2008 Report Posted February 24, 2008 it was the plastic connection in the rear door. it had split down it's length. plastic glue was useless [of course] fixed it with silicon tape from B&Q [very good stuff]. used the instructions from the forum to take of the front to the door to allow access to the wiper mechanism. everything worked ok until it came to putting it back on. that is when the trouble started, me and the wife struggling to put it on. managed it in the end except i could not get all of the 4 clips back in [the ones that run horizontally under the bottom of the rear window. i could only manage 2, the ones nearest the door pillar on either side. very fustrating experience. is there a way of securing these clips? I can't imagine it takes very long to do it on the production line !?! Quote
suzuki91 Posted December 28, 2008 Report Posted December 28, 2008 (edited) on the way back from a holiday in france this week, my wipers and water stopped working. checked this forum for the answere and glad i did, as the manual is wrong, and fuse 33 had blown. it is a fiddly job to open the fuse case and change it though. Edited December 28, 2008 by suzuki91 Quote
Gwaredd Posted December 31, 2008 Report Posted December 31, 2008 As above really. Pulled the washers today & nothing happened & the wipers stopped. Pulled over to check the fuse & it was OK. Drove on to my Sisters & called the RAC out. He checked the same & pronounced a dead wiper stalk, so I came on here tonight to find more info on it. Lo & behold an easy fix awaited! Just nipped out & sure enogh, fuse 33 (listed as blower, 10amp) had blown. Replaced it & have washers & wipers again! Cheers for that & Happy New Year! Gwaredd. Quote
monty-TDi Posted January 2, 2009 Report Posted January 2, 2009 Again mine packed up New Years Eve 100 miles from home!! checked the fuse (according to the manual and the little sticky label) and all was fine. This time a 2004 Alhambra. Odd fault as reported previously on this thread - No front wipers, nor front or rear Washer. But when pulling the lever towards you in an attempt to wash the front screen, the rear wiper activates! However after reading this thread I checked No33 and Wahay. Normal Service is resumed, with the exception of the washer bottle pump - I will look a little deeper. - but although the front wiper does its irritating half dozen wipes, there is no sound coming from the washer pump. I may chose to wire it separately as I really detest the way the washer function is linked to the wipers. It is always a gamble to want to wash the screen on very cold days without knowing whether the nozzles have actually frozen. If they have frozen you then get a great smearing action on the screen and you are left in a worse state than before. Anyway - Thanks for the Forum and especially the super users that make it so very comprehensive - wishing you all a great 2009 Monti TDI Quote
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