Ok, I'm a bit lost on this one.

The wipers on my El Camino (1980) have always been either very slow, reluctant, or simply haunted. I've had it three years now.


I've gone through three washer motors (wiper motor cover style) in the past two years. A month ago I took the wiper motor from my 78 Malibu Wagon parts car and installed it with the existing (relatively new at 4 months old) washer motor.

It worked for a while, and then it became haunted again.

So I went to NAPA and got a new wiper and washer motor. Near $200 USD it cost (on this island nothing is cheap). That along side the new plugs, wires, coil, rotor, distributor cap and the regular oil change and carburetor cleaning had me feeling my El Camino would be in good shape for the weekend.

So I installed all the new ignition stuff and did the oil change. Worked great. Purred like a kitten.

I then installed the new washer and wiper motor.

Turning the wipers and washer on (you know, just push the wiper switch) gave a wondrous sight... lo and behold... I let the smoke out of the new parts.

Troubleshooting this some, realizing I'd already sacrificed the new wiper & washer motor...
I tested the washer motor alone (two leads) with the in-dash switch (wiper motor disconnected). It worked, and no smoke.

However, reconnecting the wiper motor and testing that did nothing (either setting; normal or fast). Yet, hitting the washer with the wiper motor connected activated the wipers (very slowly) and the washer and... as a neat bonus, I got a little smoke out of the washer/wiper motor (a single unit when installed).

I'm guessing the fact that there's no movement of the wiper motor except when the washer is engaged.... means it's drawing it's wiper motor power from the washer power leads? Is this possible?

I've also replaced some in-dash wiring up to the wiper switch because it completely burnt; excessive current draw. Fuses have blown in the past as well (and no, I didn't "upsize" them :) )

I also now just realized there's a poor body ground on the wiper motor; most of the area around the wiper motor mount has been "fixed" of it's corrosion problem with 'glass.

So, I'm guessing I need a new in-dash wiper switch and a decent ground to the wiper motor. I'm also guessing I need a new washer motor; that's what I think I let the smoke out of. The washer motor/unit contains a relay for the wiper motor power doesn't it?

Of course this time I'll verify that the wiring harness from the wiper switch to wiper motor isn't shorted/open/broken and delivers voltage for both wiper speeds.

Or could it be excessive mechanical resistance from the wiper arms & bars themselves stressing the motor? It doesn't seem the the wiper arm mechanics (motor arm detached) are excessively sticky.

Maybe I should just accept the poltergeist living in my El Camino. I've completely re-wired the headlights due to similar hauntings; after patching them up twice I decided to rewire them a little more aggressively complete from headlights to dash switches to fuses (of the 4 headlights I can turn on only high beams, or only low beams, or both). :)

Thanks for reading.... (latest car pics at http://unixninja.net/curacao/chevy2/ )