perplexing panel switch

[SKEETR]

I removed the wiper motor assembly from my boat for repair to the linkage. I don't remember removing any wiring at the switches. When I went to hook it back up it causes the light on the switch to turn on when in the off position. When the switch is on there is no power to the motor. I have verified that the motor does work. The switch panel has what looks like small round button type breakers to the left of each switch. Are these simply fuses or do they pop out and can be pushed in to be reset. It is just a single throw switch. Am I missing something fundamental here? Is the light on the switch supposed to illuminate if say they are fuses and it has blown?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: perplexing panel switch

The button you mention is a circuit breaker which acts like a resettable fuse. If a short or over current condition exists, the breaker opens. You push the button to reset it. The light in the switch is a pilot light -- it merely tells you that switch is ON. The switch should have three terminals on it. +12 volts goes into the switch. The load terminal or output terminal on the switch feeds the positive wire on the wiper motor. The third terminal on the switch is a ground terminal for the indicator light. It must be grounded to the ground buss or ground circuit at the helm. Time to get out the meter or test light.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: perplexing wiper motor switch

Re: perplexing wiper motor switch

Ok, lemme go backward. There are five plugins on the terminal on the motor. Three of them have corresponding wiring on the opposite side. One is a green wire running to the motor and it also has a jumper to another terminal. Then there is the lone red wire running to the motor. It was hooked up with only two wires. The red went from the red wire terminal and plugged into the back of the breaker onto the same 12v terminal feeding the switch. The green was on one if the green terminals and plugs to the switch. The switch has both ground and incomming 12v on other lugs.

I think the switch wiring is fine, I jumped the red to ground and everything worked but it would stop where ever it ended up. Been working so hard on the motor I never thought to test if it had worked differently before. Does sound like the motor may be wired for a 'park' circuit and was never wired for a ground? It did operate once, I swear and I don't see any indication of a loose black wire anywhere.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: perplexing panel switch

OK you have succeeded in losing me. What did me in was the fact that you connected a "red wire to ground and it worked". Red is normally +12V. Connecting +12V to ground makes sparks and blows otherwise perfectly good fuses. Yes, there probably is a "park" circuit that remains hot until the wiper arm reaches a specifc spot.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: perplexing panel switch

Ok I removed the motor and located a small tab on the side of the gear housing. It looks like it could have been for a ground terminal but it was all bent down. I bench tested the motor and found the park curcuit. Strange that it was on a terminal that had no wire coming out of the back of the connector. There must be some wiring internally where the connector is mounted. So my red 12v wire from the breaker will go there, right? Hey it has a letter 'p' right there. Ok now I am feeling pretty stupid. The rest of the letters from left to right are I, H, P, S, X. I am guessing 'S' for the switched green wire.
I now believe the panel switch was staying illuminated due to the lack of a ground which would have, after tripping park circuit, turned off. Let me know if I am on the right track here, I am sorry if I lost ya. When I had the red wire running to ground it was hooked to the 'h' terminal. Any insight to what the other letters might mean all but 'x' seem to cause the motor to operate.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: perplexing panel switch

Wiper motors can be multiple speed so some of those terminals might be for that function but if there is no speed control switch, a couple of them might not be used. As for what the terminals mean, I can only guess: "I" = Ignition (key on??). "P" = Park, "H" = High Speed, "S" = Slow Speed and "X" = No clue. Unless we see pictures and have a manufacturer there isn't much more we (or I) can help you with. A spade terminal that is secured to the motor housing is a ground.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: perplexing panel switch

Thanks silvertip. I'm sure I have made this alot more complicated than it needed to be. Being as 'S' and 'I' are jumped together I feel confident that my switch could go to either and the missing ground was my problem all along.