Wipers won't go in park position • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **Dennis Almeida (Denalm)** » 25 Aug 2003 0:39

I have recently changed my wiper motor because my wiper blades would not stop in the park position. It appears even after changing the motor it still won't go in the park position. The switch seems a bit dodgey also. Is there a syncro adjustment on the motor it self or could it be the switch? Thanks

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 25 Aug 2003 11:18

First of all. Which wipers do you have? Variable speed or two speed?

Next question.
When you switch them off do they just stop where ever they happen to be at the time or do they try to return to park at all?

The workshop manual has tests you can do to locate this sort of fault. Most likely it is a faulty switch as you have changed the motor. As you say the switch "seems a bit dodgey" I suspect you are talking about a two speed switch in which case the following continuity chart might help.

by **Douglas Little (Dlittle)** » 25 Aug 2003 12:01

I had a similar problem with my wipers. It turned out that for some reason the wiper switch was not getting a proper ground. This is easy to check and easy to fix if it is the problem.

by **Dennis Almeida (Denalm)** » 25 Aug 2003 19:32

It has the 3 speed motor and it just stops randomly without attempting to park. Thanks

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 25 Aug 2003 20:37

Two speed you mean? Two speeds and off.

Check the switch using the chart above.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 25 Aug 2003 20:37

Two speed you mean? Two speeds and off.

Check the switch using the chart above.

by **Dennis Almeida (Denalm)** » 26 Aug 2003 0:02

No, my switch has off and 3 additional positions. I have 74 rallye. Paddock and Year One only sell a 3 speed motor for my year.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 26 Aug 2003 8:27

Oh! I thought they were two speed as stated in the 1970 workshop manual!

Did they change the wipers after 1970 is is the manual wrong?

I don't know you see because I have a Rallye dash with the variable speed wipers. The variable speed wipers don't have a switch. They have a knob like a dimmer switch.

I assumed the non-Ralley dash had a two speed as described in my workshop manual.

OK I stopped writing this just then and loooked into some books. I could not find very much information at all.
Paul Herds book says only two speed or variable. But the Chiltons '65-'72 barracuda/Challenger manual shows the two speed motor and also lables the variable speed motor as variable/3-speed.

So my guess is that on non-ralley instruments they started using a three-speed switch for use with the variable speed motor?

Can anyone confirm that?

In any event Dennis. Check your switch. I would have thought the problem was in the motor or the bulkhead connector but as you have replaced the motor with no effect you should check the switch.

If your motor is the same as the variable speed you can test it like this;

Pull the plug from the bulkhead connector. Connect a jumper wire from the green terminal in the connector plug to ground.
Connect a second jumper from the battery +ve to the brown and red terminals. The motor should run continuously.

Disconnect the leads.

Connect jumper wire from green to brown. Connect red to ground.
Connect third jumper wire from battery +ve to the blue terminal.
The wipers should now park.

by **Dennis Almeida (Denalm)** » 27 Aug 2003 17:11

Thanks all.

by **Christer (Christer)** » 31 Aug 2003 20:01

The three (and variable) speed Prestolite sourced motors will pretty much swap
from at least 1967 to the end which was 1977. However, the park switch
plate changes depending on the model the motor is destined for.
To adjust this is easy to do - just loosen the screws (do not remove), pull the plate up a bit, and rotate it to the correct position for your car as shown in the above photo. (Source: Mopar Action)

by **Christer (Christer)** » 01 Sep 2003 5:54

I am wondering if it is a misprint in the pic above? Shouldn´t the letter f be an e instead?

by **Phil Raynor (Philth)** » 01 Sep 2003 9:22

I can confirm that my '73 has a three speed wiper switch (although it goes from painfully slow, to slow to normal, and I love the park effect, when the wipers drop to the bottom of the screen and then slowly sink down to the park position!)

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 01 Sep 2003 9:27

I wonder what year they brought in the 3-speed then?

by **Christer (Christer)** » 02 Sep 2003 7:05

The 1970-71 Challengers with variable-speed used switch #2770380. Between 1972-74, another part number was used: #3621670. As I see it, you should be able to use the 1972 Circuit diagram, Dennis.

I looked in the Red book and according to that book, you could get the variable-speed option as early as 1964.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 02 Sep 2003 7:31

But when did they start using a 3-speed switch on Challengers is what I want to know?

by **Christer (Christer)** » 02 Sep 2003 13:32

I feel that there is a bit of confusion regarding the wiper systems. I claim that the 3-speed switch is identical with the wariable speed switch (My idea is that there are two names for the same thing). I also claim that the R/T- and the STD-model used the same switch. Am I right or am I wrong? I have to admit that I am a bit confused myself.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 02 Sep 2003 15:52

No. The variable does not have a switch. It has a knob you turn like a light dimmer. Rallye dash only I think?
The more you turn it the faster the wipers go. They seem to have used the same motor on both though. The two speed motor looks different in my 1970 manual.

by **Roger Bettoni (Roger)** » 02 Sep 2003 23:25

Dave - my 71 has variable speed wipers with the standard dash. Same motor as the one pictured above.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 03 Sep 2003 7:40

I knew someone would say that!

by **Christer (Christer)** » 03 Sep 2003 10:38

I got convinced late last evening that there must be three different wiper motors; one two-speed, one three-speed and one variable-speed.
(I understand that you think so too, Dave!?)
An article in Mopar Action convinced me. I was fooled by P. Herds "Interchange manual", where he only mentions the two speed motor and the variable-speed motor. Has he completely forgotten the three-speed motor? Question: Does it also exist three different dash switches?

According to the same article the reasons for these problems can be one of these: 1) Bad dash swith 2) Bad ground at switch casting 3) Bad park switch in motor (or bad solder connection) 4) Broken or gummed-up park cam mechanism 5) Bad connection at bulkhead.

If the wipers keep on running when shut off, #2 and #5 can be eliminated. Other than that, you actually have to troubleshoot it.

(There is a circuit diagram in the same article. I can mail-it/post-it if anyone is intrested.)

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 03 Sep 2003 11:14

I am thinking there were only two motors Christer. The two speed and the variable.

What seems to have happened is that they stopped using the two speed switch and motor at some point and replaced it with a three speed switch which used the same motor as the variable.

It would be handy to know when they did this.

by **Christer (Christer)** » 03 Sep 2003 13:16

In the Mopar Action article, there is a text with the following wording: "Check this typical 3-speed wiper motor schematic. (Variable speed was pretty similar)."
I interpret that as if there is one 3-speed motor and one variable-speed motor.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 03 Sep 2003 14:30

From an electrical point of view I see no reason for a different motor and i find it hard to believe they would use one. I think the two speed used a cheaper motor and so that was why they used that. In the end it was probably easier to fit the same motor to all the cars.

I am just guessing all this of course. It is up to you owners to have a look at what you have and compare notes.

by **Christer (Christer)** » 03 Sep 2003 14:45

A good idea! It would be intresting to do a comparison of part numbers.
Is there anyone with a 3-speed motor who can post the part number?
(...so that we can get to an end of this discussion

)

by **Phil Raynor (Philth)** » 04 Sep 2003 11:46

I'll have a lewk today!