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AkTrek · 08-14-2012, 10:37 AM

Driving in a hard rain last June, our wipers quit. Wheee! Great fun on the Interstate during rush hour... not! Anyway, drove the next five miles with help from my wife to a pull-off to check them and rest our beating hearts. With them on, I could move them by hand, but they wouldn't run on their own. After a wait of about ten minutes, they started working and we were back on the road. Five miles later they quit again! Pulled off at the next opportunity and waited for the squall to pass. Bought some Rain-X (good stuff!) and treated the windshield. Good thing, because out of the blue the following day it rained again with the same results. Wipers worked and then they didn't Not so scary driving with the Rain-X as the rain beaded up and rolled off. Vision was just lightly hampered.

After parking at our destination in Thousand Trails Indiana, (we're Camp Hosts here selling memberships and answering members questions) we finally had a day off last week to try and trouble shoot the problem. As our chassis battery bit the dust (part of the problem?) we had to replace it with a new one to power up the wipers. With our water hose on the windshield they ran perfectly in full speed mode and in intermittent mode for about five minutes, then they quit again. The wiper motor was hot after shutdown even though the arms seem to move freely. I then disconnected the motor from the arm assembly and, after waiting a while to let the motor cool, turned them on with no load. Ran great and, after ten minutes, just turned them off. Motor cool and looks to be running normally. Everything adds up to us needing to replace our motor but wanted to check with you all as there is also a controller in the loop I know nothing about. Can the added drag of the wiper blades be enough to over heat the motor?

Dutch Star Don · 08-14-2012, 03:33 PM

AkTrek......Mine did something similar in February. I thought they were dead until we got to the campground and turned them on and they worked fine. Apparently, there is a thermal limiter that is shutting them down. On mine, they'll only restart after the coach is turned off and then back on.

One of the things I did was to slide out the generator and crawl inside and lubed the heck out of all the linkage. My thinking was that it was dried out and causing the motor to work harder. We rarely use the wipers, so I don't know if this fixed the issue.I would try lubing everything first.

I use to have the website saved where Monaco got their wiper products. I opened the website and it was gone. I ran the name of the website, Diesel Equipment Company, and found a similar company selling wiper equipment..Diesel Equipment Company :: Arms

ga traveler · 08-14-2012, 03:42 PM

most motorhome front caps are made of fiberglass. Of course fiberglass will not conduct electricity. Check the ground of the motor. A bad ground will cause the motor to overheat.

AkTrek · 08-19-2012, 07:26 PM

Thanks Guys, did some more checking (ground was good, thanks ga traveler) and after talking with some auto mechanic buddies, determined that it is a bum wiper motor with probably a resister going out, that's why it's getting overheated. Can't find the motor on your link Don, so will probably call Alliance in Wildwood for help. I need:
Monaco Kit # 09308351 Wiper Technologies serial no. 8351-1776 with a Wexco gear box.

Robi.1014 · 08-20-2012, 06:21 PM

Good move....checking the ground. But also check the input voltage to the motor. There are several connectors between the dash switch and the motor that could be causing a low-voltage condition. These too can be temperature sensitive (current flow heats them up), and Murphey's law applies.

AkTrek · 08-20-2012, 06:30 PM

Another good idea. I'll get out my voltmeter and poke around on the connector until I get hot feed and then measure peak. Should be 12+v, right?

Robi.1014 · 08-21-2012, 08:03 AM

Denny,
12 volts? Yes.

Windshield-wiper motors are the neatest thing. Consider: they run at two speeds (but using 12v under each circumstance), can be "intermittent", and "self parking".

Consider the "parking" condition. You turn OFF the dash switch, and the motor continues to run until the wipers are parked in the correct location. That means that the motor needs 12VDC to do this....even though you've removed the 12VDC at the dash when you turned them OFF. I'm bringing this up because you'll probably find a continuous 12VDC present at the wiper, but don't be misled that your done at this point. You need to find the 12VDC that is ON when the wipers are to be running (because you turned ON at the dash switch).

AkTrek · 08-24-2012, 07:58 PM

Interesting Robi, I'll remember that. Will check voltage and know I'm on the correct wire when voltage goes on and off with the switch on and off. Thanks!

Mike Canter · 08-25-2012, 05:15 AM

How old are your wiper blades and good the rubber be causing excessive drag across the windshield since it works ok without the arms. No such thing as "a resistor starting to go out". That is not something seen in electronics. You might try this site for tech help and maybe a new motor if needed.
AM Equipment - Manufacturer of | OEM Windshield Wiper Systems, Wiper Arms, and Wiper Accessories | Fractional Horsepower Motors | Wiper Motors, Window Lift Motors, Gearhead Motors

stewball · 09-23-2012, 01:34 AM

is there a way to lube those gears inside that gearbox?after 16 years of faithful service (96 ford) our wipers slow down,especially in cold rain,snow,etc. possibly a zerk could be added without removing the whole assembly from under the hood.after 16 years that factory grease must be just a memory. has anybody any info on configuration of wiper drive assembly (inside gearbox)

rex · 09-23-2012, 07:04 AM

My wipers are powered through a 10-amp self resetting circuit breaker. Sounds like yours are also. Check here to see if this guy has a wiper system that looks like yours. Don't know if he has ONLY wiper motors.

RV windshield wiper parts items in wiper store on eBay!

NOTE his 'best offer' button on each item.

DougBrsrd · 09-23-2012, 06:34 PM

Excessive drag causing motor to work harder, definitely something to check. Motor thermal limiter sounds like most probable. Switches heating up would most likely cause permanent damage to the switch. I have purchased wiper parts for my 91 Monaco from AM Equipment as well.
Good Luck

db

Dutch Star Don · 09-24-2012, 01:42 AM

Just a side note....We're currently on a trip and hit some light rain. I turned on the wiper and it made one swipe and quit. When we stopped, I knew it would reset. I turned the wipers on while we were stopped and they worked fine.

On my coach, the headlights are turned on when the wipers are first turned on. I think my wiper motor is getting tired and drawing more power for use. After we started driving, I first turned on the headlights and then turned on the wipers and they worked. I'm guessing that when I turned on the wipers, it was too much draw to turn on the lights and wipers at the same time.