Wipers won't work correctly

[spinedoc]

I have a 97 Yukon with wiper issues. My wipers will turn on, but they won't turn off. I have to shut the key off to make them stop. They also only work in the low and high speed position, not the intermittent settings. This has come on over the past few weeks. I had not driven the vehicle much the last couple months, although I don't know if that would affect it.

I took it to the dealer and the pulse motor unit was replaced per the recall back in 2003. I thought it might be that again, so I bought one from the parts store and swapped it in, but it had no effect on the condition. Can anyone point me in the right direction on how to fix this. Thank you.

 

[OR VietVet]

The original pulse motor unit should have had the circuit board in it that was a very common problem of the vintage years that your vehicle is included in. You now may need the wiper switch replaced that sends signals to the board.

 

[spinedoc]

You mean the turn signal stalk/switch? That looks daunting...

 

[TigerEyz3]

Though replacing the signal/cruise/wiper switch is not as easy as replacing the wiper circuit board, it can be done at home by the DIYer with a few tools rented/purchased from your local parts house and following these two videos (parts/tools are listed in video):

Part 1
Part 2

Give yourself a few hours to avoid the frustration associated with rushing through something.

Cliffnotes version: disconnect battery, remove air bag, remove steering wheel, remove old multi-switch, install new multi-switch, install steering wheel, install air bag, reconnect battery.

 

[spinedoc]

I now have a new issue. It seems BOTH the front and rear wipers will not shut off. They were both sporadic, but now, when I start the vehicle, they both just turn on and nothing except turning the truck off will stop them.

Does this mean two separate issues, or one thing that will solve both problems. Thanks again for any advice, I don't want to dig into a major project if I there is a simpler path to check first.

I can get a used wiper motor from the local salvage yard for 30 bucks. Any chance that may help the front wiper issue, or are both front and rear possibly related?

 

[OR VietVet]

If both are controlled by the same switch control then I still lean toward the switch.

 

[spinedoc]

The front wipers are on the turn signal stalk and the rear wiper has a switch on the dashboard, they are separate.

 

[Donnie Yukonie]

you sir have an odd issue most of us have a problem with them not working yours work to well ,

FYI i moved your post to a more appropriate section

 

[spinedoc]

OK, so I replaced the whole motor, and nothing changed. Looks like I may have to attempt to change the actual turn signal/wiper stalk. Any tips, or any way I can determine if that is truly the problem. Thanks

 

[MarkD51]

I now have a new issue. It seems BOTH the front and rear wipers will not shut off. They were both sporadic, but now, when I start the vehicle, they both just turn on and nothing except turning the truck off will stop them.

Does this mean two separate issues, or one thing that will solve both problems. Thanks again for any advice, I don't want to dig into a major project if I there is a simpler path to check first.

I can get a used wiper motor from the local salvage yard for 30 bucks. Any chance that may help the front wiper issue, or are both front and rear possibly related?

I'm no expert, and can offer basically little help, but this one sounds unusual.

First the front wipers were acting up, and now somehow mysteriously, the back one is now doing the same thing?

Is there somehow one can perhaps provide some electrical schematic?

Are both front and back wipers protected by one fuse circuit in the fuse box?

Have you done any recent mods, upgrades, alarms, electrical add ons, etc?
Any other recent repairs?

Would a simple ground issue somewhere be the cause?

 

[spinedoc]

Mark,

Great questions, can anyone give us an answer or two?

 

[TigerEyz3]

Personally, I'd tackle them separately since the rear wiper is controlled by a separate switch (most vehicles with rear wipers have it included on the main wiper switch). I've personally deal with the front wiper situations (had to replace both the circuit board and the multi-switch on the column)...after replacing the parts, everything worked as it was supposed to work.

Might be worthwhile troubleshooting the front wiper situation first - the rear wiper might be fixed by correcting the front wiper situation.

 

[TonyBuckets]

I have a 97 Tahoe also, and my wipers are doing sorta the same thing, except they were turning off in the "up" position and sometimes I got lucky and they stopped in the correct position. also the intermittent settings did not work, only the "mist" (one swipe) or lo and hi, but the "mist" function they would go back and forth about 5-10 times then stop either all the way up or down. I replaced the motor once and the same issue is happening. I'm now going to try changing the switch/blinker stick on the dash next.
Also I've heard of some replacement motors not having the "intermittent" setting on the circuit board. not to sure if this is true or not has anyone else heard of that?.

 

[spinedoc]

OK, I have got some more info on my odd wiper situation. The rear wiper does not respond to the dash switch, however, it turns on when I either move the turn signal stalk to the left (not the right), or when I turn my lights on! How nuts is that? I can't make this stuff up.

The front wiper still runs all the time. I have replaced the board in that, as well as installing a new motor, with no effect. I ordered the turn signal stalk and will attempt to replace that. I do wonder of there may be a simple ground issue, but I have no idea where to begin looking.

Any tips guys? This is odd. Oh, and now my heater fan motor, which I just replaced because it was noisy, quit working, and my climate control will not shift between defrost, dash and floor. My truck is possessed.

 

[TigerEyz3]

TonyBuckets... The "stop position" issue is due to the circuit board not signalling the motor properly - replacing the circuit board should resolve that. As far as replacement motor not having an intermittent capacity... though I'm guessing it's possible to have purchased a motor that wasn't for your vehicle, that makes no sense for a 1997 model year Tahoe. The circuit board should control the on/off signal to the motor.

spinedoc...replace the HVAC control board in your dash (check the dealer or ebay - ebay's gonna be WAAAY cheaper). I've done this several times on my vehicle. It's a very easy process and will likely resolve all of the fan, temp, and output location issues you're encountering.

 

[spinedoc]

Tony,

I will look for a new HVAC control board. That would be great if that works.

An update on the wipers. I had replaced the circuit board and then put in a replacement motor complete with it's own circuit board with no effect to the wipers.

I bought a new multi function lever for the steering column and replaced that, not as bad of a job as I thought, but you have to remove the steering wheel. That also had no effect on the wipers!

I have an appt at the local GMC dealer this week for them to try to diagnose the issue. I will let you know what they say.