Rear wiper

Jimmy · Post by **Jimmy** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:15 pm

My rear wiper has started to not return to its 'parked' position - it simply stops at about 45 degrees and I then have to turn the switch on and off to get it to move again. Any ideas what the cause might be?

Strangely, it works fine if the main wipers are on and I select reverse.

Melvin480 · Post by **Melvin480** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:24 pm

According to the scheme in Haynes, this is how the wiper works:

The rear wipers has 3 wires to it. A green, red and black one. Black is earth, red is constant 12V and green gets 12V to start te wiper.

If you set the rear wiper on, the green wire gets 12V for a short period of time to get the wiper moving and then the 12V stops. The wiper should return the the parked position using the constant 12V at the red wire. I think that there isn't 12V at the red wire. If you select reverse then the green wire gets a constant 12V to keep the wiper moving.

So, measure voltages at the green and red wire.

Iroll480 · Post by **Iroll480** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:22 pm

Most likely cause is a broken wire where the wiring goes from the top of the roof to the rearwindow. Sometimes difficult to spot there. Those wiring harnasses are still available from the dealer for something like 25ish. It's volvopart#3449998. This is the compleet loom for rearwiper, rearheater and 3rd brakelight. Almost all of the 480's suffer from one or more broken wires at that spot.

stug723 · Post by **stug723** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:16 pm

any ideas as to how you remove the loom that goes around the perimeter of the window, in particular the bit where after it comes through the body of the car then into the channel around the rear window??

glasgowjim · Post by **glasgowjim** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:34 pm

Yes the wire loom is held in place behind a black softish plastic strip that prises out at one end and can then be peeled back all the way round . On renewing the wiring loom you can simply push back in place if my memory serves me right the loom runs down the passenger side (N/S) of the window.

good luck jim.

Cerberus · Post by **Cerberus** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:53 pm

glasgowjim wrote:Yes the wire loom is held in place behind a black softish plastic strip that prises out at one end and can then be peeled back all the way round . On renewing the wiring loom you can simply push back in place if my memory serves me right the loom runs down the passenger side (N/S) of the window.

good luck jim.

What he said

C

Van · Post by **Van** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:58 pm

Iroll480 wrote:Most likely cause is a broken wire where the wiring goes from the top of the roof to the rearwindow. Sometimes difficult to spot there. Those wiring harnasses are still available from the dealer for something like 25ish. It's volvopart#3449998. This is the compleet loom for rearwiper, rearheater and 3rd brakelight. Almost all of the 480's suffer from one or more broken wires at that spot.

Over here they charge well over 100 euros for the part

Cerberus · Post by **Cerberus** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:01 pm

Over here... I lop off the connector buy some new wire and make
my own replacement loom.

Pretty bloomin simple really...

C

Iroll480 · Post by **Iroll480** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:32 pm

Van:

Over here they charge well over 100 euros for the part

In march this year I paid Ã¢â€šÂ¬37,76 for it at Volvo Broekhuizen in Zeist nl!