Windshield Wipers Do Not Park Properly

[njk53]

I have a 94 Buick LeSabre with 50K original miles on the clock. My problem is the windshield wipers do not park properly when you turn them off. The wiper will stop about 4 inches above the correct park position. Everything else with the wipers seem to be working OK just the park position is the problem. We have had a lot of snow here in Michigan and something may have broke due to the snow. This was in my opinion a poor design on Buick's part because the wiper parks below the hood line as a wiper hide away feature but the snow and ice accumulates in this area and is difficult to clean. Any help is appreciated.​

 

[HotZ28]

This may not be vehicle specific, but a bent park tab is a common problem especially in the snow/ice belt.

[video=youtube;KFBLtlnkpuI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFBLtlnkpuI[/video]

 

[Spriteman]

It could be that the wiper arms have come loose on the wiper drive axle. There is a bolt that holds each wiper arm to the axle. However, if both wiper arms have started doing this at the same time and are both stopping at the same time then I would doubt that both of them came loose at the same time and moved the arm the exact same distance.

Another possibility could be part of the linkage or transmission for the wiper arms got bent - both wiper arms are connected to the transmission which then connects to the wiper motor. You would be able to see the bend in the metal arms if that were the case.

The more likely solution is one of two things. There is a circuit board that is inside the wiper motor case. If that fails the wiper positioning goes crazy. It could also be the multi-function switch on the steering column but that controls more about turning the wipers on and off rather than the position.

You could probably get a used wiper circuit board at your local salvage yard fairly cheap just to see if that fixes it.

This is a good diagram that shows your assembly - it might be a little different but I used your model/year - http://parts.nalleygmc.com/productS...e=0&isAccessory=0&isPerformance=0&searchTerm=


Here's a link to the part on Amazon P/N 19179662 - http://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-19179662-Windshield-Motor-Assembly/dp/B001S7VKJY

After looking at the part it doesn't look like your model/year has the circuit board cover - I could be wrong but from the pics I don't see it.


If you go to this website and type in your VIN then you'll be sure to get the right part number - http://www.gmpartsgiant.com/Page_Product/PartDetail.aspx?Make=Buick&Model=Lesabre&Year=1994&MakeCode=B&ModelCode=H&CatalogCode=45H&eCode=L27&mCode=4HP69&majorIndexID=10&PartSortBy=Key&minorIndexID=4H10-014&SortKey=1


Let us know if that helps.

 

[jcc3inc]

Sir:

If you set your wipers to intermittent with the control stalk, do they retract to a lower position when you shut them off? The down position on SLOW sits above the final retracted position. Maybe the mechanism is not pulling the blades to the normal parked position. I'd say they are 3-4 inches lower in the OFF position than the down in intermittent operation.

JCC

 

[imidazol97]

We have had a lot of snow here in Michigan and something may have broke due to the snow. This was in my opinion a poor design on Buick's part because the wiper parks below the hood line as a wiper hide away feature but the snow and ice accumulates in this area and is difficult to clean. A​

Is there still ice and snow under the wipers? Mine did this exact thing during our very cold freezes when the slush refroze on the cowl area under the wipers while driving. I thought they had bent the pawl like HotZ had described in another post at that time.

I was expecting to have to dig in and bend something back into place on my car which has 202,000 mi and is on its way to the junkyard or a very patient new owner because of lots of maintenance things that need to be done if it's to be driven. So the wipers were low priority.

But when the ice was removed under the wipers, they went all the way down again. This was my 98 LeSabre.

 

[Helladamnleet]

Mine do this on my 1990, but only the passenger side.

 

[njk53]

I took everything apart over the weekend and my car which is a 1994 does not have the same design wiper arm mechanism that has the TAB that gets bent. All of the linkage seems tight and in good working order. Any other suggestions?

 

[Spriteman]

I would say it's back to the multi-function switch stalk. You could probably find one at the salvage yard and plug it in without actually installing it all the way just to see if that works.

Does your wiper motor have a removable plastic cover on it? If so, you might want to remove that and see if anything looks suspicious in there.

 

[jaj63207]

According to this diagram, Item 3 is the park switch and is located in the wiper Motor.
http://parts.nalleygmc.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=367400

Jimmy

 

[njk53]

I put the wipers in the pulse mode and when I shut the wipers off, it goes back to the incorrect park position. I don't think there is anything wrong with the stalk. I may just bite the bullet and buy a wiper motor with a new circuit board. I went to a junkyard and tried to take a motor apart just for the circuit board and it wasn't an easy job. I'll let you know how it goes with the new motor.

 

[OshawaRegal]

For me this was an easy fix. I read the manual for a 2000 regal and the diagnostics made it look like either the multi-function leaver or the wiper motor controller board (cover) was the problem. Neither are cheap. Then I went to the internet.

I found this thread and went to http://redhouseon7th.com/redhouse/howto/2009OldsmobileWiperRepair/index2.html where an oldsmobile had the same problem. There was a useful video. By understanding what was happening, I was able to fix it without any force. My tab was solid so I saw no reason to bend it. I poked at the pawl with a screw driver (made sure it was free) and then turned on the wipers (I removed both wipers to remove the cover) and when I turned off the wipers they parked properly. I added a few drops of oil on the pawl and repeated the test a few times and then put everything back together. If it happens again, I will take apart the rotating part that contains the pawl and examine it. For now I am happy. This happened to me during a snow/ice storm. I raised the wipers by turning them on and then shut the car off to have them stop in an upright position. I did this to remove some of the snow and ice on my windshield. I have done this many times before without any problem. Hardest part is removing he wiper arms from the poles on which they are bolted. Springs on wipers work agains you. I know this is an old thread but if it helps someone, I am glad to post.

 

[tillermartin]

I have a 2001 Buick park Avenue and had this issue where the wipers would run fine when they were on but when you switch to off they go up then park in the middle of the windshield, I replaced the wiper motor and this problem stopped for about 7 months and then one day I switched them to off and they parked incorrectly in the middle, I would greatly appreciate if anyone had any info on this thanks!