air conditioning and wipers

[penciltester]

And on to the next issue/issues.

So I went to turn on my wipers and nothing. I checked the fuse, it was fine. I then found the wires running from the steering column and jiggled them, the wipers came on. Awesome, but then they wouldn't shut off until I turned the car off. Loose connection pressing up against another connection causing an always powered on once activated? Thoughts?

Also noticed all of my air conditioning settings work except for speed 3. There is also a hiss when I shut it off.

And no air blows through the vent unless I have the car running. Is this normal?

Thanks in advance

[DMCMW Dave]

And on to the next issue/issues.

So I went to turn on my wipers and nothing. I checked the fuse, it was fine. I then found the wires running from the steering column and jiggled them, the wipers came on. Awesome, but then they wouldn't shut off until I turned the car off. Loose connection pressing up against another connection causing an always powered on once activated? Thoughts?

Also noticed all of my air conditioning settings work except for speed 3. There is also a hiss when I shut it off.

And no air blows through the vent unless I have the car running. Is this normal?

Thanks in advance

1 - something flaky in the wiper delay box. If you take both plugs off the delay box and plug them together you can eliminate it for now. If that doesn't do it there may be a bad connection at the wiper switch or a bad switch.

2 - Probably a bad speed switch.

3 - Yes. Engine vacuum is needed to move the flaps, and the default rest position is air out the floor. Normal people don't run the fan with the engine off so you'd never notice.

[David T]

And on to the next issue/issues.

So I went to turn on my wipers and nothing. I checked the fuse, it was fine. I then found the wires running from the steering column and jiggled them, the wipers came on. Awesome, but then they wouldn't shut off until I turned the car off. Loose connection pressing up against another connection causing an always powered on once activated? Thoughts?

Also noticed all of my air conditioning settings work except for speed 3. There is also a hiss when I shut it off.

And no air blows through the vent unless I have the car running. Is this normal?

Thanks in advance

Troubleshoot each as a separate, unrelated trouble. No #3 speed is going to be a bad switch, bad connection, or bad relay. The hiss means the mode switch needs to be rebuilt.

[Jonathan]

+1 on the issues being unrelated and needing separate troubleshooting.

For the wipers, just a thought... how would you describe staying always on? In a slow always on way, or fast and kinda violent?

Reason I ask is that the intermittent/delay timing of the wipers on our wonderful cars is a bit odd to say the least. When you push the wiper stalk up once it goes to always on slow. Push it up to the second click and it goes to always on fast AKA a bit violent if you ask me. Pushing down on the wiper stalk makes them wipe once. Or so you would hope. It also engages the delayed speed, which is slower than the always on slow. So instead of going back and forth back and forth, in the delayed slow it goes back and forth but then sits there for a few moments before going back and forth again. It is a bit goofy to either get it to turn on or off from this delayed slow mode. If you give it a good firm press down and then release, it tends to work best. Pressing down and holding it there for a moment tends to have it go into which ever mode it feels like, either the single wipe only or the delayed slow one.

I was just thinking that if you weren't familiar with this special design feature we all get to enjoy, you might have misinterpreted it for being broken. Cause it might not be broken at all... just exactly as was intended!! Also what Dave S said about plugging the two ends directly into each other. This will remove the delay function altogether which for how much many of us drive in the rain, it isn't too much of a problem.

[Dangermouse]

I was just thinking that if you weren't familiar with this special design feature we all get to enjoy, you might have misinterpreted it for being broken. Cause it might not be broken at all... just exactly as was intended!! Also what Dave S said about plugging the two ends directly into each other. This will remove the delay function altogether which for how much many of us drive in the rain, it isn't too much of a problem.

"design feature" :shhh: lol

That was standard euro design back then, but definitely out of step with operations today.

[penciltester]

Thanks for the info guys.

By the way, this was the first day I actually took this car out and around town........and it was GREAT!!!

I have only owned hand me down 4 cylinder "beaters" all my life and this was a heck of a lot of fun. First stick shift to. I was thinking you guys might have exaggerated the constant attention these cars get but I was wrong. I learned that running errands in this thing takes twice the time because of constant; can I sit in it, can I take a picture, how much would you take for it, where's the flux capacitor, etc....

Anyway thanks again, you guys are always a great help.