1998 S70 windshield wipers not working

babadoeke · Post by **babadoeke** » 19 Apr 2011, 11:59

I just replaced my alternator and had my battery charged (slow trickle charged it to 'rebalance' the acids in the fuel cells). Now I just got my car back and the windshield wipers don't work. I don't hear any motor when I turn them on. I already checked the fuse and that's fine. Is it the wiper motor that went bad? And why all of sudden after my alternator was replaced?

Thanks in advance.

VolvoTurbo850 · Post by **VolvoTurbo850** » 19 Apr 2011, 20:33

You need to remove the cover under the blades to see if it is working or not.

I would also determine if your windshield washer lever is working. Pull it forward so you can see if it is in sequence with the headlight wipers.

If not then check the motor and the wiper transmission... spray some lubricant in the joints or whack it with a rubber mallet. They sometimes stick when sitting around.

Post by **jblackburn** » 19 Apr 2011, 23:31

Don't overlook the simple things - check fuses first!

babadoeke · Post by **babadoeke** » 30 Aug 2012, 12:20

Just a follow up over a year later:
The shop said we had a bad motor and of course wanted to charge about 200 bucks to replace it. So my husband replaces the motor himself (found a $20 motor from a scrap yard) and the wipers still didn't work. Turns out the wiper switch was disconnected! And this switch couldn't have accidentally come undone (it wasn't loose). My husband simply snapped it back in place and voila, the wipers worked. We find it very suspicious that this happened the day we got it back from the shop, especially considering how adamant they were that it was the wiper motor that failed. Did they not even check the switch? We paid for that crap diagnostic as well. We now don't trust our mechanic.

madspeed50 · Post by **madspeed50** » 30 Aug 2012, 12:21

that sucks. lotsa crooks out there

Sent from my rooted, rommed Galaxy Nexus....