98 V70. Headlight wipes mind of their own

[stephansvolvo]

So they work which is good. Just need new blades. I will go into work and ones up by the time I get home it's in a different position. I've repositioned them again and again. Any thoughts on what's going on? Thanks

[cn90]

I disconnect them on the same day I bought the car.
- D/C the electrical connector.
- Clamp the windshield fluid hose that feeds the HL washer.

This is basically a worthless feature even in new car. Many many brand-new cars (Honda, Toyota etc.) come from factory w/o this feature.

[jimmy57]

There is a protection resistor inside the motor that fails. It is there to prevent motor burnout if the wipers froze to headlamps or were otherwise blocked from moving. The connection gets bad and the motor will run partway and stop. Once key is off and the protection resistor cools then the next time key is on it will move again.
The motors are tough to get off but they can be fixed by prying open the case and replacing the resistors with a folded piece of aluminum foil or other conductor material.

European cars have this feature as it goes with the Scandinavian policy to spread ashes and other less corrosive and less environmentally offensive things on roads to make them tractive and thaw ice and snow. The ashes will accumulate on lenses and block the lamp output. People living in Colorado understand this well.
Cheap simple cars like Toyotas of the past didn't always keep up with all the features put on other models. I don't know if Toyota and Lexus have squirters now used on plastic lamps of the makes still fitting this feature (you can't wipe the plastic ones without damage).

[cn90]

Thanks jimmy57 for the European info.

When I bought the car, it ate windshield juice so fast that I had to disable the HL wiper system.
Newer Euro models (BMW, MB) had the nozzle to clean the HL lens. But no wiper thingy.

The 2 problems I have with this design:
- The wiper thingy: if not properly maintained, can damage the lens.
- The juice consumption issue.

I wish Volvo has a separate button for the main windshield washer and another one for the HL system.

[abscate]

The bolt can get loose in which case the wiper arms won't stop in the park position. My 1999 headlight wipers work great.

[Ozark Lee]

Volvo Forums UK has a decent - and humorous - writeup on some of the common problems with the headlight wipers and how to fix them. The left side is real easy to get to but the right hand side is more of a bear since there is more crap in the way.

...Lee