Wipers not working

[2dog]

I have a 98 Chevy pickup K1500. Sometimes the wipers won't work, when I turn them on I can hear the motor running. If I grab hold of one of the wipers and move them a bit they start working. Any ideas what this could be? Thanks.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Sounds like something may be binding, I would guess that you hear the hum of the motor but not the usual rhythmic noise that it makes? Just too make sure nothing is binding I would disconnect the motor from the wiper linkage and then move them by hand. If everything seems smooth than I would look carefully at the wiper motor to see if there is any corrosion that may be causing it to bind.

There are two other common problems with these style wiper motors, it may not be a bad idea to check these out as well. First when it happens again wiggle the main plug in. Push, pull, twist and be fairly aggressive. If it starts working I would have to say the pulse module has failed. These are more common than anything else. If that doesn't work tap the motor lightly with a hammer. If it starts working the motor needs to be replaced.

[Shack]

I am not a huge Chevy guy but,

First guess would be wiper motor transmission. I am not sure if it is part of the motor or separate on a Chevy.

Also, check the hold down nuts form the wiper arms. A shot in the dark, but always a good, easy starting point.

Good luck!

[2dog]

Airjer, Yeah it is the hum of the motor I hear. Thanks for the tips guy, I will check those out tomorrow. How hard of a job is it to replace the wiper motor?

[Dozer]

I had a 97 that did the same thing. There was a recall on the wiper moter that took care of it. I would assume a 98 uses the same moter as a 97.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Unplug the big connector. Remove three bolts (10mm), Remove the nut (13mm i think) that holds the linkage to the wiper motor notating where everything lines up.

The new motor can come with a pulse module (more expensive) or not (less expensive). If not you will have to remove the three torx srews and swap the pulse boards.

Before attatching the linkage to the new motor plug it in and have somebody turn it on then off to make sure it is parked in the same posisition the old one was! Then unplug it, hook up the linkage, reinstall the three bolts, and cross your fingers!