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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Discuss problems you have had or are having with your Z4
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IAmOrion
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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by IAmOrion » Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:04 pm

I've been having a problem with my wipers - but thanks to fairly decent weather I'd kept forgetting to ask about it... until today when it's p****d it down non-stop since silly o'clock this morning.

So it may be entirely coincidental, but the problems (At least, the home position problem) started just after I fitted new wiper blades...

Having just re-done my research I'm planning on giving this a go: viewtopic.php?t=55535 as it sounds like that could very well be my issue...

But that still leaves me wondering about the wiper speed which I only noticed today. It seems no matter what position the wiper stalk is at, they go full pelt. Even the intermittent position (where you then 'roll' the other bit to choose the timing) goes full pelt.

Is that just a relay problem (I've seen a few similar posts so guessing) or could it be something else?

Some obligatory pics:
(PS: Not driving!! I'd just dropped my brother off at his mates, so was kerb side, outside his house, about to leave)
IMG_0330.jpeg
IMG_0330.jpeg (242.53 KiB) Viewed 1790 times
IMG_0331.jpeg
IMG_0331.jpeg (282.08 KiB) Viewed 1790 times
Sometimes they'll stop even higher!! I was on the motorway the other day and it was very lightly spitting, so I just pushed the stalk down for manual wipe, and because of the speed I was travelling they almost half bloody way up!!

The weirdest thing, is that when I pull the lever to wash the windows, the wipers goes at the normal speed and *almost* return home perfectly - may be half an inch up from where they should be. It's only like the pics when I'm using the wipers normally (so not washing the screen)
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euaniebabs
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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by euaniebabs » Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:28 pm

I had similar symptoms.

Spent a while removing wiper drive, cleaning the rotating contacts and reassembled with no improvement whatsoever.

Changed the control relay behind glove box fuse panel and problem instantly resolved. I think I posted some pictures a while back.

Relay was dirty and worn and taking a fraction of a second to disengage, allowing the wipers to move beyond park before stopping. The more sticky the relay, the higher the wipers park. Simply replaced it - easy once the fuse box is removed.

Euan

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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by IAmOrion » Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:34 pm

euaniebabs wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:28 pm I had similar symptoms.

Spent a while removing wiper drive, cleaning the rotating contacts and reassembled with no improvement whatsoever.

Changed the control relay behind glove box fuse panel and problem instantly resolved. I think I posted some pictures a while back.

Relay was dirty and worn and taking a fraction of a second to disengage, allowing the wipers to move beyond park before stopping. The more sticky the relay, the higher the wipers park. Simply replaced it - easy once the fuse box is removed.

Euan
Great, thanks for the info - from memory, the relay is in the clear box, with black lid (I think 4 torx screw) at the back of the car, right hand side (when stood in front, facing the windscreen).

I think I'll get prices and if it's cheap enough I might give that a go before I started pulling stuff apart (The relay is the easiest to to)
NO LONGER OWN A Z4 SO NOT AS ACTIVE HERE ANYMORE (IF AT ALL).
I STILL OFFER FREE CARLY CODING & EWS KEY/TRANSPONDER CODING AT MY HOME
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euaniebabs
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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by euaniebabs » Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:43 pm


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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by IAmOrion » Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:48 pm

euaniebabs wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:43 pm viewtopic.php?f=3&t=91275&p=1351417&hil ... y#p1351417
Thanks for the info - but harder to get to than I thought (since I though it was somewhere else) but still easier than faffing around removing wipers, so will give this a go first. Since the relay controls the speeds to (I Assume) this may be where my fault lies entirely
NO LONGER OWN A Z4 SO NOT AS ACTIVE HERE ANYMORE (IF AT ALL).
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mr nurburgring
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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by mr nurburgring » Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:14 pm

My z used to do this, I fixed it by cleaning all the grease out of the wiper motor contacts with brake cleaner and re lubricating with a non conductive grease, molycote. Problem solved and this was about 4 years ago.

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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by mjennings23 » Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:23 am

Same issues here and the relay was the culprit. In honesty I just swapped it over with the adjacent one for fog lights, as no doubt that one has hardly seen any use!

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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by IAmOrion » Mon Oct 15, 2018 4:24 pm

mjennings23 wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:23 am Same issues here and the relay was the culprit. In honesty I just swapped it over with the adjacent one for fog lights, as no doubt that one has hardly seen any use!
Fair play - I've ordered a relay as I think that's the easiest fix attempt first and was only £10. If that fails I'll have a go at the de-greasing method
NO LONGER OWN A Z4 SO NOT AS ACTIVE HERE ANYMORE (IF AT ALL).
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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by IAmOrion » Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:58 pm

Just to update: my relay arrived today... fitted it and now the wipers home perfectly :D 8)

Now..... it didn’t however seem to fix the wiper speeds. Am I being thick? Is there another part else where controlling speed etc?
NO LONGER OWN A Z4 SO NOT AS ACTIVE HERE ANYMORE (IF AT ALL).
I STILL OFFER FREE CARLY CODING & EWS KEY/TRANSPONDER CODING AT MY HOME
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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by Dean'o » Wed Mar 23, 2022 7:41 pm

Not sure how old this post is but mine do exactly the same, cleaned motor connection and changed relay but still only got intermittent and normal speed

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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by SonnyA85 » Thu Mar 24, 2022 11:37 am

Relay solved all my wiper issues. It's a simple and easy effective fix

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Window Wipers Speed & Home Position problem

Post by Mr_E85Bim » Tue Aug 15, 2023 2:01 pm

I have the same issue! Cleaned motor of grease and replaced the relay. Fuse seems fine. Still the manual wash wipe is not working correctly. It only sprays water but won't wipe. I have to push stalk down afterwards to wipe. Also, the wipers seem to go at just one speed when I push stork upwards. Only wiping the windscreen more often :headbang:

Did anyone get to the bottom of this?

Cheers

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