70 Plymouth Three Speed Wipers

[MoparHonda]

I have a '70 Plymouth GTX with the factory three speed wipers....

Got caught in rain coming home from a cruise, turned the wipers on to low speed. All worked well. Turned up to medium speed, wipers really sped up. Turned up to high speed, no change in wiper speed.

So, seems that medium and high speed are the same on my car, I suspect that the medium setting on the switch speed is actually engaging high speed.

What could be wrong?

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Hmmm....maybe, that would explain it for sure. You might check the connection at the bulkhead disconnect (clean & plug back in tight, maybe push connectors forward with a tiny screwdriver too).

 

[dadsbee]

Dirty switch contacts..

 

[MoparHonda]

Thank you, PurpleBeeper and Dad'sBee.

I'll check the bulkhead connector, had some problems with another part of that before....

How would I go about cleaning the wiper switch contacts? I'm assuming the wiper switch is a sealed unit, it cannot be opened. (I have not actually looked at the switch, it's still in the car.)

 

[dadsbee]

Not sure if you can get in behind the dash enough, but I would try first. Spray can of contact cleaner and stream it in an upper gap in the switch housing and then flip the switch on and off numerous times... battery disconnected while doing so.

 

[MoparHonda]

Thank you, Dad'sBee, I'll give that a try.

 

[BubbaMope]

I have a '70 Plymouth GTX with the factory three speed wipers....



Just curious, has it ever worked with all 3 speeds? I have a 70 Belvedere with an LA engine. I want to convert to a 3 speed wiper motor because the 2 speed motor doesn't clear over most distributors. I don't take her out in the rain but do need wipers to pass state inspection. As long as I have 2 speeds I'm cool with it, I'd just like the clearance to broaden ignition options. (I'm done with MSD distributors...) All that to say did somebody maybe convert your car from 2 to 3?

 

[kiwigtx]

@MoparHonda - check the can of Electrical Contact cleaner BEFORE using it - make sure it is safe on plastics. Not all contact cleaners are safe to spray anywhere and everywhere. Some will harm plastics and other sensitive materials.

 

[dadsbee]

Come'on Roger, what happened to living dangerously!!.. but you're right, some suck for that.. but shouldn't considering most contacts are in plastic holders!

 

[kiwigtx]

Come'on Roger, what happened to living dangerously!!.. but you're right, some suck for that.. but shouldn't considering most contacts are in plastic holders!

When you've seen switches and circuit boards melt in your hands.....you'll understand my caution.

 

[MoparHonda]

Thank you very much for the warning, I'll be sure to check this for compatibility with plastic. I can try on a junk switch, see what happens.

No idea if this ever worked before, I've had the car five years, only used the wipers once before, didn't notice it the time before.