Wipers work on their own / 7-seat kit wanted

[Bolide]

Wipers work on their own

1995 E300 Diesel estate: wipers go off on their own, either into intermittent mode or slow speed. I think jiggling the multifunction stalk appears to trigger it but I'm not 100% sure. Whatever's happening it's powering up the wiper circuit in some way - in reverse, if the wipers are doing their thing the rear wiper goes as well, as it should do

I suspect it's the MF stalk. Is this a plug-in part or do the cables have to be soldered to it? Anyone got one or can suggest a price?

- Just checked my Bentley and, in the USA at least, Relay H is a combination relay that controls the turn signal, HRW, hazards & wiper motor. I'll swop the relay for a known-good one as a first step in working this out


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[wireman]

This similar electrical fault occurred on my 190d (the screen washer also played up and to top it off the seat belt warning lamp flashed erraticaly), I changed the fuse box for a complete cure (Easy apart from accessing the ground strap behind the dash board).
I do not know if the same applies to yours but:-
The combination relay has electronic "sensitive" inputs and the fuse box/electrical interconnection unit has lots of spaces inside it for water ingress. The spaces should be potted up with resin, but on my old unit there were gaps.
Using my DVM and decoding the Haynes wiring diagrams I found leakage paths between circuits that should have no relationship at all, these paths had resistances in the region of 2K to 400K ohms.
Oven drying and filling the old box with waxoil was a partial cure.
When I got the car there was no clip to hold down the fuse box top cover and I presume that was how the fuse box got all filthy and wet. The local breaker had a spare for £15.

 

[Bolide]

Dodgy wipers

Just had this done:

* new stalk £35 + VAT, Mercman (02380 784444)
* diagnosis & fitting about £80, Car Electrics Brighton (01273 509813)

I thought it was the multifunction relay but oh no... I would have done it myself but I don't play with airbags and Car Electrics were much too cheap to bother doing it


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk