'02 tj, 4.0L, 5 spd manual, hard top. my rear wiper switch caught on fire yesterday as i was driving down the hiway. fortunately, i had just had my buddy's tj dash apart 1 hr. before. i quickly pulled over and tore my dash apart to find my rear wiper switch blazing. what could cause this short circuit?
electrical fire
- Thread starter t-rav_12
- Start date
wow, that's rough, glad you caught it in time.
Were you using the switch, or did it just go up on it's own? I believe that there is power to the washer, power to the wiper, and illumination for the switch itself. Did you happen to turn your lights on before the fire?
Were you using the switch, or did it just go up on it's own? I believe that there is power to the washer, power to the wiper, and illumination for the switch itself. Did you happen to turn your lights on before the fire?
SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
Check the rear wiper motor and make sure its not stuck. It could also be a hard short on the brown/ pink wire from fuse # 6. Although that fuse should have blown if the short occured on that circuit.
SteelHeadz, is contact #1 (inside rear wiper motor) the rear wiper relay? my xj has a relay clipped to the outside of the rear wiper motor, but i didn't see this familiar setup on my tj? i found no relay between the switch and motor?
Terry, i THINK my lights were on, due to the inclement weather we had last weekend, but i wasn't using my wiper. my bro was messing with my lighter while i was shifting gears and i suspect he may have bumped the switch on by accident (i've done it before). i'm thinking the wiper was frozen to the window, and the switch was left on for an extended period of time. immobile motor causes power to backfeed to switch, thereby burning it up. but why didn't my motor/phantom motor relay burn up? why didn't my fuse pop? i've since replaced the switch and everything works fine, but i still haven't found the CAUSE of the original switch failure.
Terry, i THINK my lights were on, due to the inclement weather we had last weekend, but i wasn't using my wiper. my bro was messing with my lighter while i was shifting gears and i suspect he may have bumped the switch on by accident (i've done it before). i'm thinking the wiper was frozen to the window, and the switch was left on for an extended period of time. immobile motor causes power to backfeed to switch, thereby burning it up. but why didn't my motor/phantom motor relay burn up? why didn't my fuse pop? i've since replaced the switch and everything works fine, but i still haven't found the CAUSE of the original switch failure.
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SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
No, that pin 1 on the illustration inside the motor is the park position of the motor. The pin out diagram of the connections are these:
REAR WIPER MOTOR (HARD TOP) - BLACK 3 WAY
CAVCIRCUITFUNCTION1V23 18BR/PKFUSED IGNITION SWITCH OUTPUT (RUN)2Z1 16BKGROUND3V13 18BK/LGREAR WIPER MOTOR CONTROL
REAR WIPER MOTOR (HARD TOP) - BLACK 3 WAY
CAVCIRCUITFUNCTION1V23 18BR/PKFUSED IGNITION SWITCH OUTPUT (RUN)2Z1 16BKGROUND3V13 18BK/LGREAR WIPER MOTOR CONTROL
i do not see a relay inline between switch and motor. is C203, C204 and G302 the switch? i'm sorry, the electrical prints i use at work are drawn differently. i'm not familiar with these "C" and "S" numbers. could you help me understand this print better, please?
thanx - travis
thanx - travis
SteelHeadz
Super Moderator
"C" represents connectors, "S" represents splices, "G" represents grounds. Yes , the C203 and 204 and G302 goes to the switch. Notice that the C204 turns into C322 coming out from the switch to the fuse block.
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