1984 Fiero Delay Wipers (Page 1/1)
Tubman AUG 04, 04:52 PM
This is my first post. I took my late girlfriend's 1984 Fiero out of 30 years storage last year. Although the car has only 30K miles, everything had to be drained, cleaned, flushed, and refilled. I have just about everything working now except the windshield wipers. They work, but the delay seems to be inoperable and they will not "park". (They stop wherever they are when you turn them off.) I have been through all the relevant posts, and have learned that the delay board is under the dash in 1984 models, not on the wiper motor. I have looked for the life of me, and cannot find the delay board. I am now starting to wonder if the car even has delay wipers, I have the original "window sticker" and it has a line that says :

"CD4 WINDSHIELD WIPER CONT CYCLE 50.00"

I had always taken this to mean that the car had the optional delay wipers, but after re-reading it several times, I think that it means "CONTINUOUS CYCLE". Does anyone know if this is the option code for delay wipers or some other upgrade (though I can't imagine what it would be).

As I stated above, I cannot locate the delay board. I just received one, and it looks just like the one pictured in another thread on the subject Part Number (15598496). Is it possible that this car does not have delay wipers? Here is a picture I took, and it sure looks like the board I have would fit between the two connectors shown.



Also, is the "park" function in this board, or in the wiper motor? The car has the Delay on the stalk, but it looks like it doesn't have the board. Will putting a board between those two connector add the "Delay" function?

I am totally confused; I would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you.

BTW, this is a very early car, delivered in November 1983.

[This message has been edited by Tubman (edited 08-04-2022).]

Mike in Sydney AUG 04, 06:49 PM
Could be the switch or the wiper control board. I had a similar problem and replace the board to correct the problem. On my '86 GT, the control board in in the front trunk (frunk) in front of the driver on the firewall. You can replace the capacitors on the board or get replacements from Dorman at Summit Racking, Rock Auto, Advance Auto, Pep Boys, etc. The part description / number is Dorman Wiper Pulse Board 906-109.

BTW, the cost of control boards have gone absolutely stupid as the boards get more rare. When I bought mine a few years back, the cost was around $40.00 USD. They are now around $160.00 USD at Summit Racing. The boards were used by GM on several models.

[This message has been edited by Mike in Sydney (edited 08-05-2022).]

theogre AUG 04, 07:40 PM
My guess does not have AC, Tilt Steering wheel, or anything....

No Park could be iffy switch in the column, switch in the motor, or wiring problems.
When turn off, you actually turn low speed then motor park switch stops when hits park spot.

But this is wired "Backward" getting power from the motor switch then column switch then to motor again.

The motor switch can wear out, the grease in it can get "hard" keeping the switch to work, etc.

I think the motor switch is in the gear head that prevents wear but iffy grease can cause several problems.
Note: if remove the grease, is not "normal" grease to suspension etc that "eats" plastic and rubber parts.

Most times I never remove the grease because most never moves. Plus is hard to find right grease in most places.
Just remove whatever crap, careful clean/fix the switch, then move "fresh" grease to lube the gear teeth etc.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

Tubman AUG 05, 03:35 PM
It's getting worse. Today, removed the wiper motor to see if I could solve the "park" problem. When I got it out, I found that the cover is riveted on. I'll drill them out and see what I have, but I thought I better check and see if a new one was available in case I screw something up. I found this listing for an original AC Delco motor on Rock Auto :


ACDELCO 88961296 {22049815, 22062915} GM Original Equipment Info
Front; EXCEPT Pulse Wiper (CD4) [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty]

Notice the "Pulse Wiper (CD4)"? That's the code on my window sticker. so it looks like the car was delivered with delay wiper. I still can't find the pulse module under the dash (it's not in the front compartment on an '84), but it sure looks like the one I have would plug between the connectors shown in my photo. On top of that, the aftermarket vendors do not show different wiper motors like the GM listing (BTW, the part number on mine is "22021616" that doesn't match anything, although it's close to the AC Delco numbers..

I hope someone out there knows something about this, because I don't want to start experimenti8ng and maybe burn something up.
armos AUG 24, 04:15 PM
There are 2 types of wiper motors covering all Fieros. The "delay" version and the "non delay" version.

The 84 only uses the "non-delay" wiper motor. The delay function is external on 84s, that feature is provided by the pulse module that goes under the dash.
So even if your car came with delay wipers, it still uses the "non-delay" motor.

The pulse module inserts into the middle of the wiring harness between the column and the wiper motor. It certainly looks to me like it should go where you took that picture, but I don't have my 84 anymore to check.


I have an 86 with the "delay" type wiper motor, but I swapped a 1984 column into it, which contains the 1984 delay wiper switch (7 wires). I overlooked the 1984 pulse module so it's missing, as it appears to be with your car.
So basically my situation is the same as what would happen if you were to put a "delay" motor in your 84.
There are signalling incompatibilities. Delay doesn't work, high only works for 7 swipes and then it stops. Low works fine. Single pulse works. It does not park properly.

[This message has been edited by armos (edited 08-24-2022).]

Tubman SEP 05, 04:54 PM
Well, after a month of screwing around, I think I have (partially, at least) solved my problems. First there was the wiper "Park" function not working. I traced that doen to an open in the bulkhead connector. I ran a jumper from the power return on the motor to the wiper switch connection, and the "Park" function started working normally. I am a C2 Corvette guy, and really did not want to get into GM bulkhead connector problems on this deal, so I ran a permanent jumper to that circuit, bypassing the bulkhead connector, all nice and tidy. That left the "Delay" not functioning. I looked around and finally found the proper "Delay" board, and paid way more than I should have for it. It fit perfectly into the connectors shown on my previous post, but did absolutely nothing. The "delay" function simply does not work. I reviewed the service records we had meticulously kept since the car was new and found no instances where any work was done on the wiper system on this car, and I certainly would have remembered if I had done something. This left me in a quandary, wondering if the "delay" wipers had ever worked. My late girlfriend never drove it in bad weather (she had subsequently bought a new '85 Dodge pickup with "Monster Mudders") and left this thing in the garage most of the time. I have decided that since there is no simple fix (and I was unsure if the "Delay" wipers had ever worked), I will leave well enough alone. Both wiper speeds work and now "Park" correctly, and the washers function properly as well. I'm leaving this mystery for the next proud owner.
Fitz301 SEP 05, 05:30 PM
If you want to know if it has delay wipers, just look at the turn signal stem and that will tell you one way or the other, if it has a "delay range" to set when you turn it, then it has delay wipers.

If you're still confused, go look at the wiper module at RockAuto.com, if you see this under your dash somewhere, then you have delay wipers, if not, then you don't.

Sounds like you're trying to overcomplicate things...


quote
Originally posted by Tubman:

It's getting worse. Today, removed the wiper motor to see if I could solve the "park" problem. When I got it out, I found that the cover is riveted on. I'll drill them out and see what I have, but I thought I better check and see if a new one was available in case I screw something up. I found this listing for an original AC Delco motor on Rock Auto :


ACDELCO 88961296 {22049815, 22062915} GM Original Equipment Info
Front; EXCEPT Pulse Wiper (CD4) [Wholesaler Closeout -- 30 Day Warranty]

Notice the "Pulse Wiper (CD4)"? That's the code on my window sticker. so it looks like the car was delivered with delay wiper. I still can't find the pulse module under the dash (it's not in the front compartment on an '84), but it sure looks like the one I have would plug between the connectors shown in my photo. On top of that, the aftermarket vendors do not show different wiper motors like the GM listing (BTW, the part number on mine is "22021616" that doesn't match anything, although it's close to the AC Delco numbers..

I hope someone out there knows something about this, because I don't want to start experimenti8ng and maybe burn something up.
Mike in Sydney SEP 05, 06:42 PM
Did you check out the turn signal stalk? they ae relatively easy to replace and don't cost a lot of money. a broken or unplugged connector could be your issue as well the rotate to delay knob on the stalk.