Wipers no longer working - where should I start trouble shooting first?

Question

Car is a Mk1 Golf/Rabbit.

When I first bought the car, only the high-speed wiper setting and windscreen washer jet functions worked. The wipers also did not park automatically.

A few months ago I lost the windscreen washer jet (I thought it was the pump and replaced it but still nothing).

A few days ago I lost the high-speed setting too.

I checked the fuses - nothing wrong there.

I suspect, since the issue is both with the wipers and windscreen washer jet, that the problem is in the stalk itself, but wanted to ask if there was anything in particular I should be looking for before I dive in? It feels odd, too, that I should lose these functions incrementally.

Many thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Everything you're stating would lead me to believe the problem lies in the stalk. Losing them incrementally may seem weird, however, you've also got to remember, if one part of the stalk is going bad, it's really easy for the next part (contacts or whatever) to go bad. The switch is just failing.

You should be able to check the function of the wiper motor by bridging the relay. Direct power should kick it on. If the washer and wiper motor are powered directly through the stalk, you should be able to pull the wiring at the wiper motor side and apply power directly there to check it. Just make sure you've got the polarity correct. You can put a multimeter set to ohms and check to see which wire provides ground. Do this with the vehicle power off or you run the risk of blowing your multimeter.