Windscreen wiper question

[carlo]

Does anyone know, if I swap a windscreen wiper stalk with a variable wash wipe mechanism on it onto a car (same 405 model) without that facility, will it now have variable wipers?  Or is the variable bit controlled somewhere other than the stalk.

[cobblers]

Usually the relay controls the intermittent bit and the stalk tells the relay to do it. Find your wiper relay and if it's got a couple of 3.2mm pins as well as a few 6.3mm ones then it's probably got intermittent built in.

 

As an example, All (late) VW T25s have intermittent wipers from the factory, but there's a peg in the stalks that stops it selecting intermittent. Pull out the peg and it's enabled.

[Hendry]

Yeah usually need the relay and the stalk also, simple as that from what im told. 

 

Some cars however which dont have a scroll wheel or whatever on the wiper stalk itself sometimes have it and to activate it its something like move the stalk from the off position to the intermittent position then back to off again and then after the desired amount of time you wish there to be a delay of between sweeps, move it back to intermittent again. Vauxhalls like Corsa Cs and Ds and Astra Hs have this, while others like Omegas, high spec Vectra Bs, most Vectra Cs and any newer Vauxhall without the annoying wiper stalks have a scroller for adjusting the delay.

 

A lot of people used to retrofit it on Vauxhalls using an Omega wiper stalk but a VW variable intermittent relay, no idea why the VW relay and not the Omega one, but the VW relay was a commonly used one. 

[cobblers]

The VW "99" relay is ace, it's got an infinitely variable delay and it's really intuitive to set.

 

Click the wipers to intermittent for one wipe, then wait while the screen needs another wipe and turn them on. It measures the time and uses that as the delay, meaning the wipers are set absolutely perfectly.

I've fitted a 99 relay in my T25 but I've not got round to actually pulling the pin out of the stalks to enable intermittent yet.

[dollywobbler]

I fitted a 99 relay to one of my BXs. Was great, because it stopped it wiping the screen one time too many when you washed it as well. That was always a BX weakness. Ah yes, nice, clean windscreen. Oh, why have you wiped again. SCREEECH, SMEAR. Ugh. 

[Pillock]

I saw the title of this thread, looked over at the last person to reply, and completely wasn't surprised when it was Dollywobbler.

 

Wiperv.

[Hendry]

I fitted a 99 relay to one of my BXs. Was great, because it stopped it wiping the screen one time too many when you washed it as well. That was always a BX weakness. Ah yes, nice, clean windscreen. Oh, why have you wiped again. SCREEECH, SMEAR. Ugh. 

 

Yeah most bastard modern cars are bad for this single wipe after washing and wiping the screen has finished too. 

 

Should really put this in the stupid question amnesty, but what possible reason could they have for this single wipe after washing the screen?

[PhilA]

If you're sitting stationary in traffic and spray most of the washer bottle onto the screen, the remnants flicked up at the top will start to drool down. The second wipe catches and removes the excess.

[Guest Hooli]

^^^ That, it's often disabled above a set speed (12mph? comes to mind) I think the Saab does this.

[Noel Tidybeard]

If you're sitting stationary in traffic and spray most of the washer bottle onto the screen, the remnants flicked up at the top will start to drool down. The second wipe catches and removes the excess.allegedly

fify

[Pillock]

It's referred to as a Dribble Wipe and I quite like it, saves a manual flick to get rid of the leftovers.