today i went through my first drive through car wash (for lack of time to hand wash at home) and about 3/4 through, my windshield wipers came on spontaneously. i tried flipping their lever back and forth to try to turn them off. i finally reached a spot where i was going to dry off my runner, turned off my ignition (they stopped), then finished drying it. i got back in the car, and began to leave. they just wouldn't turn off! i parked my truck and decided to just pull the fuse to at least make it back home without ruining my wipers and possibly scratching my front windshield. ever since i put my qform kick panels in, i hadn't kept my fuse diagram in my vehicle, so i had to call for a ride to go home and pick it up. i picked it up, went back, and successfully pulled the fuse. the endless wiping seized. i replaced the fuse, and everything went back to normal.

what kind of problem am i experiencing? i really wouldn't like this to happen again in the future in a situation where i can't get down to pull the fuse!

this has happened to me before, but in a less severe way. it used to be that after i had them on for a while when it was raining, it would take a bit of messing with to shut them off (OCCASIONALLY).

i have a 1991 4runner v6 auto 4wd (3.slow )

 

I'm having the same problem with my 93 Toyota pickup. sometimes they just wont turn off, I didn't think about a fuse being messed up until i read this post but instead, i pulled the harness to the wiper motor on the firewall. The wiper controls worked before, Now they don't. It's pretty annoying, I'd like to get it fixed.

 

Same Problem 93 4-runner wipers come automaticly in the rain or really wet roads then wont shut off until dried. any help would be great...thanks!

~B~

 

You did not way what vehicle you're working on. Not this?

Seriously...

Your wiper motor OR wiper relay could be getting wet and shorting inside. If you have first-gen MoreFunner, there is constant 12V from the wiper fuse going to the wiper motor.

Same could happen with your wiper relay, too. IF you have first-gen, it is behind the kick panel on passenger side. Splashing water could get in there if grommets penetrating the panels are not sealed week. Windshield leak could also drip there.

Inspect both ^^^ and do something to keep it(them) from getting wet when it rains.

 

I have a First Gen with the same prob and was at a loss about where to start with this one. I will get back with results.

 

It was freakin easy . . .
I had set aside a Saturday to chase down the problem and a guy at work mentioned the windshield washer / wiper . . . I had pulled the fuse so I could drive the Runner while I figured out what the problem was. Anyway, on the way home I looked down at the little push button on the end of the wiper control and the button was stuck in! I touched it and it snapped back into place . . . when I got home I replaced the fuse and everything worked perfect.

 

There is a wire in the steering column harness that is prone to short out and cause the wipers to run constantly. I would recommend disconnecting the wide flat steering column harness that runs along the bottom of the steering column and check inside both connecters. One time I also found corroded connecters on the back of the wiper switch. There was corrosion between two of the soldered wires that caused a short and made the wiper run continuously. I cleaned them and have been working fine for 6 months now.

 

Guess almost 2 yrs later i see this reply. Sorry about that! The truck info is 93 4runner with the v6. Still have the issue however luckly its not my daily. ill look into the rely and wiper relay. Thanks.