jb9

Hello,

I am in the middle of a winter storm cycle here in Idaho and I need some help. I just moved my truck to do some shoveling and I inadvertently knocked the windshield wiper control. The wiper blades were probably frozen. Did I just completely screw myself? The wipers won't turn on now. I really need my truck. Is the system designed so that the fuse blows first? I have the factory service manual which I am going to look at now but I'm panicking... Homesteading here. Where is the wiper motor? Is it buried under the dashboard? Any initial triage guidance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

old87yota

The wiper system does not like being frozen to the windshield, as you probably found out.

Do you hear anything when you turn on the wipers? Any noise coming from the wiper motor?

You could have a blown fuse or stripped out gears in the wiper assembly.

Can you move the wipers by hand? You are not supposed to, but if you do, it is likely some gears have stripped or linkage is no longer connected to the motor.

The wiper fuse is in the inside fuse box behind the left kick panel. I believe it is the middle fuse of the 9, not counting the spares.

The wiper motor itself is on the right side of the vehicle on the firewall (on the left side if you open the hood and look towards the firewall, assuming a standard U.S. Truck).

jb9

Ok. I cannot move the wipers by hand. They are still linked (jiggle one... both jiggle).

jb9

The left kick panel is the inside of the truck on the passenger side?

old87yota

Driver's side.

See this thread: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...pickup-300221/

jb9

No noise at all when I turn on the wiper system.

jb9

Got it. I will look at the driver's side and try to find the fuses. Are the extras in a certain location?

se7enine

iTrader: (2)

I did this on my Tacoma. Started the truck and the wipers were still on from the previous night. They got caught up on my windshield cover. Wouldn't work once they free'ed up. Pulled fuse and put back and all was working again.

old87yota

The spare fuses are the two on the top left side, as shown in the diagram in the thread I posted. There should be two spares from the factory, however who knows if they are still there in your truck or if they are the correct value.

Never install "a bigger fuse" than what is supposed to go in there!

jb9

Thanks old87yota. It was the fuse. I pulled it out and the fuse clearly had blown (which is great). I headed down to the hardware store and picked up a new one. Wipers are back to working properly again. What do you recommend an '87 owner ought to keep around for spares? I am putting a rockauto order together and I might pick up some 15A fuses and maybe other sizes.

Once again, thanks to all the helpful folks here on this forum! You guys are great!

RAD4Runner

Glad you got it fixed quickly, jb9!.

I'd get a couple of each amp rating. Should be good enough.
Do as I say, not as I do, because (GUILTY here- LOL!) I have not bought a spares fuse kit since I bought my truck in 2012 - LOL!

jb9

Copy that RAD4Runner! I've got five each of 7.5, 15 and 20 Amps coming from Rock Auto for 5 bucks! And I'm actually never starting my truck again until I free up and scrape the wipers! What a boneheaded move... I'm 6' 4" and my muck boots are size 14 so you can imagine how I managed to bump something getting into my truck. Feels like I dodged a bullet!

old87yota

I am glad you got the wipers working again with a simple fix!

It is nice to know that the OEM wiper system is pretty stout, most other cars usually strip the gears before blowing a fuse.

Yes, having a few spare fuses of each amperage rating is good to have.

It is easy to bump just about anything in that truck with your height. It is like me trying to move my mom's car without adjusting the seat.

RAD4Runner

LOL! LOL!
(Gotta repeat, else site says "LOL" is too short a comment