I have an 85 4runner that has the intermittent wiper controls on the wiper switch (steering column) but does not seem to have the intermittent relay (passenger kick panel), but rather a plug in harness with a bypass wire that clearly is factory . I assume that it was a base model that did not have the intermittent option.

Question: If I buy the relay ($260 retail) will I have intermittent wipers? The wipers currently do nothing in position one (intermittent position) and work appropriately in position 2 (slow) and position 3 (fast).

Any suggestions on where to get the part cheaper?

Thanks for your input.

 

Man, $260 for a relay? What is it gold plated? A relay is a relay. Just depends on what amperage you are controlling. I personally would bypass the relay with a circuit breaker and see if you have intermittent wipers. Get a wiring diagram and you can find out exactly what you are looking for/at.

-Wrench

 

Shoot me an email/PM tomorrow and I'll look it up for you in my FSM and see what you need.

My 85 4Runner has intermittent wipers.

 

i have an 85 pickup, there is no intermittent wiper system... just off, on, and faster

 

A quick cruise of the net for info on this brought up that the relay is "...located behind the ECU under the passanger side kick panel." & "If the truck is efi it behind the ECU. Its a little green box"
Did you pop off the ECU and check behind it?

 

I did look behind the ECU and found the modular wire harness where the relay should attach (4 pin) and instead there was matching modular plugin that had a factory jumper wire from position 2 to 4. The metal bracket "lip" on the kick panel sheet metal that the relay should attach to was notably empty. I did test the wires and there was continuity when the wipers were running, with a brief break in continuity when the wipers were at "rest"... so I am pretty sure that I have the right wires. Unfortunately the relay is not a simple "30/85,86,87" relay, but rather controls the intermittent function of the wipers, so the suggestion of using a circuit breaker unfortunately would not work.

 

Answers:

I did find a relay today to test in my truck, and it worked perfectly. So the answer to the question is, yes, you can just buy the relay (provided that you also get the pigtail wires that hook into the relay) and plug it in and have functional intermittent wipers. All the wires and controls are there, they just left out the relay to save money on stripped trucks.

 

Glad you got it worked out. As on your truck and the intermittent wipes, many 1st gen 4Runners have various types of rear seating I am finding out...nothing that the dealer has good parts lists for...so it is trial and error to replace bolts/nuts etc.

 

My suggestion of using a circuit breaker was simply to check the circuit, not as a replacement for the relay.

-Wrench