I have a 01 A4 B5 1.8T AWM. I just changed my wiper assembly as one of the wiper rods that's attached to the motor wiper arm, fell off. At one point, i was screwing back the nut for the passenger wiper arm and all of a sudden, sparks flew when my wrench made contact with the nut.

I freaked out but i turned the key to the off position. I could not think of why would there be a spark as there isn't any electricity, running through the nut. Everything was connected the way it was suppose to be, only 3 buts that hold the linkage assembly to the car and one power plug for the wiper motor. why did it spark?


I turned on the wipers and they worked but the wiper motor stops at random points and doesn't constantly run, when i click the stalk all the way up for the wiper to stay on, they run at the fastest speed, being the stalk is all the way up but the motor stops for a few seconds and starts back up again.

The motor doesn't stop at the same point, either. it starts and stop at different positions.

When i have the wiper setting, set to off and turn my key in the ignition to the on position, they ALWAYS come on automatically. The motor goes through its random cycle, stops and starts. No consistency in the position in which the motor stops at all.

The motor doesn't suppose to come on at all, if my stalk's wiper setting, isn't set to the on position, so there is obviously something amiss.

So this is what i did, thinking my wiper motor was fried from the sparks and being that all the brains of the wipers are located in the wiper motor itself, i went to a local junk yard and got a motor from a 2002 A4 B6 body style and it had the 4 pins that my wiper motor had, so i did it the smart way.

while i was waiting for them to remove the motor out of the 2002 A5 B6, i took apart my wiper assembly as to install it right there in the parking lot, so if it didn't work, i don't have to bother with coming back.

They gave my the whole wiper linkage with the motor attached, even though i didn't need the linkage as i bought a brand new one for $49.20 from Amazon.

So i just sat the linkage in the spot where the linkage sits, just enough for it to reach the power plug for the motor.

Connected it and turned on the wipers on the stalk and sure enough, it did the VERY same thing mine did, randomly stops in different positions.

Doesn't run constantly like it suppose to do as the wipers are set to always on.

Last but not least, when ever i turn the key to the on position, the wiper motor runs for a few seconds, stops and cycles, regardless if the stalk is set to off or on.

Its obvious that my issue has nothing to do with the wiper motor as i eliminated that by swapping out another one from a junk yard that does the exact same thing. So is it the ecu that is toast? would there be a way to reprogram the wiper motor with my vag-com?

I obviously returned the wiper motor and got my 75.00 back, pondering how to diagnose this issue. Only thing i can think of is the ecu as it controls everything but nothing else is malfunctioning.

Any thoughts on this debacle??

 

I don't know this one, but looked at the wiring diagram in Bentley. Signals from the wiper stalk go into the Washer/Wiper Intermittent Relay, and then go to the wiper motor. Don't ask me why they list 2 number 5's here, but that's where I'd start looking. Maybe get a junkyard relay?

 

mtroxel, I'm way ahead of ya. I just bought a used one from a guy, local from me on eBay. I swapped out the wiper relay 4B0955531C

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B5_A4-...ch/4B0955531C/

Here's the weird thing. The used relay i got from the guy, works a little better in the fact it stays running on the highest, constant setting and even works in the second lowest setting, just below the constant highest setting.

The problem that still persists is when i turn the key in the ignition, the motor runs for a few seconds and then stops and cycles, despite being in the, "off" position.

With the replaced relay, the motor does not stop, when i have it set on high and to constantly turn with the wiper stalk set all the way up, whereas my old wiper relay would stop and start again in a cycle, even when set on constant turn fastest setting.

The new used relay always responds when i switch from fastest setting to mid setting but when i switch the wiper stalk to the off position, the motor doesn't stop, it just keep spinning, eventually stopping and cycling.

Even when the motor eventually stops, after it runs its cycle, i can manually have the motor run through one cycle by pressing the stalk down once, from the off position. this is to manually have your wipers to make one pass and not to automatically keep moving.

So the new used wiper relay works a lot better than my old one but there is still a issue that i am confused and I'm out of ideas.

So in ending, i think i am looking at a wiper stalk issue? what do ya think, mtroxel?


The guy had 4 4B0955531C relays in his hand and we tried 3 of them, not counting mine. Same thing with all the relays, turn key to on position, motor runs in the off position.

I'm going to tell you what i told him.... when i replaced the wiper assembly with a brand new one, i was reinstalling the arms back onto both spindles, when i finished the driver side, i moved over to the passenger side and began to connect my wrench to the bolt and sparks flew.

How could this happen? and could this have caused the relay and possibly the stalk to short something in both? There's no current going through the dang bolt or spindle, they're just mechanical mechanisms.

Now mind you, my wiper stalk worked flawless ever since i had the car and up until i changed the wiper linkage. this project doesn't have much to do with messing with electronic connectors, besides the one connector that goes to the wiper motor and that's it! Never touched the wiper relay until today. The replaced one is installed now, so i guess i have no choice but to wait for you or others to respond. I'll do some more research on any issues that have to do with the wiper talk.

Thank you for answering my question....

P.S. The guy said he's going to a local junk yard next week. He's going to look for another wiper motor and stalk for me and a few other things. He said to call him wed to remind him. He took a picture of my stalk and my car so he would remember the body style. Nice of him to do that....


P.S. The reason that diagram, lists 2 5's is because the wiper relay, takes up 2 spots as its like 2 in one.


Thanks again...

 

I have no idea what's going on there. Could be the stalk, but before you throw more parts at it I'd think you should test for that current that sparks from the wiper bolt. If that bolt had continuity to ground I wouldn't be surprised. But if you get any voltage from that bolt to ground, something is seriously wrong there.

 

hmm...I'm in a serious pickle here. So test the bolt for current? it shouldn't have any current, whatsoever? Only ground, right?

 

Well, that's what I thought. I just tested from the Driver's side wiper bolt to a grounded bolt under the hood of my 99.5 A4. I was surprised, I got .01 - .02 volts. Certainly not enough to make a spark. But I would have expected that to be ground, if anything. The fact that you get a spark when you put a wrench on yours makes me wonder if something is seriously wrong with that circuit. If you have something like 12 volts there, maybe you have to start uplugging things till you find your voltage leak that could be wrecking things in that system.

 

It only sparked once on the passenger side wiper bolt, not the driver side. Never happened since. weird......

 

Were you using a ratchet? Passenger side bolt is awfully close to the positive battery terminal. My guess is that you swung the handle of the ratchet too far and brushed that terminal while changing it out. The bolt you were tightening provided the path to ground.

 

The rain cowl was on and i had the hood closed, when the sparks flew. So yeah, i dunno.

 

I purchased another used wiper relay from a local guy off Craigslist for $15.00


Now, it works a lot better than my wiper relay in the fact the motor now constantly runs, when I bump it up a notch from the off position and runs faster and constantly in the fastest position all the way up and doesn't stop, whereas my old one would stop and star at a cycle in both those settings.


The only thing that has not changed is the wiper motor still turns on when I turn the key in the engnition to the on position, despite being in the off position.

Also, the wipers stop at random positions on the windshield, like my old one, so I actually have to bump the wiper stalk to initialize the wipers to work a cycle, until the wipers stop at the bottom if the windshield.



This can take up to 3 or 4 cycles! So I am thinking it has to do with another bad relay and I am going to buy a aftermarket relay for $28.00 off ecstunning.

The good part is now I have working wipers that will constant wipe and not stop and start. The only issues I have to deal with until I found out what s wrong, is working the wipers until they hit the bottom, so I can see the road and having the wipers turn on every time I get back in my car to start it.

They actually will stay off in the off position, after they have made one long cycle off 9 or 10 wipes I believe. I just have to keep trying until they hit the sweet spot at the bottom of the windshield. Hahaha


The guy I bought the relay from said to remind him this Wednesday, because he is going to his local junk yard. He's gonna look for a wiper motor and wiper talk for me just in case it is my motor or stalk, which I doubt as the motor works fine and its the relay that are the brains of the motor, not the other way around. The relay tells the motor what to do after the stalk send the signal to the relay.


Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions, please chime in.