[yadog]

I have a 1994 Plymouth Voyager that the rear wiper only appears to work one way. Initially the wiper stopped working and I started llooking for what the issue might be. I checked fuses - no problem, determined I have no easy way to remove the wiper arm, so I inspected the motor from inside the door. Ample grease in the gear assembly - looks intact and no evidence of an issue. Inspected arm from gear through to the wider arm and although looks good hit it with a lubricant. I disassembled the motor and the assembly looks good as well as the brushes. Nice little tabs on the brush assembly that allows the brushes to be held in place when reassembling the motor.

At this point, I can turn the wiper on, it readily moves to the stright up position and stops - it does not return on it's own although I can feel when the motor assembly allows the arm to be moved back to the home position. The arm on the next cycle again readily sweeps to the straight up position and remains, unless I physically return it to home. Any electrical diagram on this anywhere that would help zero in on why the return sweep is not working or is too week to work?

 

[nomoneynohunny]

If it's as old as the car it may be too weak. Last december I drove from williamsburg VA to Columbus OH and back, driving in the rain all ten hours, with the front wipers on all the time. On the way back it quit. When I replaced it with a rebuilt one it was still turning, but it just could not move the wiper arms.

 

[stancomm]

Hmmm....

I wonder if that wiper motor has the same resettable fuse in it as are found in the rear side window motors. On my 2nd gen van, those were both on the way out, one motor wouldn't turn and the other limped as best it could.
I got cheap and pulled both of them out (can't just buy replacements). Just have to make sure that I don't lock the controls in the "in" or "out" position for too long... it's been years and the motors still haven't turned to smoke.
These fuses look like little (about 5/16th diameter) silvered buttons inside the motor housing, held in place by a pair of tabs, one connected to one of the brushes, the other to the tab that the vehicle wiring plugs onto.
It should measure just about zero ohms when cold, when they get hot their resistance goes way up turning off and protecting the motor. They go back to zero once they cool off, but their cold resistance gradually creeps up over time making the motor useless.

Stan