So I have an 1988 firebird with delay wipers that is my daily driver. The windshield wiper motor finally gave out a few months back. Would just lock up after a minute or so of use and sometimes blow the fuse. Got a "good" used one that did work well the first several times I used it. Then I noticed it seemed to be getting faster at times and slower at others. Then one day i noticed a faint "electrical" smell and it went crazy! It was really fast and when I turned the wipers off they went all the way down but then continued to constantly "jump" up and down about an inch or so from the bottom and would not stop! I even pulled the fuse out and they continued to "jump" constantly with the switch in the off position. Put the fuse back in and If I turned the switch to any of the "on" positions, the only speed I had was super fast! The only way to stop the jumping scenario was to completely shut the car off. But as soon as i turned the key back on they started jumping again. I let the car sit for a few days and did some reading. Decided to swap out the cover plate (circuit board) but nothing changed. As soon as I turned the ignition on the jumping resumed. So I unplugged the newer motor and plugged up my old motor just to see what would happen.... nothing, it was still dead lol. Plugged the new motor back in and it started working fine! Let it run for several minutes in the driveway constantly cycling the switch through all the various settings and it performed flawlessly! So drove the car all last week with no issues but no rain either. Then yesterday while cruising nicely (still no rain), for no reason at all, the jumping resumed for about a full minute and then quit all by itself. And when it started there was almost instantly a noticeable electrical smell again. I have all but removed the dash checking things. Had the fuse block out. Pulled the harness down. Visually inspected wires, connections and grounds. Ohmed wires. I'm not finding anything wrong, everything "looks" great. I've got to get this thing reliable. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've considered getting a remanufactured motor but everyone ask if you have a 2 or a 3 terminal motor. What are they referencing? Are they simply talking about the harness connections and how many there are on your motor? Just want to be sure so i can order the correct one if I choose to replace the motor again. Sure hope you guys can share some wisdom here.

 

Have you checked/replaced the parking switch?

 

I have not checked the park switch. This is my first 3rd gen. I've owned this car for a little over a year and a half and I'm still learning A LOT every day and loving it! The whole wiper motor thing is new to me even though I've done some reading on here already. Where exactly is the switch located?

 

Its on the wiper motor, white with two electrical contacts.Replacement motor probably has a new one.