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Broken black wire for wiper motor?

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Old Oct 6, 2024 | 04:41 PM
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4valvemach's Avatar
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Broken black wire for wiper motor?


Any idea where this broken wire goes? Im sure its a ground wire but Im not finding the other end in harness. This is the plug that plugs into the extension at bottom of wiper motor. Thanks
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Old Oct 7, 2024 | 05:33 AM
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Re: Broken black wire for wiper motor?

Since your car is listed in your profile as "04 mach1" I have no idea what year thirdgen F body we are looking at. I can presume it's a firebird, since I see the headlight door module above the brake booster. Anyway, if it's near or close to being a 1992, here is the wiper wiring diagram which shows the black wire as being connected to ground. I wouldn't be surprised if it went to a ring terminal and went under one of the wiper motor's mounting bolts, thereby being grounded.



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Old Oct 7, 2024 | 08:08 AM
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Re: Broken black wire for wiper motor?

Its a 1988 firebird
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Old Oct 7, 2024 | 03:26 PM
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Re: Broken black wire for wiper motor?

Hopefully not under one of the mounting bolts...

Those are some kind of "special" screw with a fat shank behind some short threads. The shank goes through a rubber grommet, which goes through the mounting hole in the motor, as a sort of vibration isolator. The motor proper is "grounded" (I use the word VERY loosely) by a piece of copper strip that sort of shorts across one of the grommets.

Problem is, the rubber is what's supposed to maintain tension on the copper where it touches the motor. Invariably and inevitably, the rubber cold-flows, the chinesium motor casting piece corrodes, and the connection deteriorates. When the connection gets worse, it generates heat, which makes the rubber cold-flow even more and adds to the corrosion. When all that happens the connection gets worse. When that happens it generates even more heat. That makes the rubber cold-flow even more and adds to the corrosion. When all that happens the connection gets worse. When that happens it generates even more heat. That makes the rubber cold-flow even more and adds to the corrosion. When all that happens the connection gets worse...

If this gives you the sensation of circling the drain, there's a good reason for that.

So... in addition to restoring the ring terminal to the black wire and securely grounding it to the firewall, i.e. connecting it somewhere other than the motor mounting screws - make a point of fabbing up a short jumper to go from the motor frame, preferably the frame of the motor itself which is the round piece, and NOT the sprawling chinesium blob above it, to the SECURE ground point previously alluded to.
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Old Oct 7, 2024 | 04:15 PM
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Re: Broken black wire for wiper motor?

Yep, great point, I had forgotten about the copper strip debacle....... To the firewall with a self taping screw & a star washer it is......
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Old Oct 7, 2024 | 07:22 PM
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Re: Broken black wire for wiper motor?

Thank you
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