Ghost rear squirter and tempromental rear wiper A4 B5 Avat

[scr8pdo]

Hi can anyone offer me any advice on my rear wash/wipe on my car?

About 2 weeks back my rear wiper stopped working, at first I thought it maybe a fuse or a dodgy stalk, but wasnt too concerned and was going to have a look when the weather improved, however the rear washer was still fully functional, well yesterday it had been raining all day, and whilst I was out and about I noticed the rear wiper move and park on its own, but when operated via the stalk it still didnt work but later the washer kept squirting on and off, then it stayed on all the way home and ran out of water.

When I got home late last night it was still chucking it down so I turned the car off and was going to have a look this morn, I went out this morn and it had stopped continually squirting but after about a mile it started on and off again so I pulled over and disconnected the washer pump in the boot.

When it first started doing it, I could hear a relay clicking somewhere down near my right knee in the dashboard somewhere, I also noticed this morning that there was a build up of rainwater swishing around in the void in the scuttle panel where the batter/heater blower is, all I can assume is this water is causing a short and hence the washer operating, can anyone advise me where to start looking, any help would be great, at the moment its not a problem as its disconnected but I would like to get it working again.

PS: One good thing I did find while searching for the washer pump was a 6 stack CD multi changer I never knew was there, this workss great

 

[Bradderz_1988]

Might be a broken wire in the tailgate harness.

 

[scr8pdo]

Thanks for the fast reply, I will check it

 

[Broken Byzan]

more likely a bad stalk tbh as the motor is operated by the stalk and the motor is mounted at the front of the car.

The motors do corrode on the inside and the poor motor has no idea where park is

 

[aragorn]

if the pump kept running, the stalk has to be at fault.

 

[scr8pdo]

Thanks for the advice guys, so the wiper motor is at the front of the car??

Thats weird, how does it transmit the power to the rear wiper out of curiosity, I know the pump motor is in the back on the washer bottle cause I disconnected it

 

[spartacus 68]

Thanks for the advice guys, so the wiper motor is at the front of the car??

Thats weird, how does it transmit the power to the rear wiper out of curiosity, I know the pump motor is in the back on the washer bottle cause I disconnected it

Bit of confusion here. The front wipers and rear wiper have separate integral motors. The screen wash pump is on the bottom of the screen wash reservoir which can be accessed by removing the front passenger wheel arch liner.

 

[Broken Byzan]

Ok, lol Lets start again.

What age is your car, because erlier ones had the washer bottle and pump for the rear wiper at the back IIRC, later ones have the pump mounted on the main washer bottle and pump the water down the car using a pipe that runs alongside the wiring

 

[scr8pdo]

My car is quite early, its a 1997 and defo has the washer pump in the boot on the washer bottle that is mounted behind a panel on the offside, I disconnected the pump after it started to run.

Please note that I hadnt pressed the button on the stalk and it stayed on, it just started intermitant squirting, then after a while it stayed on constant, the wiper stopped working a while before just out of the blue.

It was as if it had shorted across say a relay and gave it a constant feed (washer pump) as I kept hearing a clicking as the squirter operated just like a relay, I wondered if there were any relays under the dash that may have got water contaminnated and shorted?

 

[aragorn]

change the stalk first

 

[scr8pdo]

Thanks mate I will check that stalk as it does seem the likeliest suspect, it just seemed very odd as I hadnt touched the stalk when it occured