Why the wipers on the car do not return to their original position and how to fix it

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of wipers or windshield wipers on any vehicle. These devices help ensure good visibility of the road and what is happening around the car while driving in rain or snow.

The purpose of the windshield wipers is to promptly remove water and accumulated snow. Thus, the driver can clearly and confidently control the situation while behind the wheel.

For some reason, many motorists rarely think about wipers. Repair or maintenance is carried out only when obvious signs of malfunction or wear appear. It is extremely dangerous if a breakdown occurs during heavy rain, real downpour or snowfall. Indeed, in this situation the review becomes minimal.

Common stopping problem

Depending on the car, its make, year of manufacture and configuration, it can be equipped with different types of wipers.

Some are activated only at the command of the driver, who presses the corresponding switch, adjusts the intensity of the brushes, and after cleaning the windshield, or after precipitation has ended, manually turns off the device.

On more modern cars, wipers work in tandem with a rain sensor. When the sensor detects the presence of precipitation or dirty glass, it automatically starts the wipers. Of course, the driver also has the opportunity to manually turn on the devices to clean the glass, remove a stuck piece of paper, and so on.

If we talk about most cars, the design of windshield wipers provides 3 modes of operation of the blades:

  • slow;
  • fast;
  • intermittent.

The 3-speed system is considered one of the most vulnerable parts of the car. Most often, it is domestic cars that suffer from its problems.

What happens is this: The wipers start working and perform their tasks at one speed or another. When the glass becomes sufficiently clean, the blades should return to their original position, that is, lie neatly under the windshield without interfering with the driver’s view. But when a node breaks down, the situation develops differently. The wipers just stop in the middle.

Such a stop not only indicates the presence of malfunctions, but also frankly interferes with the driver. These structures in front of your eyes do not allow you to concentrate completely on the road surface. They can also partially block your view, preventing you from noticing an approaching rock or other obstacle in the road.

Even the most persistent and stress-resistant drivers cannot stand such a picture before their eyes. Therefore, they are urgently looking for a way to get rid of this problem.

There are many potential reasons why the wipers do not return to their original position on their own. But the good news is that most of these problems can be fixed on your own, without turning to specialists for help.

Is it possible to “reset” the parking position of the windshield wiper?


If necessary, you can actually manually reset the “parking” position of the car’s wipers.

To do this, move each wiper to the desired position while the wiper motor/drive is at rest. This is achieved by removing the windshield wiper arms where they connect to the windshield wiper drive.

The following steps will help you reset your car's windshield wipers. As always, it is also recommended that you consult the factory service literature for your specific vehicle before performing any procedure of this type.

#1 – Determine how your vehicle's windshield wiper arms are attached

The vast majority of car wiper arms are attached in one of two ways.

  • The first of them involves the use of a special nut and a conical type fastening. In this design, the car's windshield wiper arms are pressed into place like an acorn nut, or the locknut is tightened securely.
  • Another common type of windshield wiper arm has a retaining tab that must be pressed outward before it can be removed.

#2 – Remove both windshield wiper arms.

Remove both of your vehicle's windshield wiper arms using the correct procedure outlined in step #1. After removal, set both wiper arms aside.

#3 – Wiper Motor Cycle

Turn your vehicle's windshield wipers to the "on" position while making sure the windshield wiper motor is operating properly. Then turn off the wipers and wait until the wiper motor stops moving.

#4 – Reset the windshield wiper arms to the park position.

Now reinstall your car's windshield wiper arms, making sure they are positioned as close to their natural resting or parking position as possible. Make sure both windshield wiper arms are locked in place.

#5 – Test to ensure proper operation

You will now turn your car's windshield wipers back on. Be careful that the brushes do not jam, stick or touch each other. Likewise, it is important to ensure that each wiper returns to the correct rest position.

Design and principle of operation

The wipers operate using a small DC electric motor. It has a built-in gearbox.

As with many electric motors, the wiper drive has an armature in its design. There are 3 brushes inside. They allow the brushes to work in the 3 modes listed above. In addition, the system consists of other important elements. Namely:

  • operating mode switch, which is presented in the form of a steering column lever;
  • a relay responsible for activating the intermittent operating mode;
  • additional relay;
  • bimetallic fuse;
  • limit switch.

The switch, as well as the fuse, are located directly in the gearbox housing of the electric motor. All other elements are located in a special mounting block. And designers most often place the block itself under the hood of a vehicle.

If the rear wiper of the Lada Kalina 2 does not clean well (the reason is the leash, not the brush) - RepairMore

April 07, 2016 LadaOnline 31,474

Hatchback and station wagon cars are considered more practical, but sometimes they can have their own disadvantages.

For example, on the new Kalina, the rear wiper does not press as hard as on the first generation models, which is why the wiper blade does not clean the rear window well, leaving uncleaned areas.

Let's look at several ways to solve this problem.

Installation of wiper arms from Lada Kalina 1

The difference between the rear wiper arms is the length of the spring. On the new Kalina, the spring is short and is not able to press the blade firmly enough against the rear window. The design allows you to install on Kalina 2 a wiper arm from Kalina 1, catalog numbers:

  • Rear windshield wiper arm Kalina station wagon - 1117-6313150;
  • Rear wiper arm Kalina hatchback - 1119-6313150.

rear wiper arms Lada Kalina 1 and Kalina 2 rear wiper arms Lada Kalina 1 and Kalina 2

To change the leashes, first remove the old one by unscrewing the nut, and then install the new one, that’s it!

Modernization of wiper arms for Lada Kalina 2

It is not always possible to buy a wiper arm for the first Kalina; in this case, the design can be modified. It is necessary to remove the leash and tension spring.

Then drill a new hole in the metal bar of the lever closer to the brush. We install the spring using a screwdriver, clinging it to the new hole.

Now the tension will be stronger, which will allow the rear wiper to clean the glass better.

new hole in the rear wiper arm Lada Kalina 2 installing a spring in a new hole in the rear wiper arm Lada Kalina 2 cleaning the rear window before and after modifying the rear wiper arm Lada Kalina 2

Result on video:

By the way, another way to solve the problem of poor cleaning of the rear window is to install a frameless wiper. Let us remind you that the front wiper blades can be installed in larger sizes.

Photo source: iosif-waitberg and c0de logbook

Keywords: windshield wipers Lada Kalina 2 | Lada Kalina 2 accessories

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Causes of malfunctions

There are several potential and most likely reasons why the wipers may stop in the middle of the glass:

  • problems on the part of the gearmotor contract group;
  • limit switch failure;
  • wear of the teeth of the windshield wiper drive splines;
  • incorrect assembly of the system after repair;
  • electric motor malfunction;
  • malfunction of the electric motor switch.

When faced with such a situation, you need to act consistently. Usually they start with the most likely causes, or with the easiest to eliminate.

Trapezoid

Among the mechanical causes of malfunction, the most common is a broken trapezoid. Lack of lubrication, constant humidity in the engine compartment and infrequent use of cleaners lead to souring of the connections. It is enough to treat the tie rod attachment points with WD-40 or a similar chemical.


If mechanical failure, cracks or corrosion is observed, replace the trapezoid assembly. Symptoms of such a problem are extraneous sounds, jamming of rods. Often, souring of the rods leads to the fact that one wiper does not work.

How to solve the problem of wipers not returning

The first place to start is by doing the following:

  • Check whether the wipers were installed correctly on the drive splines. Additionally, evaluate the current condition of the trapezius. In this situation, the drive crank deserves increased attention. If the assembly was indeed performed incorrectly, then simply disassemble the assembly and reassemble it, only in the required sequence, according to the specific diagram of your windshield wipers. The repair and operation manual will help here.
  • Inspect the drive splines carefully. In some cases, they break, wear out and may even begin to crumble. As a result, the splines begin to slip, which prevents the wipers from returning to their original state. It is possible that the wiper arm has jumped out of its seat.

To fix the breakdown, you will need to purchase a repair kit and replace worn components of the windshield cleaning system.

It also happens that the blades stop working normally and at the same time stop in the middle of the car windshield, but there is no service nearby to fix the problem. You can solve it with your own hands if you suddenly find a drill or a screwdriver with drills in the trunk.

By drilling several holes, you can use improvised means to fix the wiper lever. To reduce friction, the drilling site is generously lubricated with any available lubricant.

The only problem is that it’s rare for motorists to carry cordless screwdrivers and drills with them. What can we say about a corded drill, which definitely cannot be powered from a car.

Checking the electrical wiring

Next, you need to check the electrical wiring for its integrity. Here you will need to keep the ignition on and, in this state, measure the voltage at the drive connector.

A voltage of about 12 V is considered normal. If there is no voltage at the connector contacts, this indicates a malfunction.

The most likely cause is a break in the electrical wiring in a section of the circuit. But it is better to start checking with the fuse located in the mounting block. It happens that it burns out for one reason or another. If the fuse is intact, then move sequentially along all the electrical wiring going to the windshield wipers. Also remember to check the integrity of the relay.

If breaks, broken contacts or burnt out elements are detected, they need to be replaced. If the wiring is broken, it is better to replace it with a new one, rather than simply insulating the old wires with electrical tape. This will only give a temporary effect. But in the end, damaged wiring can cause regular malfunctions and unstable operation of the wipers on the car. It is better to spend a little more time, but change the damaged wires. The relay and fuse are also replaced if they show signs of malfunction.

Steering column switch (guitar)


Another reason why the wipers on the VAZ 2114 stopped working could be a breakdown of the steering column switch (the so-called “guitar”). Poor quality material and constant use of the switch quickly render it unusable. Failure to respond when the switch is turned on means it is broken. Extraneous sounds when the lever snaps open also indicate its mechanical failure. Check the contacts and clean them from dirt if necessary. A poor fit of the plug may cause it to malfunction.

When stopping in the middle of the glass is beneficial

This cannot be said that this is a completely correct decision on the part of motorists, but some of them specifically stop the wipers in the middle of the glass on the car.

This is related to the following situation. In winter, when the brushes suddenly stopped in the middle, this ultimately brought certain positive results. Getting into the car and turning on the heater, the blower began to supply air to the windshield from the inside. Thereby removing the ice that appeared during the night spent in the parking lot under the snow and frost.

Due to the fact that the blades were in the middle, where the hot air was blowing, the blades came off simultaneously with the windshield defrosting. There was no need to further clean the wipers, to free them from their icy captivity, so to speak.

As a result, a kind of life hack appeared. When parking a car in a parking lot during severe frosts, drivers specially stop the brushes in this position. To do this, it was necessary to break the drive chain and install an additional switch on the dashboard. During the night of inactivity, the brushes froze, but due to the operation of the stove and the windshield blowing, they quickly thawed. All that was left was to use this new switch to return the wipers to their original state. And then use it as usual.

It is worth recognizing that this solution is suitable for owners of fairly old cars. It is unlikely that anyone will interfere with the wiring or install any buttons on new foreign cars. Although the solution itself is quite interesting and effective, which has been proven in practice.

Have you ever encountered such breakdowns? What was the reason? How and how did you eliminate it? What do you think about the life hack?

Electric motor or gearbox

Useful : Detailed diagram of VAZ 2114 wipers

The most serious failure in the design of purifiers can be a malfunction of the electric motor and gearbox. Checking the motor is simple - remove the rods and connect it directly to the battery using wires. If there is no result or there is a grinding and noise during its operation, replace the motor with a new one. Under normal operating conditions, the gearbox is considered a fairly reliable element that rarely becomes unusable. The price of a new motor starts from two thousand rubles or more. It’s not worth buying a used motor with a gearbox, because... It is difficult to externally determine the service life it has served.


The working gearbox of the windshield wipers sets them in motion at high speed, so weak movement of the wipers along the glass can signal an imminent breakdown. A tip to increase gearbox life is to avoid moving the wiper blades by hand. Also, do not use them to clear frozen ice and snow.

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