[Rick Reece]

On my trip to DC this week the wipers started operating by themselves. They seam to have some sort of intermittent short in that they operate at slow speed and sometines slower than the slow available on the switch. I don't have my manual with me and it was getting dark so I had no luck finding the fuse under the dash to turn them off. I was able to see under the hood and the little box in front of the fuse pannel was making some noises. Sounds like a solenoid opening and closing. (Not a normal sound). I thought these might be fuses as well but couldn't get my fingers in between the other squares. As a result I drove around 300 miles with the wipers on. I used the spary every once in a while to wet down the windshield. Anyone have any ideas? I am guessing some sort of short in the steering column switch. Have fun, Rick

 

[Insightful Trekker]

The noisy area you describe is the location for the intermittent wiper relay. There should be 4 similar relays at that location. The one in the lower right quadrant while viewing from the front bumper should be the one. Disconnecting it should relieve the problem until further inspections can be made. Normal low and high speeds should still be available.

HTH!

 

[Rick Reece]

John,
Does this square module just pull straight out to disconnect it? I didn't see a tab or anything to release but could not get my fingers around it due to the other 3 being so close. Have fun, Rick

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Took some wiggle and a pocket screwdriver, but they just pop straight out.

Can't see it being done barehanded!

HTH!

 

[Rick Reece]

John,
Thanks, I'll pick up a pair of pliers which should allow me to get a grip on the relay. Perhaps I need to carry a few tools with me on the road. Have fun, RIck

 

[Insightful Trekker]

When I tried mine it was very tight. I'm not sure how tough the shell on these realys are. Pinching with enough force to maintain grip may crush the shell of the relay.

Use caution.

 

[Rick]

Yeah be careful. A friend crushed one of his relays on his S2000 while trying to remove it. If the relay is bad I think the parts list shows something like 6 different relays with different part numbers, but if your dealership has a clue they can find one that is compatible, and should have them in stock, hopefully.

 

[Rick Reece]

I had planned on doing it today but ended up working through lunch and dinner so it got dark again before I got the chance. Tomorrow I will be heading back and will carefully pull the relay as soon as it starts giving me trouble. I do appreciate the help while away from the manuals. I was just afraid to pull too hard on it as I wasn't sure it was supposed to come out. I'll update you on the progress once I'm home. I'll get the part number from the parts manual and order as I am sure the dealership doesn't stock it which makes me wonder how they can service an insight when they don't even stock routine maintenance items. Have fun, Rick

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Remember, removing the relay based on the symptoms you have described _should_ eliminate the erratic wiper operation.

Its still unclear what the source of the problem is. Further testing is indicated.

HTH!

 

[jsanford]

Indeed; let us know if pulling it doesn't help.

What a bizarre and irritating problem. Also, what Honda says.

You might want to try http://www.partsvoice.com for other suspects if this doesn't work.

 

[Rick Reece]

I removed the relay as suggested (carefully with a pair of pliers rocking side to side as I pulled). This take care of the wipers comming on by themselves. I am still able to use the low and high speed settings but the intermittent setting doesn't work with the relay removed. Next time I go to the dealership I am going to price a new relay and if its cheap I'll probably pick one up to see if that fixes the problem. I suppose the problem could also be a short in the switch so that off and intermittent are the same. Thanks for the advise. The Wiper problem was really anoying but the loss of just the intermittent wipers is quite liveable. Have fun, RIck

 

[Guest]

Hi Rick:

___Like most items from the dealership, it probably will not be an inexpensive proposition. If they give you an out of this world quote, don’t forget there are any number of body shops that are tied into a kind of network where you can find junked automobiles and the parts from them are there for the taking for cents on the dollar … It isn’t free mind you but it might be a lot less expensive then what the dealership might offer.

___My wife tore a power mirror off our long gone but still remembered Toyota Previa a few years ago. The dealership wanted something like $275.00 or some other crazy number. The local Body shop picked up one from a totaled Previa in Oklahoma. IIRC, the final cost was $96.00 installed! Just a thought given the price of parts for our little beauties.

___Another possibility? I believe Rick M. out of NY still has his totaled Blue Insight? You might want to PM him in case he does and purchase the relay directly? That is if the dealerships price is way out of line?

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:2dov634o][email protected][/email:2dov634o]

 

[Rick]

Looks like the list price of the relay is about $24!

 

[Guest]

Hi Rick Reese:

___Given Arizona Rick’s price quote, never mind

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___[email:1yeqacr3][email protected][/email:1yeqacr3]

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Throw a relay at it if you must. But the symptoms indicate a different source for the problem. The relay was simply doing what it was told.

 

[Rick Reece]

John,

Thanks, I think I might spend some time this weekend checking the wiring. Have fun, Rick

 

[b1shmu63]

You could test the relay with a voltmeter and a 12 volt source. Use the voltmeter to determine the coil conections, energise it and see it the contacts close and open normally.

Alternately, since I believe there are only 2 different relay numbers (types) you could substitute one of the other relays temporarily to check if the relay is the problem.

 

[Rick Reece]

The relay was at fault. I borrowed Roberts temporarily and inserted it. With his relay inserted the wipers operated normally. I plan on ordering the new relay. Have fun, RIck

 

[Rick Reece]

Well I finally went by Honda to order the relay. Much to my surprise they had the part in stock. Cost $19.93. Installed the relay and all seams to work fine. Have fun, RIck

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

Rick Reece, thanks for this topic.

You guys may remember that I have an electrical fault on my Insight which meant that everytime I use the front windscreen wipers, the speedometer zeroes on each stroke (positive figure when at 0 mph) and it also affected the ECU (engine would hesitate on each stroke as well, not good!). Of course the speedo zeroing also screwed up my LMPG.

I had the fuseboxes previously checked for any problems such as a shared ground etc and nothing was found. After I read your post I looked under the bonnet and found that the windscreen wiper relay is next to the ECU relay. I pulled the windscreen wiper relay and it has helped. The speedo still zeroes on each stroke but the ECU does not appear to be affected any more, so that is an improvement.

If the wiper relay is relatively cheap then I might as well see if a replacement would help. Comments welcome!