Re: hph

Posted by humanpotatohybrid On 2022/11/15 7:30:01

I took apart and repaired my windshield wiper motor today. (Aftermarket electric one). I took it off because it was completely shorting out on me since before I bought the car. I opened it up and there were 20 gauge wires with the insulation literally burnt to a crisp, and the wire strands had actually fractured from the heat. What's strange is that I couldn't really tell what caused that problem, obviously it was shorting to ground, but it wasn't clear why. Additionally, I tested all the motor windings and they were good, if it was shorting through those then they would be destroyed too.

So I was able to get it going again, with the caveat that it only runs on the highest speed. I'll attach it to the car soon.

This is a good reminder to always fuse your accessories. Either use the manufacturer suggested size, or the smallest size that is 20% larger than the rated current (amperage). Remember, if you don't use a fuse, it's like using a 1000 amp fuse. A 10 pack of inline holders and 100 pack of fuses is like $20 combined, enough for any project. I will prefer a 3 amp fuse on the wipers from here on...