Intermittent Windshield Wipers Installed and Working

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Jan 18, 2015 | 11:41 PM

oft

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From: Burke VA

Intermittent Windshield Wipers Installed and Working

Hello all,

After 2 posts, and lots of a$$pain, I got intermittent wipers working on my truck -

The victim - a 76 non intermittent wiper truck w/a bad wiper switch.

So, I bought an int. switch for a dentside - of course it didn't work w/o the control box. So I bought a switch and control box that came off an 87 pick up. It still wouldn't work as the switch (from the 87) and control box was missing a wire - 1 of the wires for the 2 prong plug - for the washer fluid.

So, I used the int switch I had bought (for a dentside) with the 87 control box and jumped a wire (I made one with a male and female spade and inserted it into the plugs on each side of the control box - and presto, everything works.

just thought I'd post for future reference.

Jan 19, 2015 | 04:08 AM

77&79F250

Moderator & parts slinger

Joined: Feb 2007

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From: S/W Missouri, Polk county

Ah some of us need pics showing said "jumper wire" positions. I mean you just did all the hard work, so make it easy on the rest of us, please. lol

Glad to hear the victim is up and wiping............ intermittently. lol

Jan 19, 2015 | 08:32 AM

4x4slik

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Joined: Jan 2014

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From: Chillicothe, IA

Now that you are done, a note from a tutorial at FORDification.com.

NOTE: As described above, the '78-'79 wiper delay units are a plug-in swap into the '67-'72 wiring harness. Everything will work as intended.
However, in 1980 the wiper delay switch's plugs were slightly re-designed. The '80-'86 units will still plug into the '67-'72 trucks' wiring harness and all normal wiper functions will work, but one wire on the delay unit (the power wire to the washer pump) will need to be moved to supply power to the washer pump.
When you connect the main wiring harness to the wiper delay switch's harness, you'll notice that the lime-colored wire (the washer pump's power wire) coming from the main harness does not have a corresponding tab in the wiper delay switch's harness. You'll need to move the black/white wire from the wiper delay switch harness to the slot that will connect it to the lime green wire of the truck harness.

Just read yours is out of an 87, so this note might not apply, but good info, anyway.

Last edited by 4x4slik; Jan 19, 2015 at 08:34 AM. Reason: missed something

Jan 19, 2015 | 12:43 PM

oft

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Joined: Aug 2000

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From: Burke VA

ok, here are some pics.

The 1st shows the jumped yellow wire I made - at the truck harness and installed in the 87 box harness. I crimped a male spade on my yellow wire after sticking the wire through the 87 box harness. attached it to the 2 prong plug and then pulled it together w/the box harness. Next shot shows the wire into the 87 box harness at the switch. It's a female prong I crimped on the yellow wire, attached the harness to the switch, then my yellow wire, with some persuasion by a small screw driver to make sure the female prong was seated w/the male on the switch.

This last shot shows why I could not use the 87 switch. The switch on the right is my 76 standard non-int switch, the 1 on the left is what I got w/the 87 harness. Note that it is missing a prong. So, in my case, a 76 Intermittent switch was needed as it had it had the prong. Then the jumper wire - the box can be bypassed because the missing prong goes to the 2 (female) prong plug on the truck harness, its for washer fluid.

Hope this helps someone!