I took Crystal to get new tires today a 30 mile trip which is the most I have driven her in one way trip since I got her.
It started to rain so I turned the wipers on and they went to the left and stopped, so I turned them off until I got to the gas station.
I got the wipers to return to the home position and shut the engine off.
After getting gas the battery was almost dead and not turning over enough to start.
I waited about 5 min and tried again and the battery recovered enough to start.
When I got to the tire place all was well with the battery and starting is normal again.
A while back I had the battery die when I went to the gas station and when I got home I replaced all of the cables and added new grounds.
I only drove short trips until now but I did not have battery issues.
Would one think this is the wiper motor or the switch or wiring?
Why would the battery die if I had turned the wipers off as soon as they got stuck?
I will still need to get home after work today and it is going to rain the rest of the day.
Gas gauge goes from full to half and back to full while driving.
-HH

 

For the no/slow crank condition, here's everything you ever wanted to know, and then some:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html

Before you do anything, remember rule #1 of electrical troubleshooting: Fully charge the battery first! Hook up an automatic charger overnight, something with at least a 10 amp output. Don't waste your time with a trickle charger, it won't help.

If you've only been making infrequent short trips, lights on, heater fan blasting, stereo churning out The Carpenters at full volume (we don't judge), it's very likely the poor charging system was falling behind and the battery was getting slowly discharged.



Wiring diagram here:

Windshield Wiper/Washer - Gary's Garagemahal (the Bullnose bible)

That's an '81, there may be some minor differences for '80. If the same, note the circuit breaker inside the switch. It's a little half-moon shaped piece at the top of the switch illustration. If the motor draws too much current, that breaker will open and shut off the wipers until it cools off again. It's an automatic reset breaker. If the wipers act up again, try pressing the switch to activate the washer pump. If that is also inop, then the breaker has likely opened. Mostly likely the overload was caused by the wiper motor.

You can also try turning the wiper switch to high speed or park. Those use different parts of the wiper switch. So if the washer pump works when the wipers are dead, that means the circuit breaker hasn't opened. And if the wipers then work in high speed and/or park properly, the switch itself is bad.

If you need to change the wiper motor, consider this simple mod to make the job a LOT easier in the future:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...or-change.html

 

Karl thanks for the reply
I had already gone through the first section the first time I had issues
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...w-starter.html
I have replaced all cables, grounds and added another ground.
Battery had full charge and only had an issue when I turned on the wipers.
I can get them to work on all speeds and the washer function works, no battery issue until the blades stop then even turning the switch off does not stop the battery from draining
Nothing worked on the switch as long as the wiper blades were straight up.
When I got the blades moving again they worked a little while and then stopped again.
That was when the battery started to die.
Right now after driving and not using the wipers the battery has a full charge again and starts just fine.
Is the switch causeing the wipers to quit and drain the battery or is the motor causeing the wipers to stop?
Why does the battery still drain when the switch is off but wipers are stuck.

 

Wiper motor is likely toast to be more specific the park function is probably had it.

 

Thanks
This looks like it is going to be a PITA to change.
I was researching prices maybe I should also buy the switch they don't seem to be that expensive.

 

Electrical issues always seam to creep up with the moisture of rain. I had and issue of no start when it rained. Was a bad ground.

 

Next time the wipers stop, lightly wiggle the keyswitch and see if they start. This is a common problem with these trucks. I would also get a meter and with the truck running, measure the voltage on the battery. Report back what you get.

 

Please see post #2 again and click on the last link. Drill one quick hole in the edge of the cowl and the job becomes a piece of cake.

 

+1 to that. For example, have you ever noticed wipers never fail on a clear, dry day? Any time I've had wipers fail, it's always been raining...

 

I will check to see how much drain the wipers are putting on the battery this weekend.
It seems every time I drive the truck I find another issue.
It also appears that the driver's side rear brake is now dragging after I had tried the e-brake.