Yesterday when I was on my way to work, I used my washer and wipers to clean my windshield. About 45 seconds later, the wipers cycled. I thought maybe I activated the intermittent switch, but found that it was in the off position. Then the wipers cycled again. I turned the switch on and off several times and the wipers stayed in the lowest cycle. When I got to work I checked to see if “courtesy wipe” was activated and it was not. I turned the truck off, opened the door to turn off all the dash functions then restarted it. The wipers activated again and the headlights were on. So now I know the wiper switch is bad.

This morning, I went to the nearest Ford dealer to buy one. I wasn’t going to wait 3-10 days, or who knows how long if I order online. They had only one in stock and I bought it at $80. This way there is no shipping delay hassle due to all of this virus crap going on right now. Plus I didn’t want to drive around wiping a dry windshield for that long, which would wear out a pair of $40 blades and strain the wiper motor.




The new switch, made in 01/2020. The part number is different than the one I took off, so maybe there was an improvement.




Start with pulling the lower dash panel down. It’s mounted with clips and will easily release by using you fingers to pull back from the top of it.




Under the steering column there are 3 screws. Use a 7/32 socket to remove them. Then separate the upper and lower plastic trim that’s behind the steering wheel. When you do, you will see the turn signal switch is easily accessed. Use a Torx 10 to remove the switch. There are 2 screws holding it in.




Once the screws are removed, the switch is easy to remove, just pull it away from the steering column. Note the white grease on the connectors. There was plenty in there for the new switch.







The new and old switch look nearly identical. Note that the old one is made in China and the new one is made in Mexico but the box says it’s made in the US. The old switch has a part number ending in ACW and the new one ends in ADW.

Reassembly is simply a reverse of disassembly. If I didn’t take pictures, this would have been a 10 minute job. Everything functioned as it should when done.

A word of warning. There are a lot of fake and used parts being sold online as new and genuine. Buy only from an authorized Ford dealer. A scammer could easily put the used part back in the box and sell it again to someone trying to save a few bucks.

 

Nice write up. I'm sure this will be useful to many as our trucks age. Thanks

 

This is the ID ENGINEERING number, notice that the prefix ends with a T

Ford PART number prefixes end with a Z or if a specific Lincoln part, end with a Y

 

Thanks for clarifying. What are the extra numbers behind the part number?

 

Great write up. Glad you got fixed.

 

Excellent writeup, reps sent. Seems this was a somewhat common failure point on the last gen trucks as well.

 

Thanks, Brad! My wiper control just started this misbehavior (2015 F-150 65,900 mi). Currently if I turn it off extra firm, the wiper stops, but I know that it is a temporary fix. I'll follow your excellent write-up and install a new one soon. Thanks!!! This forum is GREAT!
~ Walt

 

Glad that this little write up was able to be of good use to you.

 

I had to replace a bad blend door on my truck’s climate controls. Bought a new one from NAPA auto online. When it didn’t fix the problem I thought it was something else broken but after the $300 dealer repair they told me that the problem was the new part was bad. Stick to Ford OEM parts for sure.

 

That can't be emphasized enough. The only exception would be an aftermarket part made specifically to improve upon the OEM. Shocks come to mind.