mhungry

MOD: xB rear wiper momentary fluid only to mist wipe change-over
TIME: 15-20 Minutes
COST: Under $1
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate

In my xB, I find myself often clicking the rear wiper on then off again for just a single wipe once in awhile. Sometimes it's just not quite rainy enough to leave it on steady, but I would like to clear off my back window. It really would be nice to have a single "mist" wipe just like the front wipers...

So I took a closer look at the rear wiper control, and realized that the setup has an illogical setting that would be convienient to modify to my purpose. The rear wiper has 4 settings (From top to bottom): On + Spray Fluid (forward momentary), On, Off, Spray Fluid Only (Backward momentary). I am very puzzled when in the world I would ever use the Fluid Only momentary setting . It seems like a strange oversight. So I decided to mod it to be a momentary single mist wipe. It's not perfect... you do have to hold the wiper in the momentary position just long enough to get the wiper started all the way into it's cycle... but it's no worse than clicking it on and off too fast.

This is easier than it looks... I just did a lot of pics and did very very small steps...LOL

Please Note:
This tutorial requires a fine hand and a good soldering iron. This is NOT recommended for an amateur solderer.

Tools Needed:
#1 Phillips Screwdriver
#2 Phillips Screwdriver
Soldering iron with GOOD point tip
Wire Strippers
Utility Knife

Materials Needed:
Solder
4" Length 16 or 18 gauge wire with insulation
Patience

Step 1:
DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE CABLE FROM THE BATTERY AND WAIT AT LEAST 90 SECONDS.
The reason for this is that we are working in the steering column and consequently near the wiring for the air bag. Take NO chances of accidentally setting it off. The last thing we need is white powder all over the place and to spend $1000 for a $1 mod.

Step 2:
Remove the 3 screws holding the steering column cover together. Note that there are 2 screws that can hide under the actual steering wheel, and one underneath. You will have to put the key in the ignition and fuss with the wheel. I did not remove the steering wheel to get the housing off. It's not that hard with a bit of light persuasion.

Location of the bottom screw:


Location of the right screw (reverse for the left one:


Step 3:
Remove the lower and upper steering column panels. Note there are plastic clips that lock them together. By pushing on the seam and carefully pulling apart you can get them separated with only your hands/fingers. I do not recommend using a screwdriver as you can easily damage the plastic.

Lower panel removed:


Upper panel removed:


Step 4:
Disconnect the wiring harness to the switch. This is the black harness on the right side of the steering column. BE CAREFUL not to mess with the yellow harness!!! That harness is for the airbag, and if you ignored my warning to disconnect the negative batter cable... be doubly careful.

Harness to disconnect:


Step 5:
Remove the wiper control assembly. There is a medium sized plastic catch on the front side of the assembly. Push it in and the whole thing pops off to the right.

Control assembly removal:


Control assembly gone:


Control assembly front:


Control assembly rear:


Step 6:
Separate the control lever from the circuitry. There are two screws holding them together. Once those are out, simply lift from the lever side and pull away from that side. It should easily separate. Be careful not to pull the lever out of the upper housing. It's not hard to put in, but it's an unnecessary extra task.

Screws to remove:


Step 7:
Remove the inner slider. This is the small piece that slides in the lower groove. Push it towards the upper end (right side in the photos) and lift it out with a screwdriver carefully. The parts in here will be slick with lubricant. DO NOT wipe off the lubricant if you can avoid it. Pay attention to which direction it was placed inside the channel.

Slider to be removed:


Slider removed:


Step 8:
It's finally time to actually get into the meat of the mod. First off, we need to cut out a section of the permanent copper bussing. I took the time to trace down the pathing with a multimeter, and it's pretty simple. In the image below you can see the 3 main wiring paths we are concerned with. We want to kill the path I have marked in blue from getting all the way to the single contact on the top of the unit (right side of the photo), and eventually reconnect it to the red path. So with that in mind, we'll first break the connection. I did a nice wide break with a utility knife. The copper is soft and fairly easy to cut. Just take it easy and slow. I chose this spot to break it because it seemed the most out of the way of any interior moving lever parts, and would be the easiest place to jump with a solder bridge should I ever decide to put it back.

Circuit paths:


Start of the break:


Completed Break:


Step 9:
Now it's time to make the new connection. First flip the unit over and remove the clear plastic cover. Then take a section of wire and tin one end. If you're not sure what that means, tinning is taking the wire and preheating it, then loading it with a LITTLE BIT of solder. This step makes the wire nice and ready to be soldered into place and assists with keeping heat away from the plastic as much as possible.

Lucky for me, I found there's a nice little hole that's (barely) out of the way of the slider to put the wire through from the bottom into the interior of the assembly. push the excess wire down flat along the copper path and solder the wire to the copper, mostly around the ring. The copper is thick so it takes a bit to get it heated. BE VERY CAREFUL! Try not to heat it up too much at once and try not to press down too hard. The plastic will melt a bit around the edges and you want to avoid getting it bubbly and sinking the contact into it. Patience and a steady hand are needed here. Trim out excess wire from the interior once a firm contact is made. At this point, you might want to put the slider in and slide it back and forth to make sure everything is OK. If there are any rough spots in the plastic, trim them down carefully with an exacto knife.

Remove the rear cover and note the hole to be soldered:


Solder in the wire:


Step 10:
Finish the connection. I found a nice place on the circuit board to solder the other end of the wire to. Trim the wire to length and tin the end again first. Then make the connection.

Connection point and tinned wire:


Finished conection:


Step 11:
Cleanup time! Put the clear plastic cover on. Put the entire assembly together and check it out with a multimeter before you reinstall it. When you are satisfied the connections are good, reinstall the unit in reverse order from above. Be sure you reconnect the negative battery cable.

Reinstalling the cover:


That's all folks!

A long explanation for a rather simple mod. Unfortunately there's no easy way to show it completed... I am enjoying this mod in the wonderful rainy city of Seattle. Happy modding!

cierrecart

Seems like an aweful lot of work for not much in the way of benefits. Congrats to you for figuring it out though.


I miss WA....Gig Harbor was a great place to grow up.

mhungry

Naw.. it's easier than it looks.. I just went into a lot of detail. Took me maybe 10 minutes to get it apart, figure it out, and do it all... including picture taking time. I say it's 15 minutes for those a bit less electrically inclined....