Rear Wipers & Washers

Fig. 1 Rear Wiper & Washer System:

An electrically operated fixed speed rear wiper and washer system is optional factory-installed equipment on this model when it is also equipped with the optional hardtop roof. The rear wiper and washer system includes the following major components, which are described in further detail elsewhere in this service information:

- Rear Check Valve - The rear washer system check valve is located near the belt line in the left rear corner of the passenger compartment in the vehicle. The rear check valve also serves as the inline connector between the body wire harness half and the hardtop wire harness half of the rear washer hose plumbing.

- Rear Washer Nozzle - The rear washer nozzle is located in a mounting hole in the rear liftglass just below and inboard of the rear wiper motor output shaft. A plastic nut secures the threaded nipple on the back of the nozzle to the inside of the liftglass.

- Rear Washer Plumbing - The plumbing for the rear washer system consists of rubber hoses and molded plastic fittings. The plumbing is routed along the left side of the vehicle with the body wire harness from the washer reservoir in the engine compartment, through the dash into the passenger compartment, and back to the left rear corner of the body The rear check valve splices the body wire harness half of the washer hose to the hardtop wire harness half of the hose at the left rear corner of the body The hardtop wire harness and washer hose are routed up the left rear corner of the hardtop and over the upper liftglass opening header to the rear washer nozzle in the upper right corner of the rear liftglass. A molded plastic washer hose cap is secured by an integral bail strap to the body wire harness half of the rear washer hose near the left rear corner of the body This cap serves to plug the rear washer hose when the hardtop is removed from the vehicle.

- Rear Washer Pump/Motor - The rear washer pump/motor unit is located in a dedicated hole on the lower inboard side of the washer reservoir, on the top of the left front fender wheel house in the engine compartment. The optional rear washer pump is located just behind and above the standard front washer pump/motor unit on the reservoir.

- Rear Wiper and Washer Switch - The rear wiper and washer switch is located in the accessory switch bezel near the bottom of the center stack area on the instrument panel. Only the switch rocker button is visible through the lower opening of the instrument panel center bezel, the remainder of the switch is concealed behind the accessory switch bezel within the instrument panel. The rear wiper and washer switch is dedicated to providing all of the driver controls for both the rear wiper and the rear washer systems.

- Rear Wiper Arm - The single rear wiper arm is secured by a nut directly to the rear wiper motor output shaft, which extends through a mounting hole in the liftglass inboard of the upper right liftglass hinge.

- Rear Wiper Blade - The single rear wiper blade is secured to the rear wiper arm with an integral latch, and is parked in a horizontal position near the top of the liftglass when the rear wiper system is not in operation.

- Rear Wiper Motor - The rear wiper motor out- put shaft is the only visible component of the rear wiper motor. The remainder of the motor is concealed behind a plastic trim cover on the inside of the lift- glass near the upper right liftglass hinge. The rear wiper motor includes the motor bracket, the rear wiper motor, an internal automatic resetting circuit breaker, a diode, and the rear wiper motor park switch.

- Washer Reservoir - The rear washer system shares a single reservoir with the front washer system, but has its own dedicated washer pump/motor unit and unique plumbing provisions. The reservoir is secured to the top of the left front fender wheel house within the engine compartment of the vehicle.

Hard wired circuitry connects the rear wiper and washer system components to the electrical system of the vehicle. These hard wired circuits are integral to several wire harnesses, which are routed throughout the vehicle and retained by many different methods. These circuits may be connected to each other, to the vehicle electrical system and to the rear wiper and washer system components through the use of a combination of soldered splices, splice block connectors, and many different types of wire harness terminal connectors and insulators. Refer to the appropriate wiring information. The wiring information includes wiring diagrams, proper wire and connector repair procedures, further details on wire harness routing and retention, as well as pin-out and location views for the various wire harness connectors, splices and grounds.

The rear wiper and washer system is designed to provide the vehicle operator with a convenient, safe, and reliable means of maintaining visibility through the rear liftglass. The various components of this system are designed to convert electrical energy produced by the vehicle electrical system into the mechanical action of the wiper blade to wipe the outside surface of the glass, as well as into the hydraulic action of the washer system to apply washer fluid stored in an on-board reservoir to the area of the glass to be wiped. When combined, these components provide the means to effectively maintain clear visibility for the vehicle operator by removing excess accumulations of rain, snow, bugs, mud, or other minor debris that might be encountered while driving the vehicle under numerous types of inclement operating conditions from the outside of the liftglass surface.

The vehicle operator initiates all rear wiper and washer system functions with the rear wiper and washer switch located in the accessory switch bezel, just below the heater and air conditioner controls in the center stack area of the instrument panel. Moving the switch rocker downward to a detent position selects the rear wiper system fixed cycle operating mode. Moving the switch rocker downward past the wipe mode detent actuates the momentary rear washer system switch.

The rear wiper and washer system will only operate when the ignition switch is in the On position. When the ignition switch is in the On position, battery current is directed from a fuse in the Power Distribution Center (PDC) to the rear wiper and washer system fuse in the fuse block. This fuse provides battery current through a fused ignition switch output (run) circuit to the rear wiper and washer switch, and to one fixed contact of the rear wiper motor park switch.

The hard wired circuits and components of the rear wiper and washer system may be diagnosed and tested using conventional diagnostic tools and procedures.

OPERATING MODES
The components of the rear wiper and washer system are designed to work in concert to provide the following operating modes:

- Continuous Wipe Mode - When the rear wiper and washer switch rocker is moved to the Wipe position, the rear wiper will be operated in a continuous manner at a fixed wipe cycle speed until the switch is moved to the Off position. When the Off position is selected, the rear wiper motor will continue to operate until the current wipe cycle is complete, then park the wiper blade in a horizontal position near the top of the liftglass.

- Washer Mode - The rear wiper and washer switch rocker must first be moved to the Wipe detent in order to access the momentary Wash position and operate the rear washer system. When the Wash position is selected, the rear washer system will dispense washer fluid onto the liftglass and the rear wiper motor will operate in a continuous mode for as long as the switch is held closed. The rear wiper and washer switch rocker must be manually moved back to the Off position following rear washer operation in order to turn the rear wiper system off.

Following are paragraphs that briefly describe the operation of each of the rear wiper and washer system operating modes.

CONTINUOUS WIPE MODE
When the Wipe position of the rear wiper and washer switch rocker is selected, the Wipe mode circuitry within the switch directs battery current through the rear wiper motor control circuit to the rear wiper motor, which causes the rear wiper to cycle continuously at a fixed speed.

When the Off position of the rear wiper and washer switch is selected, one of two events is possible. The event that will occur depends upon the position of the wiper blade on the liftglass at the moment that the Off position is selected. If the wiper blade is in the up position on the glass when the Off position is selected, the park switch in the rear wiper motor is closed to ground through the rear wiper motor control circuit input and the wiper motor ceases to operate. If the wiper blade is not in the up position on the glass when the Off position is selected, the park switch is closed to battery current through the fused ignition switch output (run) circuit. The park switch directs this battery current to the rear wiper motor brush causing the motor to continue running until the wiper blade is in the up position on the glass, at which time the park switch opens the battery current feed to the rear wiper motor brush and is again closed to ground through the rear wiper motor control circuit input and the wiper motor ceases to operate.

WASH MODE
When the momentary Wash position of the rear wiper and washer switch rocker is selected, the Wash position circuitry within the switch directs battery current to the rear washer pump and to the rear washer motor control circuit input of the rear wiper motor, which causes both the rear washer pump and the rear wiper motor to operate for as long as the rear wiper and washer switch rocker is held in the momentary Wash position.