2011 wiper motor bad? Or switch?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by koukilights, Jan 30, 2023.

  1. koukilights

    koukilights Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
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    My 2011 prius's wipers have been having issues more and more over the last 2 months or so. Initially it wouldn't wipe (on occasion) when I pressed up on the stalk, but would wipe once I pushed the stalk all the way down, THEN it would wipe when I pressed up on the stalk.

    Last night we had a cold snap and my wipers wouldn't move at all. Push the stalk up, all the way down, everything in between, nothing. I pushed the stalk all the way down, then got out and physically assisted the wipers and only then it would wipe, but once I stopped the wipers, they wouldn't start up again.

    I'm assuming it's a dying motor, or linkages that are seizing up? The wipe speeds are slower than they were years ago.

    Is there something I can grease or open up and clean out on the wiper motor/transmission set up?
     
    #1 koukilights, Jan 30, 2023
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
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    IV
    All of the things you're thinking of can be issues, so what you're seeing could be any of them, or a combination.

    The double-jointed passenger wiper arm has a couple bearings in it that can get hard to turn and slow things down. I caught mine that way once by lifting the wipers off the glass and noticing they still 'wiped' slowly and squeakily even without touching the glass. I took the arm off and squirted some random light lube (I think from an old can of Aervoe Tef-lube some bike shop sold me back in the 1990s) in the bearings from underneath and worked them back and forth till they were easy again.

    Sometimes the motors do wear out. Sometimes the linkages. And my wipers stopped working once just because of tarnished fuse blades.

    It often works to start with the easy stuff and go from there.
     
    #2 ChapmanF, Jan 31, 2023
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