Help me figure out wiring?

[BlackJohn]

Originally Posted by dan-fox

Is there any chance that the strange behavior with respect to the wiper coming on when the washer function on the other switch is activated could be the right behavior? If you only have one washer fluid pump and both sides of the windshield get wet when it's activated, that might be correct. One hell of a Rube Goldberg design, but correct.

Very possible as you suggest and possibly one wrong connection or short could yield the same result.

Not even sure what type vehicle this is or chassis mfg.

Thanks for your input, remains to be seen. keep tuned! haha

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

Not a bad idea at all CB if you have time etc. Start with battery ground to frame and any to the frame and block, tranny, fenders etc. Preventative maintenance in this way will clear up a lot of problems inside with things not working or working strange.
Can you take the old wiper switch cover off and show us the inside with a few pics. They must be well designed and am curious how it failed.

Glad you have an experienced man on the way. Says a lot about the quality of people on this forum willing to help out. Glad to be a part where I can.

I'm gona hold off messing with the switch till chris gets here.
The grounds, that's easy. NONE of the grounds I can find have ANY grease, corrosion, or anything. The few I've taken off look OUTSTANDING.
There ARE wires cut here and there, but they were like that when I got the bus and it was 100% functional and fine for a month. I've put pics of them on here.
If I'm going to pull the batteries I may as well put the brand new ones I just bought in it, since its used a lot and needs good battery power for the electronic stuff to make it run.
The radio/PA probably has a short or something from all the A/V gear that the school pulled, that's my theory. We will see!
By mid summer we should have it painted, all serviced up, and ready for LOTS of skoolie get togethers and road trips.
Roxy can't wait to paint it. We're gonna have the paint color mixed up as soon as we get this gremlin sorted!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

Very possible as you suggest and possibly one wrong connection or short could yield the same result.

Not even sure what type vehicle this is or chassis mfg.

Thanks for your input, remains to be seen. keep tuned! haha

THe vehicle is a 1998 AmTran CE special needs bus. Its on a standard 3800 navistar chassis. Built entirely by International Navistar. Its got a 444e.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

Very possible as you suggest and possibly one wrong connection or short could yield the same result.

Not even sure what type vehicle this is or chassis mfg.

Thanks for your input, remains to be seen. keep tuned! haha

BOTH wipers have their own switch, and when operating normally they are individually controlled. If I push the right buttton, the right side sprays. If I hit the left button the left side sprays. Until last week.
But hiiting one button/switch is NOT supposed to spray the other side. I've used these wipers at least 3 or 4 times in the rain since I've had it and they were good.

[BlackJohn]

Sure looks like a KEEPER for sure CB! You'll get her dancinn soon.

[EastCoastCB]

Its my favorite bus that I've owned. Only owned 3, but I've ridden in lots of em, too. This one is SWEET. It just needs a wizard such as chris to vanquish the vile gremlins.
Have I mentioned how excited we are to paint it!!!!!?????

[DoubleO7]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

THe vehicle is a 1998 AmTran CE special needs bus. Its on a standard 3800 navistar chassis. Built entirely by International Navistar. Its got a 444e.

So yours should be the same as mine other than mine has the 466e and
has 11 windows on the driver side.
The factory wiring should be the same, the non-engine specific stuff.
But we both have IC factory chassis wiring then the wiring that was added by AmTran.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

So yours should be the same as mine other than mine has the 466e and
has 11 windows on the driver side.
The factory wiring should be the same, the non-engine specific stuff.
But we both have IC factory chassis wiring then the wiring that was added by AmTran.

Very cool.
Wanna come over Saturday, too??

[DoubleO7]

I would if I were not on the road with another bus load of our treasures that day.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

I would if I were not on the road with another bus load of our treasures that day.

Well, we'll have to get together some time. Maybe we can all have a BIG skoolie gathering somewhere cool this summer or fall?!
Does your bus have two wiper knobs that control the wipers and nozzles individually?

[cadillackid]

I dig that bus.. even though ive only ridden it one short ride!..

I defiinitely vote for lots of skoolie get togethers... its fun stuff!
-Christopher

[DoubleO7]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Does your bus have two wiper knobs that control the wipers and nozzles individually?

So......evidently the Calhoun County, AL school district cheaped out.

My bus has two switches......controlling off, low or high for each side.
Washer activates from either switch, squirting about 4 inches above the low point of both wipers when parked.
And squirts onto each wiper no matter which switch is pushed and requires a push, as it turns off when not pushed. Also the wipers do not come on at all with the washer push, you have to turn the wipers on.
No intermittent feature on mine.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

So......evidently the Calhoun County, AL school district cheaped out.

My bus has two switches......controlling off, low or high for each side.
Washer activates from either switch, squirting about 4 inches above the low point of both wipers when parked.
And squirts onto each wiper no matter which switch is pushed and requires a push, as it turns off when not pushed. Also the wipers do not come on at all with the washer push, you have to turn the wipers on.
No intermittent feature on mine.

Once thing I'm noticing is that even a lower-spec Colorado bus has lots of features and stuff. You can tell the western states spend way more on their schools and education systems than we do in FL.
FL is consistently ranked low in the quality of education here.
My schools were a total joke.

[EastCoastCB]

Look what I got in the mail today!


Looks like the exact same switch, its the same part # midwest was selling for my application. I gotta see if the wires look the same.

[EastCoastCB]

Connectors and pins are the same, a couple wires are different colored, but I don't think that will matter.

Back of the switch says "rev grd". Anyone got any ideas what that indicates?

[BlackJohn]

I'll hazard a guess here CB.
A dc motor can travel in 2 directions depending on how the current flows thru the armature winding.
Most automotive equipment is negative ground as you have already likely guessed.
So, when you see "rev grd," I think that the positive is grounded in that case. That is so the wiper motor travels in the desired rotation, either clockwise or counterclockwise to drive the wiper mechanism. Shouldn't be a problem.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

I'll hazard a guess here CB.
A dc motor can travel in 2 directions depending on how the current flows thru the armature winding.
Most automotive equipment is negative ground as you have already likely guessed.
So, when you see "rev grd," I think that the positive is grounded in that case. That is so the wiper motor travels in the desired rotation, either clockwise or counterclockwise to drive the wiper mechanism. Shouldn't be a problem.

Explains why there's one less wire to the right side than the left.

[roach711]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Look what I got in the mail today!

And it even came with a free cat!

[EastCoastCB]

SOOOOOO glad I've got a friend like Christopher to help!!!
It turns out the right switch has a few strange diodes hacked onto it, and according to Chris the whole arrangement is really funky... More to come, I'll let him explain it better.

[EastCoastCB]

So after a long day of watching Chris work his voodoo magic, we have possibly found the culprit- The left wiper motor isn't showing ANY voltage or anything on the park circuit. We think the diodes or switch went out, causing the symptom to show in the opposite side due to the funky way they were wired.
Whoever wired this thing REALLY did some funkery, for lack of a better word. Each wiper switch is a two-motor switch. And they had some really effed up way of making two of them work together. Chris finding those diodes sure made us wonder what they were smoking when they hacked this stuff up.
He wired the new switch to operate both motors, as it was designed. Right side works like normal now, and the right one is the problem one after all.
I'm actually starting to gain some confidence with this stuff, and am looking forward to learning more. I gotta learn these things, as things only get harder to work on with each emmisions "tier".
We couldn't figure out the blue button above the wiper switches. So out it came! Yay! we actually REMOVED something!!!
Gonna go ahead and order that motor tonight.