Auto Wiper Issue...

Motodrew

Motodrew

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Well ever since i purchased my LS, the auto wipers havn't functioned at all. During lunch today I took apart the housing on the windshield where the sensors are located. Inside are what look like 2 mirrors. I only had one rubber cover over one side, and the other side had nothing. Are both sides supposed to have the clear rubber covering?? I went ahead and cleaned the lenses and the windshield underneath the sensors and will try em out w/ the hose when I return home this evening. Anyone taken this apart before??

Thanks.
 
First is the dumb question. Do you have the stalk set at "int" and "auto"? There is a light that shines accross the sensor. You can see it easily at night. It will flicker yellow when the system is armed. If you have the stalck set correctly and there is no light, I would guess the wire isn't plugged in, or there is a break, or the fuse is burned out.

IIRC, auto wipers were dropped in late '03 or '04. Too many customer complaints due to operator error.
 
Well i know how to operate them, but I'll have to check and see if I get a light. Let me go check quick.


Well I see the light, but its not blinking i don't believe. ?????
 
not just operator error. the system isn't very good. i have them on my 03 and it is very unreliable. i've switche blades, never use rainx as manual states. it just can't seem to judge the rain correctly. to compound things, on 03 there is NO INTERMITTENT setting. there's variable levels of autosense and then low and high constant. very annoying.
 
LS4me said:
IIRC, auto wipers were dropped in late '03 or '04. Too many customer complaints due to operator error.
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They were dropped in mid-'04. My early-'04 has them; they have problems with misty/foggy conditions, but when it's "raining" raining, they do quite well. I do miss the interval wipers, though.
 
Motodrew, can you tell us what year your LS is please?

I have the rain-sensing wipers on my 2003, and I like them a lot. The system works fine for me. It seems like people either love or hate the rain-sensing wipers. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the same system is used by BMW, and their owners have far fewer complaints about them (so I hear).

One tip I would share with my fellow owners who have rain-sensing wipers is that you can override the Auto settings by tapping on the end of the control stalk. One tap will cause one swipe of the wipers. I've found this useful on the off-chance that the rainsensing system doesn't engage the wipers when you want it to.
 
I like the rain-sensing wipers on my '02; only quirks are that at first rain, it takes a bit of moisture to accumulate on the windshield before they come on. Also, wiping frequency could be slightly higher.
 
The auto wipers on my '02 work very well. Occasionally they take a little longer to engage the first time but they work exceptionally well after that. And yes, you can over ride them and use the intermittent setting if you desire.
 
Rain-sensing wipers on an 02? Are you sure? I thought they were first offered in 2003.
 
ToddG said:
Rain-sensing wipers on an 02? Are you sure? I thought they were first offered in 2003.
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I have them on the '00 model, stock. They work great, Florida gets 10 - 20 minute rain showers during the summer and I never have to worry about turning on the wipers. Although sometimes, in the morning I have to manually turn them on to wipe the mist off.
 
ToddG said:
Rain-sensing wipers on an 02? Are you sure? I thought they were first offered in 2003.
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Absolutely! I have them on my '02 and my wife's '05 but they actually seem to work much better on the '02. They were part of the cold weather package the included headed seats, auto wipers, heated wipers, and I believe something else as well.
 
ToddG said:
Rain-sensing wipers on an 02? Are you sure? I thought they were first offered in 2003.
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Todd,

Only the '00-'02 base V6 didn't have rain sensing wipers.

I also give 2 thumps up to the wipers!!

Where is the "thumbs up" emoticon?????
 
KenRosier said:
Absolutely! I have them on my '02 and my wife's '05 but they actually seem to work much better on the '02. They were part of the cold weather package the included headed seats, auto wipers, heated wipers, and I believe something else as well.
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How'd you get the auto-wipers on an '05, considering that they were dropped in mid-'04? The '05 brochure I have only lists "speed-sensitive, variable-intermittent with heated park" for the wipers.
 
KenRosier said:
The auto wipers on my '02 work very well. Occasionally they take a little longer to engage the first time but they work exceptionally well after that. And yes, you can over ride them and use the intermittent setting if you desire.
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I feel like the intermittent settings don't quite go fast enough.
 
I have them on my 00 Sport. Only problem is once in a while they will go off when I first start the car. Other than that I love them!
 
SoonerLS said:
How'd you get the auto-wipers on an '05, considering that they were dropped in mid-'04? The '05 brochure I have only lists "speed-sensitive, variable-intermittent with heated park" for the wipers.
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Yes, they were dropped as standard but available as an option. I think it was actually part of a package if I remember correctly.
 
KenRosier said:
Yes, they were dropped as standard but available as an option. I think it was actually part of a package if I remember correctly.
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Interestingly, they're not listed as options in either the '05 Brochure or the '05 Order Guide. They're also not listed as options in the '04 Order Guide, although my '04 most assuredly has them; the last time they're mentioned is in the '03 Order Guide, which has them as standard on the V6 Premium and all V8 models. (Since they were "dropped" in mid-'04, it's not surprising that they'd not be listed in the copy of the '04 Order Guide I have, which may have been printed after the change.)

When we say "auto wipers" here, we 're both talking about the moisture-sensitive wipers, with the sensor on the windshield in front of and just above the rear view mirror, correct?
 
I don't care for the rain sensors on my early 2004 LSV8. They don't react enough in light rain and mist and then they go full speed ahead in a decent drizzle. I much much prefer the intermittent wipers I have had on the majority of my cars since 1980. The sensors are a quirky gadget in my mind that works no better and maybe worse than a simple timer based intermittant wiper.

I am not even sure that the sensitivity setting really does anything other than make full speed ahead happen more often, it sure doesn't adjust for light mist that an intermittent set at 15 seconds would take care of. I am guessing they work splendid in rainy climes where "when it rains, it pours", none of this mist stuff.

Oh well, guess it will be back to RainX for me, it works far better than the rain sensor wipers. And no, I have not used RainX with the wipers thus causing my own problems.

Oh Well, cute idea, but not for me. Ford discontinued them for a reason, most of us don't like them or can't figure them out.

Jim Henderson
 
captainalias said:
bump?
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Sorry, I meant to respond to this question earlier. Heated wiper rests mainly help in keeping ice off the wiper blades, which in turn is supposed to help clear the windshield better. They do not de-ice the whole windshield. I believe they work automatically and come on when the outside temperature goes below a certain level (35 degrees F).
 
ToddG said:
Sorry, I meant to respond to this question earlier. Heated wiper rests mainly help in keeping ice off the wiper blades, which in turn is supposed to help clear the windshield better. They do not de-ice the whole windshield. I believe they work automatically and come on when the outside temperature goes below a certain level (35 degrees F).
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Ah, so in essence, they keep the wipers from freezing and attaching themselves onto the rest.
 
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