Wednesday: washers and wipers working, without wasting wonga on weplacements.

A new wiper switch is an expensive thing - £25 for a single speed and £35 or more for a two speed version. Turns out The Duke has single speed wipers, but I have a two speed switch, which I got with the replacement dash (thanks again to whoever robbed the original!).

As I’ve mentioned before, the washer button which screws into the back of the switch snapped off, then I managed to snap another one off another switch from a second dashboard. I’ve been having problems trying to find a cheap fix ever since. In the end I took the knackered wiper switch to Maplins to search for a momentary push-to-make switch that’d fit into the back. Maplins being Maplins, I didn’t find exactly what I wanted but this time I did find something to do the job…

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=34489

A decent quality push button for a reasonable price. After filing the hole a bit bigger, it fits in there snuggly and even tapped its own thread into the plastic. Soldered on the appropriate wires and the job is a good ‘un!

Sadly, I think my park switch is knackered. When connected up, it blows a fuse when the wipers get to the park position. Not exactly great for the middle of a rain storm, so I’ve left the park supply disconnected and will just have to twiddle the wipers off at the right moment! Here’s a pic of the wiper motor for the sake of it…