M1028 Washer / Wiper intermittent malfunction

Hi all,

Since I bought my CUCV 3 years ago, the wiper / washer has never worked quite right.

The wiper will not return to its lowest position when activated, it stops where you shut it off.

The washer used to work if you depressed the washer paddle several times, then it would spray 4 or 5 bursts before shutting off.

The washer became less and less reliable and has since ceased to function with any regularity only sometimes activating with the wiper sometimes hours after you first tried to use the washer, which, although humorous, is less than helpful.

I've gone through the TM's and the only advice I've found is to replace the wiper motor if the unit is getting power, but the washer isn't activating.

Is there a separate relay that I am not aware of or is the wiper washer a stand alone unit?

Is the malfunction more likely to be the switch itself in the cab or the wiper washer motor? I've definitely tapped the washer unit with a persuader and had the washer function returned for a short period of time, which causes me to lean more towards the actual wiper washer unit.

Thanks in advance!

There is a cam inside the motor for the washer that breaks or strips out, something. Also mine would stop when you turned it off instead of parking, and it eventually fixed itself after a particularly vigorous rainfall and some time in high speed.

I ended up adding a standalone pump to mine and placed it next to the washer bottle on the inner fender. My washer never worked when I bought the truck.

You need to do testing, currently my wipers will not park all the time, when they do not, if I wiggle the crap out of the stalk and try again they park... (that's my testing) so I am going with, bad stalk in my case...

If your washer is working HOURS after you used it... I would lean to a stalk issue... best bet, get your DMM out... pull the wires for the washer, turn it on inside the cab... see if it triggers outside (check for whatever triggers it I do not know if it is ground or what off the top of my head).

When the wipes are not parking you can also try my method and wiggle the **** out of the stalk and see if it starts working (my lazy way to do diag on my own vehicle)

Just replace with a remanufactured wiper/washer pump and be done with it. No need to start wiggling things. Make sure you order for an 84 model with the built in washer pump.

What I do when washer fails is add a electric motor driven washer pump, I order pump and tank from slightly newer chevy, or better yet, find a late 80's unit in a junk vehicle. You do not need to replace motor, just plug two wires from washer pump to existing harness.

It works better than the mechanical pump with no modifications but drilling one hole for the larger washer fluid tank. There are in line pumps around that do not even require that. I run several of these trucks, and got sick of replacing whole units when the mechanical pump system fails.

There used to be a rebuild kit for mechanical valves, but have not seen that for years. I have swapped out the mechanical pump engagement solenoid, tweaked these for years. The electric pumps work so much better and seldom fail.

If you loose one of the speeds on the wiper motor, it is often caused by failure of radio suppression capacitors. Just un plug and bypass them.

Pictures of two of my daily drivers, one with junkyard pump, one with aftermarket replacement of same, with capacitors bypassed.

Thanks all for the input. I think I'll start with trying to identify if the stalk is the issue or not. I suspect that the motor unit may be failing slowly either way, but I want to know if I should also order a stalk while I'm at it. I think I'll stick with a stock unit but all the info on diagnosing and ordering was helpful. Hopefully I can get my other project out of the garage this month and get the CUCV in. Ive got a couple things need done on it now...

dougco1 said:

Just replace with a remanufactured wiper/washer pump and be done with it. No need to start wiggling things. Make sure you order for an 84 model with the built in washer pump.

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ya this is a great plan, I did this exact thing and fixed nothing at all (was at the rebuild shop getting my alternators back and it was $20 for one so I picked it up while there). I still cant squirt fluid and my wipers still stop parking randomly but... hey parts cannon approach right at least at the end of the day the entire truck can be remanufactured...

Matt5 said:

ya this is a great plan, I did this exact thing and fixed nothing at all (was at the rebuild shop getting my alternators back and it was $20 for one so I picked it up while there). I still cant squirt fluid and my wipers still stop parking randomly but... hey parts cannon approach right at least at the end of the day the entire truck can be remanufactured...

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AutoZone $52.00 reman and lifetime warranty. Buy it once and no worries later. Can't beat that.

I had issues with my washer being unreliable. The rebuild kit from rock auto did the trick.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=537215&cc=1050589&jsn=429

The problem with the mechanical pump, it is 60's tech and not in a good way, just a cheap engineering solution stacked on an older washer motor, (I remember cars and trucks that had some motor and no washer at all.)

The plastic cam can strip, or become mis-alligned, the actuator solenoid can fail, the little pump valves can get some contamination and not work right, the pump action is week and can rob power from wipers if pump is messed up. GM used this rig for years in millions cars and trucks, and have fixed too many to count to get though safety inspections.

I only came about this fix because I found an electric pump on an 88 or so C-10 I was parting out, saw the wires match the washer harness ones and gave it a try. I use the original ones until they fail, and now happily and easily convert them so superior pump..
Anyway, Happy Halloween!

dougco1 said:

AutoZone $52.00 reman and lifetime warranty. Buy it once and no worries later. Can't beat that.

Click to expand...

Yep and when you are replacing a working part with a reman junk part... how do you fix the original issue? not to mention it is not no worries, when the thing dies going down the highway... you are just as screwed as if you had a stock one.

You could have posted your opinion but you felt the need to point out my simple free way for the OP to do some diag was not needed. Replacing parts with out any diag is what a *fool* does...

At this point we have no idea if the OP needs a stalk, a wiper motor, or both. wtf is the point of telling the op NOT to wiggle a stalk when he has the issue to see if it is a stalk issue?

Oh and the dude is in fairbanks alaska... they offer 2 motors, a ship to home only 52$ One and a order to store 175$ ac delco... I would be so amazed if they get parts in next day...

A lifetime warranty is useless when it takes a week to get the part if you need the vehicle.

Enjoy the parts cannon life style. Glad it works for you.

Dependable is right on. Remanufactured wiper motors of this design rarely work properly.I have purchased two so far A-1 cardone and some knock off disguised as an AC Delco (china ). One of them worked for a month-A-1 cardone never worked (washer mechanism).Found one new old stock one but the guy wanted too much money. My 1028 one has worked since i got it but was an arizona truck and probably didnt have too much use. My 1008 I replaced with a junk yard one after the two remans and ended up ripping the cover off so I could manually reset the pump cam. Dependable method comin up

dougco1 said:

AutoZone $52.00 reman and lifetime warranty. Buy it once and no worries later. Can't beat that.

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Do this. It works 99% of the time. At that price I stock 2-3 and keep snow plow trucks moving. Then when your done you can go wiggle your stalk. Or if wiggling your stalk and hacking wiring is your thing have at it. NOT my truck. It takes 10 minutes to change a wiper motor. In the time it took me to type this I could have had the old one off. If remanufactured stuff is JUNK. I work with JUNK all my life. Because my new truck used to be a refrigerator or a Toyota vise versa. All remanufactured. Have A Great Day and be NICE. Lighten up it's only a wiper motor.

obviously I have renounced the use of reason

ixpacman said:

obviously I have renounced the use of reason

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Or renounced the value of saving your receipts.

Lifetime warrantees shorten your lifetime with time wasted repeating the same mistaken choice.

I speak from experience... new fuel pump bad in a year, new brake pads separated in a week? new headlights chrome gone inside in a year, reman starter... garbage in 2 weeks...

Used humvee fuel pump working good, used brake pads stopping awesome, starter that slapped together from 2 used ones... it is in the truck working fine.

Recycled is not manufactured... you can not REMAN a fridge into a truck... let's not reinvent english.

"Remanufacturing is "the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts". It requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules."

While we at it... FYI

"Rebuilt definition, to repair, especially to dismantle and reassemble with new parts"

Yes their is a difference between reman and rebuilt... both do not turn a fridge into a truck...
This thread makes me feel alot better about me parts cannoning like $7 map sensors sometimes... lol no one seems to do any diag...

I must admit I am *really* sadly hoping that the OP needs a stalk now... just because so many had issue with my "wiggle the stalk" statement XD.

Matt5 said:

I speak from experience... new fuel pump bad in a year, new brake pads separated in a week? new headlights chrome gone inside in a year, reman starter... garbage in 2 weeks...

Used humvee fuel pump working good, used brake pads stopping awesome, starter that slapped together from 2 used ones... it is in the truck working fine.

Recycled is not manufactured... you can not REMAN a fridge into a truck... let's not reinvent english.

"Remanufacturing is "the rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts". It requires the repair or replacement of worn out or obsolete components and modules."

While we at it... FYI

"Rebuilt definition, to repair, especially to dismantle and reassemble with new parts"

Yes their is a difference between reman and rebuilt... both do not turn a fridge into a truck...
This thread makes me feel alot better about me parts cannoning like $7 map sensors sometimes... lol no one seems to do any diag...

I must admit I am *really* sadly hoping that the OP needs a stalk now... just because so many had issue with my "wiggle the stalk" statement XD.

Click to expand...

I have no issue with you wiggling your stalk or replacing parts with used ones. Have you replaced your stalk yet to confirm that's your problem? I understand its a tedious job to replace one and I was fortunate to just have a worn out wiper motor.

I just like to have every thing on my trucks working as designed and repair/replace with "new" parts when available. My old wiper motor was the original as far as I could tell but a new or NOS one was not available. Thus the lifetime reman purchase. I pay for it once and if it stops working replace with a free one. Whats so wrong with that?

I'm sure that if all the remanufactured parts out there did not work or last, the remanufacturers would all be out of business in a short time. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm the only fool that saves my receipts.

Since this thread is back, I'll mention a new aftermarket pump & reservoir cost less than the new, cheap original style wiper motor. OEM junk yard ones cost even less, and are of better quality.

And no wires were hacked in modifications I posted pictures of. Spade fittings on new pump wires plug right into original harness fitting. The ones pictured used in 86-88ish chevy trucks, probably many others.

It is often possible to do modifications like this (and the starter relay upgrade) without cutting harness. Hacking a original working harness in a CUCV or any vehicle for that matter, is always good to avoid in my opinion. Speaking as someone who has repaired a couple of municipally mangled CUCVs by replacing entire hacked harness with salvaged originals.

As Matt5 pointed out, parts availability and turn around is pretty abysmal up here, so a little diag, even if crude is going to be the route I go before I go lobbing parts into the truck.

That all being said, yall need to calm your tatas, everyone is allowed an opinion. I've just gotten tired of throwing parts at a problem and not actually figuring out whats wrong, and when knowing which part to replace or not could double the price of the repair, I'll take a little time. Its not an emergency.

I am generally a fan of the idea of re manufactured parts, in theory they could be a better quality part using an OEM casting or what have you and only replacing the wear items. BUT most recently, I have had a bad Wilson starter that fried all my fusible links in my CUCV (that was fun) and this summer I helped my dad rebuild the brakes on my grandfather's ford falcon. We literally worked through 3 bad master cylinders. That was flipping ridiculous. Amazingly O'reillys stocks a brand new MC and that was what we should have done from the start in retrospect.