Hello everyone, I recently bought a 1988 Jaguar XJS 1988 H&E and have been going through and fixing all the minor issues before delving into some of the more serious stuff. My windshield wipers are unfortunately not working. At first I suspected the wipers motor assembly which was indeed rusted to hell. Fortunately I was able to recondition it with a bit of sandpaper and new white lithium grease. The wiper motor assembly now works outside of the car attached to a power supply, meaning the new issue must be the wiper switch. I have attached an image of what my wiper switch looks like attached to this post. The interesting thing is that the wiper fluid button works on the stalk but none of the wiper options. Do you think the switch might just be bad or is there another common issue people might know about? Thanks!

 

There are some suggestions in Kirby Palm's BOOK on how to fix them. The design of the switch is marginal at best. The current draw of the motor tends to fry the contacts, and melt the plastic behind them. Kirby suggests using several relays to take the load off the switch, with a side benefit of speeding up the wipers because of less current drop. Even a new switch can be marginal. The switch is riveted together, but you can cut them off and drill it for small screws to put it back together. You may be able to clean it up and get it to work, but YMMV.

Jon

 

Attached is the circuit and explanation. I would remove the trim casing round the column and do a meter or light probe circuit test and see if current is getting to the switch, and if it is being switched out of the switch.
The fuse is number 9 on the panel accessed by the flap on the shin trim on the driver's side and is rated at 35 amps.

New switches are, amazingly, still available from David Manners.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll start by checking the pinout with my multimeter and check to make sure its receiving power from the fuse box. If I have to I'll open up the switch and try to refurbish it.