I have a 1999 Saturn SL2 that is running great except for one thing: once I turn the wipers on, even just to clear the mist, they generally will not turn off. Sometimes they will, but if follows no predictable pattern. If the car isn’t running yet or I stop the motor but keep the key and the electric on, they will stop, but once the engine is running, they continue. The guy at my shop gave me an estimate of $250 to fix it (even though he couldn’t be sure what it was). I do NOT want to spend that money on this old car, so if anyone has any idea, I’d sure appreciate your help!
This is kind of a strange problem. It sounds like the wiper switch is shorted to power, but not exactly. I don’t see why the wipers turn off with the engine. There may be a control module between the switch and the motor and it has a problem.
You must remember, when you turn the wipers off they don’t just stop, they move to the parked position and then stop. So, when you turn them off you don’t actually cut the power off. The circuit board in the wiper transmission is the likely cause but not necessarilly. The on-off switch or the wiring also could be at fault. Often, the arms are installed wrong or ice and snow stop the sweep short of reaching park.