Anyone know of why wipers will not work? I think I checked all the fuses and didn't see anything wrong. All other systems working? Any advice?

 

Fuses need to be pulled and visually tested, or a 12volt test light/ multimeter will confirm operation
Check owners manual for location of wiper relay- likely under hood
Just my best guess

Did you try to use them and they stopped because stuck to glass??

 

I went to use them after I sprayed some fluid onto the windshield and they didn't work. The spray worked.

 

Maybe the wiper motor, if all fuses are ok, you will have to take apart the cowell to get to it and pull off the connector to the motor and test power to the connector when you hit the switch, if there is power then you have a bad wiper motor.

 

Is it still under warranty? I had the exact same problem and brought it to dealer after checking fuses and they all checked out. This failure happened just over a year after I got my 04 TL. Dealer ended up having to replace the control board, motor, and the linkage system...somehow when one of them failed it led to the other parts failing...it was under warranty though and they fixed it...they told me the bill to them was around $3k to fix...yikes! Plus they kept my car for close to 2 weeks and gave me a loaner. A bizarre failure but I'm glad it got fixed.

 

You can go back and search some of the older posts as I did and you will find that the wiper motor has a bad habit of just quitting suddenly. I had this EXACT problem not 5 days ago. I was on vacation and decided to clean my windshield, squirted some water on and then turned the wipers on. At first they worked. Then I decided to turn them on again and nothing happened. I was very confused because there was no warning or symptoms of the motor going bad. I checked every fuse I could find, also checked this forum and Acura TSB's. Finally after reading the other posts I conceded that it must be the wiper motor. Took it to an Acura Dealer and they did have to replace the wiper motor. Luckily I was under warranty. Good luck!

 

Dang it! my wipers just quit not 2 weeks after I got the car. I also did not have any warnings.

I did see the wipers "try" to move a few times after pulling the fuse. I sure hope I don't have to fork out $3k + 2 weeks of repair time.

I'll keep trouble shooting. My fuses are good and I'm hoping it's something simple like the switch on the steering wheel. I did move the steering wheel position.

JJ

 

It only took 2 weeks because they didn't have the replacement parts at the time. Since the 04 was the first model year of this generation, it was understandable then...given the history with this problem the replacement parts should be more readily available. They wouldn't release the car to me in the mean time due to safety issues...can u imagine them giving the car back to me without working wiipers and I get into an accident? Then they can be slapped with a law suit...anyways, if your car is under warranty, it should not be any skin off your back, except not getting a courtesy car and cruising around in a crappy rental. Good luck.

 

I have the same issue. I think that when you pull the wiper arm for spray, it only sprays. I just turn the wipers on then spray. Seems odd but it just seems to be that way.

 

I has the very same problem on my '04 TL. My wipers stopped working in the middle of a rainstorm on the interstate, and of course I was flying.

Took it into the dealer, they had to replace the controller board. It was covered under warranty. Took 2 days just to get the part, another day to fix. I made them give me a loaner for the 3 days.

At the suggestion of someone on here, I did report it to the NTSB. At that time, they had a few complaints of the same thing on other '04 TLs, but not many.

Even if they start working again, don't chance it...get it fixed!

 

I took the cover off over the wiper motor and tested for power. I have power all the way to the motor but it won't spin. I hear some of the circuits clicking as I go through the speeds on the switch. Now I probably need to get a manual (helms or service manual) so I can tell if it's the controller board or the motor.

I just got it 3 or so weeks ago and it's not under warranty. I got the car cheaper because of miles so I knew I'd have to fix something along the way. I was just hoping it wasn't so soon.

It's an awesome car so far and I'm really enjoying it. It's quite a step up from the civic I drove in college.

If I can diagnose it correctly and fix it I'll take pics of the entire replacement in case someone else needs to do the same. Although, it is really easy to get to the motor.

JJ

 

I hope it's not the controller board...that's a more expensive item...try inspecting the linkage arms as well for being bent...the dealership told me the linkage arms were bent on mine and needed to be replaced as well as the motor and controller board...good luck.

 

Well, I'm pretty sure i found my problem. I took my wiper motor apart and found a few ounces of water inside, along with a rusted motor and a few broken parts inside. I'll post pictures later. It doesn't make any sense as to why it would have leaked being it's a 2004.

I'm picking up the new motor for $139.07 in Canonsburg, PA today. I'll update on how it goes.

 

I uploaded a few pics to flickr. Not quite sure how to embed them here. (I should know this ) click link below...

Wiper motor for '04 TL

 

Wow that's a really bad looking motor! Good pics though. How the heck did the water get in? Was there damage to the seal that you can see? Or maybe it's leaking through the bearing around the output shaft? If it is as damaged as it appears, there's a case to be made to Acura about poorly designed/manufactured part...I expected maybe one the water/rust/broken parts to be the cause but finding ALL of these things in the motor is pretty embarrassing.

Maybe I should take apart my wiper motor to see if there is a leak to catch the problem before it stops working...I can see this as a big liability issue for Acura as it affects safety of the car...maybe even instigate a recall by Acura???

 

This DEFINATELY needs to be brought to the attention of Acura. Hell, they may already know about it ( and probably do ).
Even though your car is no longer under warranty you should ask for some kind of assistance. A major component failing like this after just a couple of years is unacceptable. If this problem is as common as it is appearing to be ( at least from members experiences here ) Acura is going to have a hard time trying to wiggle out of this one. You should report this to the NTSB too and include your pictures.

 

I think I will report this to NTSB as I would like to see a recall and upgraded part to address this. Of course the parts department said "oh, I've never heard of this happening".

I examined the seals and they looked pretty good. My take on it is that the water came through the electrical connection. Water must drip down on it and follow it into the gear box since it was wet also.

When I picked up the new motor it came with all the linkage also. I was happy as that meant less install time. It took me about 20 minutes to put in the new motor, attach the wipers and put back all the cowling.

I put white grease on the electrical connection hoping it'll keep some of the water out but I'm thinking of putting a good deal of silicon around it to be sure this doesn't happen again. The storms around Pittsburgh were really nice yesterday.

I also picked up the rear side marker $65 for a bulb, however it's not just the bulb since they sealed it all together, and the passenger door clip which is apparently a known problem as the dealer did admit to them "falling off" frequently.

JJ

 

I hope mine is just a motor. I washed my car today and to my surprise, the wipers no longer workerd. Is the linkage hard to sort out? Im a little mechanically inclined, but its not one of those things that go to pieces as soon as the motor is out, is it?

 

Not at all. Once you remove the cowling and weather strip from inside the engine, it opens up really nice. You take the wipers off with a 17mm and the motor assembly comes out with 4 - 10mm bolts. It's all together and if you get the new motor from acura it's completely assembled with the linkage.

Let me know if you need any help. Test to see if you get power to the motor before you remove it. Mine also died shortly after I washed the motor down. I used a regular hose and didn't particularly spray in that general area. The rust I had looked older than a week though.

 

Yeah. I saw the pics. Nice Pics, Bad motor of course. Acura quoted me 152.98 for the new motor. I havent even gotten out of bed yet, but Im on my way downstairs with my test light. I really hope that its just a fuse. So you HAVE to take the wipers off??? Sigh. This aint posed to happen after three years, but judging by the other people who have had problems sooner, I feel lucky.

 

I fixed the wipers. Just in time for it to rain this whole weekend. Boy am I glad. It was to the tune of 165 and som change. It took me ever bit of 20 minutes to put the new part in. I still need to realign the wipers becuase they stop about half an inch short of the mark thats engraved on the windshield. Now if there was just something to fix the paranoia that it may go out again. That would cost much more I assure you.

 

I have an '04 with 49k miles on it. My ride to work in the rain yesterday was horrible, seeing that the wipers wouldn't turn on.

I called the local junk yard and for $35 I can get a 2003 Accord wiper motor. The guy told me it is the same thing. I'm not quite sure how to check. Does anyone know if this is the same motor? I don't feel like spending the $162 that I was quoted.

 

Ignore that last post. Don't I feel dumb, I didn't realize that my warranty is 50k, which means I just made it. I'm bringing it in to the dealer in a few days, just can't put on 200 miles before then.

I'll post what they end up doing (if it was just the motor or not)