Certain mechanical devices on your car or truck may not elicit a second thought. They may be hidden away out of sight and usually work without issue, but you may be stranded by the roadside should they fail. Your entire windscreen wiper mechanism is a case in point, as if this were to stop on a particularly rainy day, you wouldn't be able to go too far. What are some of the potential issues here, and which part is the most important in this process?

Modern-Day Sophistication

Windscreen wiper mechanisms today are increasingly sophisticated. After all, they might only have one speed in the early days and would be either on or off. However, today, they could be multispeed, allow for a variety of different delays, operate a front or rear system and even come on by themselves if they detect the presence of moisture. With such sophistication can always come additional challenges, of course, and from time to time, you may experience issues.

Over to the Governor

When you flick the lever on your steering column to activate the system, it will send an electrical signal to a "governor" or module. This component sits underneath the dashboard and is responsible for that previously mentioned sophistication. It's programmed to control the intermittent wiper operation, the various speeds and other actions in addition to turning the wipers on or off in the first place.

Developing Issues

While the windscreen wiper module is an enclosed device and quite well protected from the elements, it may nevertheless play up due to wear and tear over time. When it does so, problems may be intermittent or diverse, and if your wipers seem to be going haywire for no logical reason, the module is likely to blame.

Signs of a Problem

For example, the module may allow power to flow from the steering column through the relay to the wiper motor, but it may not "tell" the motor how to behave. In this case, you may hear the motor working when you activate the switch, but the blades may not be moving at all.

At another time, the wiper blades may move erratically. They may operate at maximum speed for a few seconds before switching to intermittent, as the module is having trouble relaying the correct message to the motor.

Replacement Part

So, as you can see, even the smallest part can produce a major problem during inclement weather. If you're encountering strange issues with your wiper system, you may need to replace that all-important module.

To learn more, contact a local auto parts store that offers products like Toyota spare parts.

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