98 740i - wipers don't work

just purchased a '98 740i, and the windshield wipers dont work. mechanic said fuses are good. has anyone come across this problem??

You mean mechanics that don't know what they're doing? sure, lots of times. Wipers not working on the 740i? not so much. Sorry I can't help more. Are they mechanically stuck? Might check for voltage at the motors. By the way, Welcome to the 'Fest, you'll love it here.

This is a very common problem to E38.

Do not trust your mechanic for that. 90% of wiper problem comes from the relay. Yes, the fuse may be good but this is relay problem. You need to check the relay unit. I can say this is one of the worse design of E38 which water leaks to the relay directly & cause rust & corrosion. This make the wiper not working.

At the top left corner of the engine compartment, there is where those relays are. If you have big hands, good luck than. The place you need to reach is very small, but it takes time to reach.

It won't cost you a lot . 50% is relay rust or defective, 50% just too much rust of the relay unit & you just need to deep ckean & scratch all rust out from the unit.

Hello, how did you resolve your wiper problem? I have similar problem on 01 e38.

I had the same issue with wipers not working. pulled the cover on the fuse/relay box on the back left hand corner of engine compatment (looking from the front of car) and found that the relay had gotten wet, water had gotten into this box and caused the relay to short out. I bought a new relay and replaced and still didnt work! I pulled out the connector that the relay sits in and found that a small wire had broken off of its connector. I repaired the wire by soldering it back on the connector replaced the relay and all worked great.

I seem to have the exact same issue with wipers not working on my 98 E38. I removed the cover to the fuse/relay box and discovered a 1/4 inch of water at the bottom. I removed most of the water but I'm afraid there is still moisture and corrosion down there but it's impossible to see down there. I replaced both relays but wipers still don't work. Question - How exactly were you able to navigate such a small space to get to the small wire that had broken off of its connector to solder it back to the connector? Did you remove the fuse/relay box? Or are you Houdini? Any other repair advice is greatly appreciated.

OK - its tight but not that bad.
Its looks like corrosion is your problem.
The corrossion is at the terminals on the bottom of the relay socket.
You need to flip the relay socket which is at the bottom of the tub and check the bottom connections.
I bet you will find a couple of the connections disconnected from corrossion (all green) of which you will need to resolder back.
You may need a wiring diagram for this if there is more than one disconnected.
See E38.org.
Take all the compter modules out to get at the wiper relays. Move the other relays out of your way. You need to get at the bottom sockets.
You can pull on the wiring harness to get more slack in order to be able to flip the socket over..
Take your time, be very, very ,very, very patient and you will suceed.
Clean up the bottom of the tub while you are there. Also unplug the drain hole and make sure it works.
It will take you the whole day. Maybe two if you break something.
Put it all back together when your done.
Rember to take pictures with your digital camera during the process so you can refer back to them if you forget what went where.
You can take it to a mechanic but it will cost you a bundle due to the time involved.
Good luck.

Originally Posted by GatorRicky9

I seem to have the exact same issue with wipers not working on my 98 E38. I removed the cover to the fuse/relay box and discovered a 1/4 inch of water at the bottom. I removed most of the water but I'm afraid there is still moisture and corrosion down there but it's impossible to see down there. I replaced both relays but wipers still don't work. Question - How exactly were you able to navigate such a small space to get to the small wire that had broken off of its connector to solder it back to the connector? Did you remove the fuse/relay box? Or are you Houdini? Any other repair advice is greatly appreciated.

Dear tberardi,
You are a genius!! You were dead on. Had several broken green wires at the base of the realy sockets that apprarently broke loose due to corrosion just as you described. Replaced them and the wipers are now working ! You are the GREATEST !!!

Does anyone have pictures of where the e-box is that the relay is located in? Also, how many relays are there, one, two??? Thanks.

did you ever get this problem resolved and can you share what the solution was?

My 2000 740i wipers have quit working in the middle of a rain storm on a few occassions and then start working again.

When you say stopped working, if you mean stops in the middle of the swipe (aka, not returning to the 'home' postion) take a look at this:

http://www.magnum1.com/BMW-740/740_P...ction-740.html

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...116&highlight=

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...405&highlight=

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...937&highlight=

I need some guidance for this please. I have ordered the wiper double relay and have it now, have opened up the relay compartment in the engine bay and this is what it looks like (attached). N.B: The view is from the front of the car looking straight at it, the relay compartment is to the top right (it's a bit different from the magnum link).

Now, I'm not sure how to get to the relay part which is down below all of this stuff (it's a deep compartment). Towards the top, the long metal DME cartridge thingy with bundles of wiry stuff going into either has to be unscrewed very awkwardly horizontally (you can see the screws at either end) with very little space or if you look at the picture you can see a shiny metal perimeter which is one whole part that could slot out with some metal latches (which you can see at a few places around the perimeter, hopefully!!) being loosened. What's the correct method?

For the time being I've put the plastic cover back on without screwing the allen screws as it's a b*tch to get this cover on and off!! If it rains it shouldn't seep into the relay compartment at all. I'd like to get this sorted before I screw it back on.

I think it just slides right out. You don't have to unplug any of the wiring harness, just gently pull out the DME and set aside. Light brown relay will be underneath.

Damn!! You're absolutely right it does just slip out with a low moderate force. I tried this before, but was afraid I was going to break something.
Thanks pal!!

Cheers mate! Have a good pint of ale for me!

But what about losing the delay wiper speed, and the higher wiper speed? I get this sometimes where I can manually control the wiper by pressing the lever down, or i have to go to med speed because the rest of the lever option do not respond. I also get times where they stop working at all. I saw the water issues could the wipers be shorting out?

My problem is similar to mickey740. My wipers on a 99 323i will work on all intermittent speeds at the first position. I go to second position and they still operate on intermittent. I go to the third position and they work on low. I do not have high speed. I replaced the control switch and it still reacts the same. If you pull forward washer and wipers work correctly. If you push down the mist function works correctly. I have checked the fuses but do not know if a bad relay would cause this issue. All speeds except high work. Has anyone come across this problem? Please help!

kennedy3ncsb

Yes I have the same problems also I checked the fuses and the relay at least for power and they were working. Anybody have any ideas?

Originally Posted by 4u2philme

kennedy3ncsb

Yes I have the same problems also I checked the fuses and the relay at least for power and they were working. Anybody have any ideas?

Follow the links above, you might find useful info about the 98 model.

joyism5 I saw you post but I was unable to see the link you were referring to could you please re post. Thanks

post #5 in the picture are the 2 relays for wiper system http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...116&highlight=

post # 7 wiring diagram (how to jump the relays to see if the motor will work)
post #8 the complete diagram for 98 model wiper system

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...405&highlight=

post # 21 General Module Wiper system components for the 98 model

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...937&highlight=

I also have same problem of wipers not working,at this stage I am where the relays(2 purple coloured ones) and upon turning them upside down I found the big red wire disconnected an very thin black& red striped broken as well,worst case is it is very hrad to get to may be solder back ,and much worser still is I do not have a wiring diagram to find where they go.
Any suggestions are welcomed.

Originally Posted by kennedy3ncsb

My problem is similar to mickey740. My wipers on a 99 323i will work on all intermittent speeds at the first position. I go to second position and they still operate on intermittent. I go to the third position and they work on low. I do not have high speed. I replaced the control switch and it still reacts the same. If you pull forward washer and wipers work correctly. If you push down the mist function works correctly. I have checked the fuses but do not know if a bad relay would cause this issue. All speeds except high work. Has anyone come across this problem? Please help!

These are symptoms of your speedometer not working. When the car is at full stop, low speed will be intermittent an high will be low. Replace the rear ABS sensors (they are you car's speed sensors) and that should solve your problem. Since the speed is 0 MPH your wipers work accordingly.

I didn't realize how old this topic posting was (2007)

I moved my issue to a new post. JH