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Tim or anyone, 02 to 01 intermittent rear wiper conversion.

5994 Views 32 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  CHAZMAN
Has anyone figured this one out yet? My dealer is no help over here in Hawaii.

TIA.

Aloha,

Nick
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Umm....

My parts catalog is supposed to be upgraded to the new Acuralink Interactive Network in the coming week, so until then I don't have '02 MDX part listings. I'll keep you posted when I have the info.
Big Thanks

Thanks Tim,

Aloha, Mahalo

Nick
Any news on this?

I would also like to get an intermittant wiper...any news here yet?
They're the same wiper motor between '02 and '01. That's as far as I can get until Acura comes in and gets my new $%#*& computer system working right :mad:
New News

Tim,

The computer can't STILL be down, can it? Any new news?
It's still not updated, so I worked around the problem.

The wiper motor and the wiper switch have not changed. There is an intermittent rear wiper control module located behind the left rear side trim panel on the '02, and it is connected to the system via an 8-pin socket (with 6 pins used). I guess the next step is to figure out if the '01 has that plug dangling inside their rear trim panel. If so, it appears to be plug-and-play.

Anybody up for experimentation? The control units are available for $37.00, if anyone wants to find out if they have the harness plug and they find that they do, and want to try it out, I'll send you one for free. Naturally, I have no way of knowing if it will work, though.
Does the wiring harness differ for 02?

If there is a new plug, wouldn't there be a new part number for the wiring harness under the dash? Did it change from 01 to 02?

Thanks for checking on this. It would be too cool if we could get an intermittent wiper without much effort.

I'll do the experimentation, but I would need a wiring diagram or other direction to know where to look for the plug. Does this exist?
I checked the service manual (don't have the electrical one) and it appears that the 8-pin harness doesn't exist on the '01. There is a fully-populated 14-pin harness that attaches to pretty much everything back there, including the gear on the tailgate (including wiper motor). Same for a variety of subharnesses.

Maybe someone with the electrical manual can check as that might have more detail than the service manual. Else someone will have to pop off the trim panel to look for real...if you do, don't mistake the 6-pin trailer package/lighting harness for the one Tim's talking about, nor the 6-pin brake light failure harness (tho that one undoubtedly is already attached to something).

Page 22-34 for those of you following along at home.
I have an '01 elec. manual. Interesting, to say the least -- the diagram for the rear wiper/washer (p. 92) shows an intermittent dwell-time controller (variable resistor) connected to pins 4 (grn/yel wire) and 8 (grn/wht wire) of the "B" connector for the wiper control switches. View 286, p. 202-71, shows both the "A" and "B" connectors, and the "intermittent dwell-time control" is listed there also. When you check out the actual switch lever assembly, however, there are but three positions for the rear wiper -- off, on, and washer on. Looks like the feature was designed-in, but never implemented in production.

Being an engineer, I tend to SWAG (scientific wild a**ed guess) a lot. If those grn/yel and grn/wht wires are actually there, my SWAG says that the intermittent wipers would work just by installing a wiper-control stalk/connector assembly from an '02. Even if those wires aren't there (and I haven't looked under the steering column cover), no scheme to add intermittent control would work without having the control capability in the switch assembly anyway -- including wiper off/on/intermittent/wash, PLUS an intermittent dwell-time adjustment.

In the '01 manual, the only 8-pin sockets shown in the rear wiper wiring diagrams are the A and B connectors mentioned above. Others in that circuit have 6, 12, and 14 pins.
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frostyra said:
...When you check out the actual switch lever assembly, however, there are but three positions for the rear wiper -- off, on, and washer on. Looks like the feature was designed-in, but never implemented in production....

...Even if those wires aren't there (and I haven't looked under the steering column cover), no scheme to add intermittent control would work without having the control capability in the switch assembly anyway -- including wiper off/on/intermittent/wash, PLUS an intermittent dwell-time adjustment...
Hey Frostya, I don't know about the '02 'X, but on my old '89 Integra and '99 CR-V, there was not really an "intermittent" switch position for the rear wiper. What would happen is it would do about 5 wipes when you switched it to "on", and then it would automatically revert to a fixed rate intermittent mode that could not be adjusted. I had my Integra about 3 years before I figured this out :p Perhaps this info might help you figure something out for the MDX.
Frostyra,
Was that English? They didn't learn me to spoke good English in school...

What you said just flew right past me and I'm not sure if what you said means that the "rear intermittent conversion" can or can't be done. I'm guessing by your technical answer that "no, it can't be done easily", right?
Sorry about that -- I type like I think, often in circles and always in "tech talk." And four decades of engineering experience have taught me that I'm a pretty good "SWAG"er. (NEVER too wordy, though!)

Not having an '02 to play with and compare, I can only surmise from the '01 electrical manual that:
1. Part/all of the intermittent feature was designed into the '01s but not implemented for some reason -- or
2. The manual is incorrect -- or
3. If "intermittency" IS designed in, an '02 control stalk/switch assembly would be required as a minimum. The module and 8-pin connector that Tim talks about (above) probably would be required also; if so, there's probably a wiring harness change as well.

Hopefully, this is less obfuscatory* than my previous post.

* That's English!
Progress ?

Has anyone made any progress in determining whether intermittent feature on '02 MDX rear viper can be retrofited to '01 MDX?
Maybe you could tweak this setup that the TL-folks are using for one-touch moonroofs into a timed-relay for the rear wiper?

Keep in mind that I know nothing about electricity, other than it costs a lot here in CA.
I'm just waiting for the release of the intermittent module, and then we're off.
Tim,
Any upadate?
Suspense, Mogur

Mogur, Can you give us an update?

VR. "Stuck in Mississippi" Nick
I've been out of town the last two weeks on business and just got back. Lo and behold, there was a box waiting for me with the module in it! I plan to attack it in the next week or so and will post what I find out.

Did anyone ever get a copy of the 2002 schematic for the rear wiper? Having that would make the job much easier. I already have the 2001 manuals...

If so, could you fax it to 818-366-2377.

Thanks!

Tom

hondacuraworld said:
I sent it to Mogur about a week ago.
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