Been sorting out the wiring on a recently purchased 1973 Vega. Replaced the wiper motor and wiper switch, but really haven't a clue as to how they wire up together. I can "hot wire" them and they both work fine, but I'd rather use the correct sequence and run through the fuse box and relay(s) and do it right.
Looked at a number of wiring diagrams on-line and they cover the motor but none continue through the loom and onto the switch. Plus they only give the blue and yellow wire colors and there's a third wire involved.
I've got several manuals and diagram sections, but none really do the job, none include the body loom diagram and most have rather small sketchy images. Any good help, any complete diagram links, any color coding, greatly appreciated. Looking for more than just the casual mention, need some fairly detailed references. Already asked on the H-body forums and got zip, just the usual crap about, "blue wire goes here, that ought to get you started . . . " I need the real deal to hook things up right.
Thanks—
Should be a ignition switched hot to the motor via a contact on the bull gear that does the self parking. Beyond that a wire to the switch and a pair between the switch and motor for high and low speed. Not much else to it.
H body service manuals are silly cheap on ebay, I know that.
This page has a 1977 Vega wiring diagram that shows wipers, it's probably pretty close - Hbody Wiring Diagram.bmp: http://dave.h-body.org/'77%20Hatchback/Vega/V-6%20Vega/Hot%20Air%20Turbo/Wiring%20and%20Vacuum%20Diagrams/
Thanks guys. Already own the service manual, the wiring diagram close-up ends at the firewall, doesn't cover the under dash wiring at all.
I have a print out of that link as well. Useless unfortunately. The imagery is far to small to hold up to even a 50% enlargement.
"Not much else to it."
Need the grounds, the fuse box connections, the switch connections, the color codes and everything else. I know the theoretical basics, I HAVE the wiper motor up and operating on hot wired connections to grounds and 12 leads, I WANT to wire it so as to run off of the stock switch, loom, and fuse box.I desperately need the specifics.
It seems to be impossible to find a full-on color coded, lettered/numbered/item identified diagram ANYWHERE.
Any real help, maybe from someone whose done the job or has access to/a link to a full diagram would be HUGE.
Thanks—
was the wiring cut or something?
i don't know about wiper wiring- as far as i can figure out, they work via some form of black magic- but the Vega should have the same wiring as any other GM car of the era. so look up a schematic for a 73 Chevelle or Camaro..
Yeah, guess I don't understand what the issue is. Ground is from one of the small screws on the motor case. Switch should have 3 wires, one hot from the fuse box and the other 2 the same colors as the wires at the motor.
I have a few Vega manuals at home, I'll check for wiring diagrams when I get home from work.
Looking at my 1972 book, and yeah, it's confusing. There is something labeled: W,S,W, SW. It has 3 wires plus one more that shares a terminal. Could this be the dash switch? The are marked as:
18 B/DBL/W
18 LBL
16B
16B
The 16B's share the last terminal. One goes to the light switch, the others I'm not sure. Looks like the cluster conector? From the cluster photo it shows the wiper wiring in w/the cluster wiring. The Blue body book has more info, but no diagrams. Just how to service the motor itself and simple cuircut stuff. No colors or numbers.
Wind Shield Wiper SWitch, that would be the one. The numbers are wire gauge and the letters designate colors (probably Black or Dark BLue with a White stripe, Light BLue, and a pair of larger Blacks).
Given that one of the larger black wires goes to the light switch that is probably where it is getting it's power from. (Do the lights work?) The other 3 are bundled together and go to the wiper motor.
The switch and the motor should have plugs on them so they only go on one way. Did someone cut them off or something?
If both plugs are there, and you have the motor grounded, you can make sure the motor and switch work by plugging them in and hooking your 12v hot wire you used for your hotwire up to the big black wire on the motor with a tap splice.
Now if your lights don't work either than you probably popped a fusable link.
All that was on the original wiper motor was a plug with cut blue and yellow wires sticking out of it, just those two. A third spade had no plug at all attached to it. Nothing coming from the under-hood wire loom coincides with those wire colors or location of the wiper motor.
Beneath the dash is a gigantic knot of wires, all black and red going every which way. There are no wires or plugs at all coming from the dash switch, it's bare.
Sadly, we originally thought that the dash switch that was in the car when purchased was bad because it did nothing at all when actuated. Turns out that it was fine, simply not connected to anything. Sadder still, we bought a new switch and paid to have it installed. It WAS installed, into the dash anyway, still unconnected to anything. We now have to remove it from the dash as you can't wire it up in place, no room under there at all.
Thanks for the old college try, "oldopelguy." Nothing that you mention coincides with anything that we've already discovered.
We're lost until we locate an unmolested Vega to look at or one of those neat full color fold-out wiring diagrams that seem to be available in every owner's manual for nearly EVERY OTHER CAR EVER MADE other than the 1973 Vega.
This is getting OLD. Honestly it was old about a month ago, now it's getting me pissed. We've searched everywhere, even started buying what are essentially worthless Xeroxed duplicates of what we already have in the hopes of finding SOMETHING to lead us out of this Hell.
Ok, did a little more digging.
Looks like over the production run of the Vega there were at least 3 different wiper switches, two without a washer button and one with. One of the two without the washer button does have the washer function, but it is actuated by pushing up or down on the switch lever. First thing we need is which switch you have.
The motor looks to be a standard GM one with 3 terminals, two next to each other and one apart. If you ground the motor, and touch each terminal with a hot lead you will get 3 responses out of the motor: one terminal will cause the wipers to move quickly, one will cause them to move slowly, and one will cause them to move quickly but only one revolution. That last one is probably the one apart from the others, and touching it with a hot wire might not do anything at all if the wipers are parked. Move the wiper arms partly up the windshield, either by hand or by jogging one of the other terminals and when you go back to that separate terminal the wipers should sweep once and stop when parked. Assuming you have identified the three terminals and they all worked as described you could at this point attach 3 wires to the terminals, at least 16 GA for the last one that parked them and 18 for the others, and tape the 3 wires together and run them to the switch. Make your ground good while you are at it and you would be done with the motor. Pick 3 colors you like, and label the switch end of each with what it does so you can remember.
Once I know which switch you have I can walk you through that end.
Alternately, if it really is getting to you, I'll buy those valve covers from you and if you send me the switch and motor with them I'll build you a harness and send it back to you. I actually wouldn't need the motor if you are comfortable terminating that end, but if you want to send it I'll do the works for you.
Thanks for the additional info.
The dash switch has a separate push for the windshield washer, it's more or less a square button and shaft that sits up against another plastic piece behind the dash. This works just fine as it really isn't conected to the electrics of the switch itself.
The new woper motor is in place and grounded to the firewall via a copper ring incorporated into the upper right mounting boss. I placed a secondary ground to the motor by bridging another mounting bolt and the firewall with a braided ground wire. Motor is thoroughly grounded and bolted firmly in place.
When power is applied to the uper terminal the wiper motro spins quickly. When power is applied to the middle termional a spark is caused as though the power were connecting to a ground. When power is applied to the bottom terminal the wiper motor spins slowly. If the linkage (which is perfectly free and actuating smoothly is bolted to the new wiper motor, the motor won't turn no matter where power is applied unless I give the linkage a tug to begin the rotary action on the wiper motor. As I mentioned, the linkage is perfect, smooth and free, couldn't be better if it were brand new.
Going back to the dash switch. It's essentially just as it came out of the box, but now installed in the dash. I haven't a clue what to connect to it. The under dash wiring is a random mess. I know that there's a fuse box against the inner firewall with a slot marked "wiper" and a new fuse in the slot, I don't know where the hoy wire from the box went to and wouldn't know where to connect it to anyway.
"I'll buy those valve covers from you . . . " do you mean the finned ones for the Buick V6 engine?
Please let me know what this deal would entail as I really AM a current resident of Hell. With a wiper problem and two valve covers in a box.
Thanks—
TC
What is attached to the back of the fuse box at that fuse? Get yourself a DVOM and start tracing wires. There aren't THAT many in a '73 Vega! 
