Electrical shock when using windshield washer pump switch

[Tom E.]

[Mark F.]

Re: Electrical shock when using windshield washer pump switch

Tom,

I have not experienced that - but, I'm assuming you felt the shock in your left hand on the A pillar stainless molding, right?

If you rotate the switch to turn on the wipers (w/o energizing the washer pump) do you get the same shock?

If not, the short to ground is probably in the washer circuit;
If yes, the short is probably in the wiper circuit because pressing the washers on automatically also turns on the wipers at slow speed...

just trying to maybe narrow down where it is for you by these two steps...thx, Mark

[Tom E.]

[Mark F.]

Re: Electrical shock when using windshield washer pump switch

Tom,

Post #2 in the link below shows the switch lugs (tabs?) and associated wire harness color codes (you probably already know that).

I guess if you can just jumper a ground wire from that washer lug (tab) on the back of the switch and the washers work (w/o having to remove the switch) you'd know the short is within the internal push-button mechanism of the switch, right?

If they don't work after doing that - - the search goes on?? brings back memories for me after mice or other varmints had chewed all the insulation off of the bottom steering column-mounted switch on my '38 Ford. car wiring is fun...when it works thx, Mark

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...or-wiring.html

[Tom E.]

[Tom E.]

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[Richard M.]

Re: Electrical shock when using windshield washer pump switch

Yes likely the ground path through the cluster was the culprit. Your body "wire" became the ground.

Your internal washer contact may have been a possible cause, but possible it was also a loose ground on the body of the switch to the cluster, or paint inside the cluster mount point preventing a good solid ground to the switch body.

My thoughts....

When you rotated the switch you put sideways pressure on it and it completed the ground path between the body of the switch and the cluster.

When you "pushed" the washer button straight forward, I'd wager it pushed the switch body away from it's mount a bit, opened the ground, then zapped you.

As Dave mentioned, I'd make sure the cluster mount point is nice and clean too so it doesn't come back and haunt you.

Rich

[Tom E.]

[Richard M.]

Re: Electrical shock when using windshield washer pump switch

Not really digressing. That's how it works these days, especially in the new cars. If our old Corvettes self tested, it would have told you where the problem was....

...and I may have contributed to that new stuff. I developed all of the Built In Self Test(BIST) technology for some complex Network Processors at my final 10 year jaunt at a Telecom company before retirement. Pretty cool to auto test tons of logic inside microelectronics devices, memory circuits and modules, in milliseconds at power up, to point to where the internal circuit or memory location faulted.

Along with device BIST, I developed device and board level boundary scan to identify circuit board interconnect faults. Result would tell you exactly which connection was open or shorted between devices. That'd come in handy on our old Corvettes when the washer pump fails.lol.

Technolgy expanded so fast we had to come up with new test methods and ways to tell manufacturing, field repair and internal repair groups what to replace.

Today's car electronics iare quite clever. Thankfully they test themselves too or it would be impossible to fix them.

Rich