3 Reasons Why Your Windscreen Wiper Is Not Working

Windscreen wiper is something that is so familiar that most of us take it for granted. Many people may not be aware of its importance for their own safety, but the wiper does play a vital role as it maintains an unobstructed view of where you are going.

A car’s windscreen wiper usually contain a metal arm that has a rubber blade attached on one end and pivots at the other end. In most cars, the wiper is powered by an electric motor, and in some other cars, it is operated by pneumatic power. The windscreen wiper keeps your vision clean and clear by swinging back and forth over the windscreen and pushing water or snow from the glass.

The wiper has an important job. It provides an unimpeded outlook on the road when it is raining or snowing, or when your windshield is a little bit dirty and you need a quick wipe. So, if it is not functioning properly, you are risking your own and other people’s safety, because you do not know for sure what is in front of your car. Some of the things below may be the cause of a non-working windscreen wiper.

1. The wiper has torn blades

The blades of the windscreen wiper are what come in direct contact with the liquid or objects on the surface of the glass, so if there is anything wrong with the blades, the wipers will not work like how they should.

The wiper blade is commonly made out of rubber, so it is easily torn or ripped. When a hard object, such as debris or piece of tree trunk, lands on the surface of your windscreen, the blade is subject to tearing, thereby making the wiper not working properly. Moreover, the missing rubber part creates a gap that may catch and accumulate dirt. Then the amounted substances in that gap can easily scrape and damage the surface of the windscreen. Unless you are someone who prefers to drive with a hazy view, you should replace your wiper blade as soon as it is ripped.

A torn blade disables the windscreen wiper and may eventually damage the windscreen glass

2. The wiper motor is faulty

As stated above, the windscreen wiper in most cars is powered by an electric motor. So when the motor has some problems, the wiper is not likely to work.

In case your wiper refuses to move when you turn it on, you can check whether the electric motor is faulty by listening to the motor. If there is no humming sound, chances are the culprit of the malfunction is indeed the wiper motor. Unless you are 100% confident in your mechanical skills, the only probable solution in this situation is to bring your car to a professional to get it looked at and have the motor replaced.

A malfunctioned wiper motor can lead to the wiper not working

3. Blown out wiper fuse

Sometimes when the wiper is working just fine and it stops in the middle of the windscreen suddenly, the cause is likely to be a blown-up wiper fuse. As in any case that the motor is overloaded, the fuse blows up first so the more expensive motor is still intact.

Many elements can contribute to an overloaded wiper fuse. It might be objects or heavy snow trapped on the wiper arm. Therefore, when you suspect the wiper fuse burns out, clear all the debris or objects stuck on the wiper and check the fuse assembly. The exact position of the car fuse is different in each car and is detailed in the owner’s manual, so take a look at the manual first before you decide to replace any part of your car. If nothing fruitful comes out of your investigation effort, you need to take your car to a professional to have the fuse checked out.

The car fuse blows out to protect the motor from being damaged but it makes the wiper not work properly

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