My "97 Concours has sense but they never come on.
How are they supposed to work, and how can I test them
I've only Had this car 1 week so I'm just learning

I think you just leave them on. When water gets on the sensor (by the rear view mirror) the wipers will activate. Turn them on and spray the windshield to test them. I don't have them so I am not real familiar with them but my daughters '99 SLS does and I do know that if they are turned on and working, the wipers will make one swipe when the car is started, a feature I do not like as dragging the blades over a dry windshield only hastens streaking through wear.

I have them on my Town Car. The same company makes them for Cadillac.
You turn the windshield switch to the first notch, which would be the 'delay'
and it would also be the slowest setting of the delay mode. You leave the
switch in that posistion. When the windshield gets wet,the wipers will wipe.
As your speed increases they will wipe more often - as well as if the rain
increases. To turn them off, rotate the wiper knob to "off". If you prefer the regular speed (or delay) then turn them back ON and set where you want them.

Speaking of Rain Sense wipers, my car has them and when I turn them off, they "park" in a straight up position. If I leave them on, they lay down most of the way but it's odd when you're driving along in the middle of a dry day and so much as a drop of water hits the windshield and the wipers start going. I talked to my mechanic and he said it might mean replacing the wiper motor(s) at around $1,000! I replaced the computer that supposedly controls the motor and it didn't help. Maybe there is another component or computer module that runs them? Any thoughts?

If you leave the Rainsense wipers on all the time you will either see "HEADLAMPS SUGGESTED" on the DIC (if Twilight Sentinal is off) or have your headlights on all day. TS turns the headlights on after the wipers have been on for 6 seconds if it is engaged. Also, the rotary part of the wiper switch that would adjust the intermittent wiper delay on a regular car actually adjusts the sensitivity of the rain sensor on a Rainsense car. At the lower settings it takes more water before it trips the wipers, higher setting makes the wipers go more. Mine works well sometimes and other times should be labeled "Rainsenseless" because they either go nuts on high speed for no reason or wait until the car is submerged to wipe.

Speaking of Rain Sense wipers, my car has them and when I turn them off, they "park" in a straight up position. If I leave them on, they lay down most of the way but it's odd when you're driving along in the middle of a dry day and so much as a drop of water hits the windshield and the wipers start going. I talked to my mechanic and he said it might mean replacing the wiper motor(s) at around $1,000! I replaced the computer that supposedly controls the motor and it didn't help. Maybe there is another component or computer module that runs them? Any thoughts?

:welcome: What year/model car? Usually the park function is a rotary switch that is integral to the motor. It might also be a linkage issue, but I'm not too sure how. I would take the wiper arms off, mark them with tape or a paint dot and let them run. I'm wondering if somebody put the armson wrong? But then the wipers should either smack the hood or flip off the car... :hmm:

Mine works perfectly ...However I never leave 'em on because when I do that each time I start the engine , auto wipers swipe all the way left to right front windshield .

There is no delay but the controls that would normally operate wiper delay control the sensitivity of the sensor. I think in past thread that we determined that most people keep them on the third notch from the bottom.

Mine work flawlessly and I swear by them. It's essential that the windshield be clean for best operation. It's also normal for them to occasionally wipe once from time to tome. I notice that most when it's especially windy out or if I'm behind a tractor trailer.

The sensor works on the bending of light.

What does the sensor look like? When I bought my Concours there was a little black box that was sticky on one side laying in the glove box... I opened it up and it has a string of LED lights on the inside. It plugs into a wire on the rear view mirror. It doesn't stick very well at all, so it's still just sitting in the glove box. Is this how it senses water?

What does the sensor look like? When I bought my Concours there was a little black box that was sticky on one side laying in the glove box... I opened it up and it has a string of LED lights on the inside. It plugs into a wire on the rear view mirror. It doesn't stick very well at all, so it's still just sitting in the glove box. Is this how it senses water?

That would be your Rainsense sensor. They don't work well from inside the glovebox. :suspense: Needs to be restuck to the windshield.

To test rainsense, leave the switch in a "delay" position, they should be parked.
Spray water or window cleaner or something near the base of the rearview mirror. The faster you spray the faster they should work.

Rainsense modules don't work well when they are not plugged in (at all that is) or if they are not properly attached to the glass.

ILove: I think your issue is a broken cam. On most cars of this era there was a small flat device that had a metal tang on it and a spring wrapped around it. I think they called it a crank arm.
When the wipers go to "park" the motor reverses and a tab on the crank arm hits a small tab, as the motor turns the arms then move down to the park position. If the tab is broken on the crank arm the motor still turns backwards, but the wipers appear to just move back up the glass and park high on the windshield.
You can usually replace just the crank arm which is not so expensive. It has to be "timed" when you put it on or it will not work properly.

Some motors use a park switch, which is usually part of the cover.

To get the rainsence sensor re-attatched to the windshield, you need to have a windshield place do it. The job including parts cost me about $25 dollars and was worth it as it was a tricky job.

DAVE
'97 Concours

It also requires a special very clear adhesive.


FYI; On the newer models I don't think it can really come off, can it. Mine looks pretty integrated into the mirror mounting. I think they moved it from the side to the center in 2000

Do not attempt to reattach it without using the proper GM adhesive or it will not work.

Sweet. THanks. My life just got better by 20%.

Ok... New question that has to do with the rain sensor. My wiper delay doesn't work. I have wipers on High and Low, but everything between off and low doesn't work. Will the rain sensor work on High and Low or do I need to get the modulator(?) for the delay settings?

If the vehicle is equipped with RainSense there is NO DELAY feature. That becomes the sensitivity adjustment for the rainsense. Read my previous post answering that before it was asked. :)

If it's set up high towards Low it will wipe at the sign of any little moisture and become very sensitive to wind, see my previous explanation for details. Down low near the Off it will be far less sensitive and wipe only when the window is soaked. Most people here I think keep it around the third tick from the bottom.

I hate repeating myself

If the vehicle is equipped with RainSense there is NO DELAY feature. That becomes the sensitivity adjustment for the rainsense.

I think it gets confusing because they use the same wiper switch (at least on my 99) that says "Delay" as one of the switch positions. I guess technically Rainsense is a delay of sorts, just one the car chooses instead of the driver.

Hmmm I'm not sure if mine says delay on it or not. I'll have to look.