I have a question about the operation of windshield wipers at Land Rover Freelander during the winter season. I come from Hungary so bear with my English please. I have noticed that during cold ambient temperatures once I start the wipers several initial wipes are smooth and uninterrupted. However, after several perfect wipes there would come a wipe when the wipers start from their parking position, move up along the windshield a little bit (an inch or so), then pause for a tiny period of time (half a second or so) and afterwards complete the wiping cycle perfectly. All the consequent wipes are smooth and uninterrupted again. Is this a peculiarity of normal operation mode or can it be a symptom of possible malfunction? All feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

The problem described above is still relevant. Any comments? Anyone?

 

Just got my first l.r. and am having to right away do some work to it so I'm afraid I can't help you. But if it only stops for a half second that doesn't sound too serious? An electrical glitch like that might be hard to find, if you can live with it and it doesn't get any worse, maybe that's your best bet? I'm sure there must be others on here who will be able to help you more though?

 

Thank you very much for your response. Appreciated. You mention electrical glitch. If it is indeed so, then definitely it would be hard to detect its origin. Actually, I was thinking that the problem might be related to oil / grease in wiper gear that gets frozen during cold conditions. As I mentioned in my first post, this problem appears only when it is really cold outside during the first minutes of driving. Once the car warms up, this problem does not occur again. Do you think there is a chance that it is related to solidifying oil / grease in wiper gear during winter season? Thank you in advance. Cheers.

 

Well Kurgan, I must say that having just joined this forum, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of help offered from members. Not sure why that is. But here is my further opinion. I really don't think grease or oil would cause this symptom. It just wouldn't cause a reaction like that. Electrical issues can change with temperature as things expand and contract, and I think that's what's going on here. But as I said, it might be really hard to find. Being new to landrover's, I'm afraid I can't point you in a specific direction, but it doesn't sound to me like to serious of a problem. I think I would be inclined to just live with it. But while we are "chatting" sort of, I am curious what year is your freelander? Have you had any other problems with it? From the reading I have done so far, I am getting the impression many of them are piles of junk just waiting for a major breakdown, or for the engine to blow? What is your experience or thoughts? How many kilometers do you have? Mine is an 04 with 165,000km. Oh, and your english is very good, no problem to understand at all.

 

Greetings Kelikran! Thanks a million for your further thoughts and comments. I greatly appreciate all your input. The more I think about it, the more I am inclined to agree with your diagnostics. Again – thank you very much.

Regarding the model as a whole – I have mixed feelings. The electrical system in particular seems to be unpredictable and sometimes unreliable. My model is a 05 edition. The mileage is just under 90,000 km. The future will tell how long it lasts…

 

Kurgan:
Having similar issues with my front wipers. Rear wiper - no issue. My problem started out as yours, and Freelander's being Freelander's... I let it go. I repair anything to do with engine, (the engine is a whole other subject), anything else falls by the wayside. Well, my wipers now work occasionally. I turn the switch sometimes, and nothing. Put the car in reverse, rear wiper comes on. In my opinion, (and I'm about to have a go at repairing this issue), your wiper linkage might need grease or replacement. And I'd toss the wiper motor as well. (I've done research and apparently the motors have electrical issues with corrosion). The linkage and motor can be purchased from Rover as a single part, and replacement is easy... remove the wiper arms and cowl, there it is. I'm not dealing with cleaning the old motor contacts, I don't have time for it. Easier to replace. Best -

 

FRLNDR:

Thanks for this input, appreciated! I will make sure to have the linkage / motor checked by Rover Dealership once I have some funds available for that. Their services are murderously expensive over here, so...