[Vwdiesel] Cold car and windshield wiper issues

[Erik Lane]

Hello everyone,

I'm having a problem with my windshield wipers not wanting to run. I'm
not sure if it's an electrical issue or if it's something mechanical
like cold grease or something else. I'm up in northern Idaho visiting
in-laws for the holiday without any of my manuals from home. At this
point I don't know if I would rather it was one thing or the other. I
really don't want to go work on the car in the cold, and I probably
won't. It's cold enough out there that needing the wipers for rain
just won't happen. They do have a garage here that I could probably
steal for a day or so, but I don't have spare parts, either, and no
way to get them delivered in time before I leave anyway.

But the problem is that they are just super slow. At one point they
got stuck with some ice on the windshield. (The defroster melted the
ice enough for it to be a problem when I stopped.) Even after I freed
them up, the next time I went to run them they were going slow, and as
the drive went on it just got ridiculous. The last time I went to try
them, once I had removed the last remnants of ice, they literally took
1-2 minutes to go all the way up and down.

Does anyone have any experience with anything like this? Also, does
anyone have a digital copy of the wiring diagram for if I get a chance
to get in there with a meter? I'd like it just in case there are
problems with not getting the power to the motor, so that I can trace
down where it's supposed to be coming from.

This is a 1981 Jetta diesel.

Thanks!
Erik