Tad Johnston

Mack1:
Thanks for the quick reply. Allow me to muddy the waters a bit more if I can. Firstly, My truck is a C10 not an S10 but I doubt that changes things much. I am aware of the crappy control board issue and am told that NAPA even sells a replacement, but I am unconvinced that this is the problem because one of my last troubleshooting steps was to replace the wiper motor with a know good replacement, and the same symptom occured immediatly - as soon as I turned the key from lock to run the wiper blades cycled 4 times. This has always been the only issue with the wipers themselves, I don't get random wipes, or failure to work at all or any of the other weird control board issues I've read about. Everytime I turn the key on the blades go up and down 4 times - no more no less. besides - isn't the control board issues mostly related to electrical noise? Not a lot of interferance being generated when the engine hasn't even been started yet.
Usually, this problem goes on for a few months and then 1 day I'll notice the wipers didn't cycle and the problem then hibernates for anywhere from a few days to a few years. Eventually it comes back...it ALWAYS comes back.
Well, I might just have some new useful information - in between writing the last paragraph and this one I thought 'Don't the wipers cycle 4 times when you depress the WASH lever?' So, I tried to verify that by running the washers and discovered they are not working. I don't know for how long though as I rarely use them. The washer motor has power but I think I remember that works by grounding the washer motor when the lever is rotated. BTW - truck has seperate wiper and waser motors not the combined unit I've had on other trucks.
So, that would appear to take us back to the multi-function T/S switch, but I know that switch has been replaced at least 3 times, once just recently.

NOW YOU KNOW WHY THIS IS BUGGING THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!!

The only thing I can think of at this point is that somehow that washer pump gets grounded briefly ONLY when the key is first turned to 'RUN'. This causes the wipers to cycle just as they would when you wash your windshield. If this is true the problem wouldn't be the wipers as they are the symptom and not the cause. Short between the ignition switch circuit and the washer circuit? Is that possible/likely?

So - yeah in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor problem. But it's a minor problem that's been kicking my a** for several years. So how about one of you smart guys out help me figure this out before I give up and it wins! NOBODY WANTS THAT!

thxs...tad