Hello. I can't seem to get a definitive answer to this problem where my wipers come on by themselves and I can't turn them off. I have "fixed" it by pulling the fuse. They don't do it all the time just when they feel like it. It's no point taking it to an electrician because they have to be on by themselves for him to diagnose it and they only do it for a minute or 2 each time

 

Check your intermittent wiper relay. Mine did this for almost a year and I couldn't figure it out. One day the intermittent wiper relay shorted out and started billowing smoke out from under the hood. Had to replace the relay and the plug. After that all was well. It could also possibly be a bad wiper switch or integrated control unit going bad.

 

What happens when you use the so-called "misting" feature that lets you operate the blades for just one full stroke? You push down on the lever and the wipers should operate until you let off of the lever. Not the same as intermittent operation. If that feature doesn't work, or works oddly, it sounds like you need that switch assembly, which is sometimes sold as the whole thing, including the lever for the headlights, but I have seen just the wiper switch with lever sold as one.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'll try the relay first, it seems to be the cheaper option. The wiper arm is going to be a bit more involved to change as I think I'll have to change the headlight arm as well. Is the icu under the floor

 

Not entirely sure about the 90-93 gen but I believe the ICU is in or around the interior fuse panel.

 

Not sure if I have that misting feature you mentioned. I think the wipers are intermittent, slow and fast. Is the intermittent wiper relay under the fuse box in the engine bay?

 

It's the feature that lets you run the wipers when it is misting outside or damp foggy; not enough moisture to put the wipers on, or into intermittent operation, but still enough to coat the windshield every few minutes. There should be an arrow on the control with the word "mist" on it. Pushing down on the lever will operate the wipers until you let go of the lever. I don't use intermittent mode at all on my car, but I do use that mist feature from time to time.

 

All the years I've had my Honda I haven't seen a misting operation, however I will check it out tomorrow. Is the intermittant wiper relay under the black fuse box in the engine bay?

 

Check for a bad ground near the driver side bumper cover. Had a similar issue with an Acura CL, checked everything i could think of all check out. Dumb luck, i look under the car see the ground hanging clean and secure it and the wipers remember how to follow directions.
Hope this helps.

 

Thanks Roney I'll check out the earth under the bumper. Do you know where the intermittent wiper relay is located?

 

I believe its under the driver side dash towards the kick panel behind a gaggle of wires.

 

Thanks Roney. After all the years of driving my Honda I never knew about the mist function and today I saw it on the control lever. Silly me. I can't check it though as I've pulled the fuse. I do remember awhile ago putting my ear close to the black fuse box in the engine bay and running the wipers and I could hear a relay clicking but it's right under the fuse box. Would this be the intermittent relay or the ordinary relay for the wipers. Are they 2 separate relays?

 

That misting feature is probably the least used thing in the whole car, other than maybe be cigarette lighter. That feature is good for when the really fine moisture droplets are in the air, which is basically fog. Are you able to create the erratic operation of the wipers by jiggling the button or switch?

I'm not sure where the wiper relay(s) is/are on this kind of Honda. I have been lucky and still have everything original in that system. Of course I have put lots of wiper blades on. I saw one video, and on the 5th generation accords, there is a wiper relay under the fuse box that is under the HOOD. It is not in the fuse box, but tucked away underneath it.

 

Thanks brakedrum. I found that relay you mentioned under the fuse box, part number 058700-1081, just barely visible on it. I've also seen other comments that the relay is in or on the ICU which is mounted just above the fuse panel, which is next to the kick panel. Could this be true?

 

Hello all. It seems I have narrowed down to 2 parts that could cause my wipers to come on by themselves and that is the relay under the black fuse box in the engine bay or the ICU under the kick panel. My question is does anyone know from what year model Honda accords will these parts fit?

 

I would assume the part number 058700-1081 that you're looking at will fit your 93. You would likely find those exact parts in a junkyard pull, or somebody selling a junkyard pull.

Honda uses part no. 39793-SE3-003 for that part nowadays.

I don't know about the other part you are referring to, but if you can get a number off of it, perhaps use a Google search to cross-reference it.

So you are sure the wiper switch isn't causing the wipers to operate mysteriously? Switches can get out-of-spec and do strange things like that. Oxidation and also cause it. Have you had trim around the steering wheel off so you can take a look at the switch?

 

Hello Brakedrum. I haven't checked the switch as it's an intermittent problem and it may be difficult to do. The part number of the relay under the fuse box in the engine bay is 058700-1081 and the ICU number on mine is 38600-sm4-x01-m1

 

Maybe the relay will get is solved. Those relays rarely fail though. I haven watched this, but this guy is testing a Honda relay. Looks like he's really diagramming some stuff. If you don't have a multimeter, invest in one. A must-have for doing quick diagnostics.


Taking the covers off the steering wheel is easy. The screws are on the bottom, but you need to keep track of which came from which hole.
Some of them secure the bottom to the car, and others secure the bottom to the top cover. The screws are also different types. The ones that secure the bottom cover to the car are machine-threaded as I recall. The others are designed for sheet metal/plastic. There is one screw oddly located on the upper left that is easy to miss. Once you have them all out, you can wiggle off the covers, using the steering wheel height adjuster to create wiggle room as needed.

Perhaps your switch will show no visible signs of wear up under there, but it still might be worth having a look at it.