REAR WIPER WORRY

I’ve a 1990 Ford Escort and when the switch for the rear wiper is pressed, the wiper fails to work but the heated rear screen light illuminates. I thought that perhaps the problem was due to the three contacts between the boot and body but having cleaned them the problem has not been resolved.

Have you any idea what I should check next? Martin Crabtree The three contact points between the rear hatch and the body are as you have implied a common failure point and often when a bad connection occurs the contacts can heat up and I have seen them melt the surrounding fixing point. As you have checked these then I believe the problem may be either with the earthing point from the heated rear window, or the main dash panel.

By using a short jumper cable with a connecting clip either end, you should be able to find a suitable temporary earth point. This should show up where the problem lies, hopefully enabling you to clean or replace the failing connection.