My 2007 mk II Fabia 1.9tdi screen wiper and wash spray stopped working a while ago.Two seasoned automotive technicians say its an ecu problem as all fuses / motor/ linkages fine and their scanners show nothing, and one has even wired up the washer motor direct from battery through the (good) wiper fuse, by passing ignition, so I get wipers but no wash.

I phoned ecu testing and they suggest sending them the ecu. How do I find it and get it out? Please?

Have you looked at / tested / replaced / changed the wiper stalk itself, not uncommon for these to fail.

Edited 23 December, 20223 yr by UrbanPanzer

Thanks for this and no, I havent. My automotive mechanic friends with their plug in monitors didnt come up with this but I am happy to have a look. The rear wiper that works off the same stalk is still functioning.

14 hours ago, Rodfabia said:

Thanks for this and no, I havent. My automotive mechanic friends with their plug in monitors didnt come up with this but I am happy to have a look. The rear wiper that works off the same stalk is still functioning.

 

Offcourse often possible, there is multiple switches within the stalk, any one can fail.................if you think about it, the rear is used a LOT less, so the probability is it is less likely the rear wiper switch would fail.

 

Even gaining access to the switch, spraying some switch cleaner "may" assist.

 

Not sure what your mechanics used to "plug in"....but if it was VCDS for example, the switch contacts can be checked with that to see if they are working when the stalk is moved to different positions.

 

Also, I know you say they have been checked, but checking the "wrong" fuse is easily done and often the owners manual differs from the "actual" vehicle (if thats what was used). The rear wiper is on a different fuse,  so we know thats

good because it works....

 

the front wipers are Fuse 26 (15 Amp)......and Fuse 44 (20 Amp) .....worth double checking both those

 

Edited 24 December, 20223 yr by UrbanPanzer

On 19/12/2022 at 17:41, Rodfabia said:

My 2007 mk II Fabia 1.9tdi screen wiper and wash spray stopped working a while ago.Two seasoned automotive technicians say its an ecu problem as all fuses / motor/ linkages fine and their scanners show nothing, and one has even wired up the washer motor direct from battery through the (good) wiper fuse, by passing ignition, so I get wipers but no wash.

I phoned ecu testing and they suggest sending them the ecu. How do I find it and get it out? Please?

 

Your description is very confusing, what is not working, the screen wipers or the washer? I presume you mean the front as you go on to say the rear is working.

 

What happened when the washer pump motor was hotwired? You say you got wipers but no wash, surely this means the pump is not working, why would people say its the ECU other than the usual "I cant work this out so it must be the ECU"

Many thanks for this. The front wipers and wash spray dont work. The rear wiper works, and I don't now recall whether the rear wash works, its been so long. On UrbanPanzer’s point about fuses these were checked ( he checked all the fuses on the car in cabin and under the bonnet), before wiring ip the wiper motor through fuse 44. My regular garage then came to the same conclusion about it being the ECU - wasn't prepared to fiddle any further and suggested finding an electrical specialist. Merry Christmas all!

On a mk1 Fabia there's a non-obvious fuse failure that causes this. I'm not sure what number the equivalent is on  mk2, but I'd be surprised if there isn't one, as mk1 and  early mk2 electrics are very similar. 

Check all the cabin ones yourself, after taking photos of where they all are before touching any. Then check them one by one.

When you are referring to "ECU" be aware that there are many, and the relevant one isn't the engine ECU. 

Thanks BreezyPete, all the fuses in the cabin and under the bonnet were checked electrically with a meter by the auto technician who proceeded to wire up the wiper motor which he had removed from the car and tested, as a stop gap so I could get back to London in the rain. As it was a saturday morning in the middle of wales he explained that he could not investigate and source electrical components at short notice. My regular garage at home  explained that they don't do complex electrics thus recommending me to find a specialist who could fix/ replace and recode the necessary bit of kit. I notice that the haynes manual wiring diagram for the wiper/ washers shows a “vehicle voltage control unit” for vehicles up to february 2010 so I guess its this unit that needs extracting.

Yes, that's the relevant control unit, but I really would urge you to check the fuses yourself.

There is a relay in that unit that can cause front wiper inaction if it fails, but I don't recall it having any effect on the washers.

By Boxing Day I can look at the circuit diagrams for you and offer more targeted advice.

Thanks again, I checked the fuses my self on the first day of this and both looked intact and went and bought two new ones and they didn't make it work either. 
i have dismantled and replaced a relay myself before- on an old volvo 245 indicator back in 1988, -cleaning out the the corroded contacts. I just don't know where to find this one in the skoda. I appreciate all your help on this.

This relay is soldered into the board. Have a look in the Fabia Guides subforum, there's a thread titled Wiper relay replacement or similar.

wiring, I have labelled where the Fuse feeds go / come from

 

 

Given the age of the car and the cost of getting the control unit out and repaired by a specialist and the fact that quite soon I wont be able to drive it around the outer London without paying ULEZ charge  area my auto mechanic is going to install a similar switch for the washer pumps, bypassing the ignition as apparently this still satisfies the MOT requirement. Thanks to all concerned for advice on this adventure!