Cadillac Repair: must have wipers on or headlights go off, 1997 cadillac catera, cadillac catera

Question
QUESTION: 1997 Cadillac Catera must have wipers on in order for headlights to stay on. If wipers are turned off, within 30 seconds the headlights go out. Headlights flicker rapidly when first turned on, then go out unless wipers are activated and must remain on entire drive time.
Will not pass safety inspection.
Please help!

ANSWER: Beth,
Not ignoring you, I need to look at the system schematics and they are at work. I'll get back with you in the morning ASAP.

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QUESTION: ok, thank you so much

ANSWER: Beth,
I have VERY little experience with the Catera but looking at the schematics of both the wiper and headlamp systems, I must say that the only two common points between the two systems are the IP cluster and the BCM.
While the wiper system is actually a fairly basic system, the headlamps are anything but. You're going to need somebody that's REAL good with trouble-shooting electrical issues for this one. It's really going to just boil down to testing a number of key points to see what's getting power and ground and what isn't. It's very possible that the BCM is the problem but it's also possible that the issue could be a short somewhere.
Sorry this isn't a simple one. If you need help during the diagnostic work, let me know.

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QUESTION: So basically, I need to just go to a Cadillac service department? Is that my best bet? I know they charge $118 per hour, but I probably have no choice, correct?

Answer
Most likely, yes. I know it's NOT what you want to hear but in cases like this, you REALLY need a talented tech to just poke around with a meter. These cars can be pretty complicated at times and unless you are fairly skilled, you will never find the problem and/or really cause some damage to the car by not knowing proper practices or utilizing proper tools. Then when you finally end up taking it to a tech, the car's a rats nest and the tech will either not take the job or he'll be facing an even larger job, which means far bigger repair bills for you. Sometimes, it's just better to take it to the pro from the start.
Hey, you might get lucky, a dealer tech stands the best chance of having seen this issue before. Maybe it's a common one that they will fix quickly for you. Stay positive! ;)