Cadillac Repair: wiring problem with headlights and wipers, cadillac catera, catera

Question
We bought my son a used 97 Cadillac Catera. When he turns the headlights on, the windshield wipers come on. It won't pass a safety inspection because of this. Any way to look at this ourselves instead of a dealer?

Answer
Hi Beth,

      Here in Illinois We have a law that the headlights need to be on when the wipers are on. However it is surprising how many people don't like to turn them on and be seen when its raining.

      Since that is a problem I suppose that the wipes and headlamps both need to work but not at the same time unless 2 different switches were used. Otherwise a simple solution might be to remove the fuse for the wipers so the lights only turn on and you could pass inspection after which time you could repair the problem propperly.

      If you haven't already done so I would check all the fuses and see if there are any that are blown and replacing them might fix your problem. I will need to check the shop manual at work tomorrow to see how these two are wired up. It could be that they are both in the turn signal/headlamp/wiper combo switch which has shorted out and needs to be replaced.

      I will get back to you tomorrow and let you know if I have a solution for your problem. Bill