The windshield wipers on the 2002 Dodge Caravan are electronically controlled, with the motor powering both the wipers and the fluid. If the motor shorts out for any reason, you need to replace it. The motor is mounted along the inner edge of the van's engine compartment, and is shielded by the cowl cover -- the cover that covers the space in between the hood and the windshield.
Open the hood. Disconnect the van's negative battery cable by loosening the black cable's clamp nut with a wrench and pulling the cable free.
Detach the washer hoses from the wipers, then lift up the covers for the wiper arms. Mark the relationship between the wiper arm and shaft with a marker, for re-installation.
Unscrew the pivot nuts on each wiper arm using a wrench, and remove the wiper arms.
Remove the lower screws on the cowl cover with a small screwdriver and disengage the quarter-turn fasteners connecting the cover to the wiper module. Close the hood without latching it, remove the cowl's outer screws and then lift the cover toward the windshield to remove it.
Open the hood back up and disconnect the electrical connector for the motor. Disconnect the washer hose and the drain tubes from the wiper motor.
Remove the mounting bolts for the motor and wiper assembly using an Allen wrench, and remove the motor.
Unbolt and separate the motor from the wiper linkage using your wrench.
Connect the replacement motor to the wiper link arm with its bolts.
Install the wiper assembly in place in the engine compartment using its Allen bolts. Connect the hoses to the motor and connect the electrical connector.
Reconnect the cowl cover, starting with the outer screws, the quarter-turn fasteners and then the lower screws.
Connect the wiper arms using the pivot nuts. The lower wiper's blade needs to be 1-1/2 inches from the cowl cover, and the upper arm should be 2-1/2 inches from the lower arm.
Reconnect the negative battery cable.
