Cadillac Repair: 1999 Cad Seville STS, jumper wire, spade terminal

Question
The washer bottle motor didn't work, has electricity going to the motor.  I replaced the motor and it is still not working.

Answer
Hi Rick,

      In a sense you may have answered your own question. If you use a voltmeter or 12 volt test light and get battery voltage on the red wire at the pump motor connector with the connector unplugged when you push the washer switch, then test the ground wire by hooking the positive meter lead on the battery positive post or B+ terminal underhood and then place the negative meter lead to the black/ground side of the connector. My guess is that it will not show battery voltage. If it does plug/unplug the pump at least 5 times to clean the contacts and try the switch again. Also make sure that a terminal isn't spread apart too far and not makeing good contact. Even when the pump is working it will take 5-10 seconds of pump operation to prime the hose to the squirters before it will spray.

    Another thing you can do is to place your meter across the 2 terminals like the pump was plugged in and then hit the switch and see what the voltage is. If it does turn out to be a bad ground I would just cut the wire and make a jumper wire from the pump to a good metal ground that is easy to get at. Just make sure not to spread the terminals when you are testing. What I do is take a spade terminal of the correct thickness and attach it to a jumper wire, strip the end and attach my meter lead to the wire end. That way I can test without damageing the terminal and I have a hand free to perform whatever tests I need to do.

       Hope that helps. Bill