Help with Rear Window Wiper

[Bassethound]

The rear window wiper on my wife's X5 (2002 3.0i) works intermittently. It works when it is first turned on and then after a while just stops working most of the time in mid-swipe. If I open and close the rear window hatch, the wiper starts working again for a short period before stopping again.

Any ideas where I should begin to look? Does this sound like the rear wiper motor could be the problem? Any tips on diagnosing the problem? Has anyone experienced this problem on the X5?

Thanks.

[adrian.b]

To see if it`s the motor, try this. Turn the wiper on (push stick forward) and put the car in to reverse. The wiper should then go constant, see how long it lasts.