Windshield Wiper Not Working - Fix

[BigWalmac]

Hey guys,

On my wife's 2001 3.0 X5 my wipers were not working and I was having trouble finding a fix. I finally fixed them, so I figured I'd post the solution here to maybe help others.

My wipers did not work. Naturally I searched here.

1) I checked the fuses (I think it was either 27 or 40) both were OK
2) I found that a common problem are the wiper motor bolts coming loose...

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...wiper-fix.html

I tightened the bolts, but this was not the problem.
3) I checked the wiper relay
http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/BMW_do...lectronics.pdf See page 6

I cleaned it, no luck, purchased a new relay from getbmwparts.com... and presto, wipers work.

Notes:
The Relay is located in the "E box" it is on the passenger side of the engine bay, under the air dam, basically touching the fire wall. You need to take off the cover to work in there. To do so, you need to pull out part of the funel for the cabin air filter (pulls straight up). Also note, when pulling the Relay out, pay attention to how it came out. It's hard to see how to put it back, so best to pay attention.