RAI N SEN SOR CON T ROL M OD-
ULE
DESCRIPTION
The Rain Sensor Contr ol Module (RSCM) is t he
pr imary com pon ent of the aut omatic wiper system
(Fig. 11). The RSCM is secured with two scr ews and
nuts t o a bracket located under t he instrument pa nel
above th e thrott le peda l with in the pa ssen ger com-
pa rtmen t. The recta ngu lar molded plast ic hou sing of
the RSCM has a n int egra l m ounting tab on each side
and an in tegr al con nector recept acle on one en d,
which conta ins the module termina l pins. These ter-
minal pin s connect the RSCM to th e veh icle elect rica l
system thr ough a dedica ted take out and con nector of
the inst rument panel wirin g. Concea led a nd pro-
tected within the RSCM housin g is the electron ic cir-
cuitry of t he modu le.
The RSCM cannot be r epair ed an d, if dam aged or
faulty, t he en tire m odu le must be replaced.
OPERATION
The microprocessor-based Ra in Sensor Control
Module (RSCM) is only used in vehicles equipped
with an optional a utomatic wiper syst em. The RSCM
monitors inputs from th e ignition switch, th e wiper
and washer switch circuitr y of the m ulti-funct ion
switch on the steering colu mn, the park switch
with in the wiper mot or, and the rain sen sor on the
inside of the win dshield glass. Ba sed u pon th ese
input s the RSCM sen ds t he pr oper control output s to
the wiper motor and the wa sh er pum p motor to pro-
vide all of t he requested wiper and wash er syst em
functions.
The RSCM operates on batt ery current received
from a fu se in t he fu se block on a fu sed ign ition
switch ou tput (r un-sta rt) circu it so that the RSCM
will operate whenever the ignition swit ch is in the
On or St art posit ions. The RSCM receives groun d a t
all t imes t hrough its conn ection to the instr umen t
pa nel wire harness. It is im por tant to note tha t the
default condition for t he wiper syst em is automatic
wipers Off; therefore, if no i n pu t is received from t he
rain sen sor by th e RSCM, t he automat ic wipers will
be disabled and the RSCM will default the wiper an d
washer syst em to nor mal man ual oper ation for con -
tinuous low or high speed wiper or wa sh er mode.
The ha rd wired RSCM circuits may be diagnosed
using conventional diagn ost ic tools and methods.
However, conventional dia gnostic meth ods m ay not
pr ove conclusive in the dia gnosis of t he interna l cir-
cuitry of th e RSCM. Refer t o the a ppr opriate wiring
information.
REMOVAL
WARNING: To avoid personal injury or death, on
vehicles equipped with airbags, disable the supple-
mental restraint system before attempting any
steering wheel, steering column, airbag, seat belt
tensioner, or instrument panel component diagno-
sis or service. Disconnect and isolate the battery
negative (ground) cable, then wait two minutes for
the system capacitor to discharge before perform-
ing further diagnosis or service. This is the only
sure way to disable the supplemental restraint sys-
tem. Failure to take the proper precautions could
result in accidental airbag deployment.
(1) Disconn ect and isolate the battery nega tive
cable.
(2) Locate the rain sen sor cont rol module on a
bracket un der the instru ment panel above th e throt-
tle peda l (Fig. 12).
Fig. 11 Rain Sensor Control Module
1 - RAIN SENSOR CONTROL MODULE
2 - CONNECTOR RECEPTACLE
3 - MOUNTING TAB (2)
VA WIPERS/WASHERS 8R - 15
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