Repair-It

They work only on high, and stop in place as soon as you switch to any other setting. Research indicates this is a common problem. It sort of reminds me of when the HVAC blower motor resistor pack/controller dies and the blower works only on high. That also happened to this car (well it worked on settings 3-4-5 but not on 1-2). I replaced it many years ago. RockAuto sells them for $18.

Not a fuse problem, and I doubt the stalk/switch stopped working on all settings but high. I suspect this control board will fix it (goes on top of the wiper motor evidently):

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinf ... cc=1358748

It's a hefty $21.

But this looks so simple that I wonder if I could actually replace whatever discrete components may have failed. I'll have to save that for another day because the wiper motor is under the cowl cover.

I doubt it's the switch but it goes for $55-$89 for aftermarket replacement. But check out how GM did the LRU for the wiper stalk:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinf ... cc=1358748

While we're on the topic of random replacement items, I had to replace the hazard/turn signal switch several months ago as the blinkers were basically not working. RockAuto has them for $12-$16.

As much as I dislike this car, it is cheap to maintain.

Yup, discrete component replacement sure is possible. I found this:

I had this problem (wipers only work on high) with my 2002 Chevy Malibu and had to replace the 6 amp diode (22059733) on the wiper control board. It is connected to the back of the wiper motor and is held on by 3 torx screws.
Radio Shack has them for $2.75 6A, 50V Rectifier Diodes (4-Pack) Model:276-1661

So if $21 is too steep I can ratchet this repair down even further. My local Radio Shack has them in stock for $2.99. Maybe next weekend. They work on high so Jamie should be alright for the next week. This is the perfect repair for this forum! Assuming it's the diode...

Fixed! Here's what I did:

Remove wiper arms and cowl cover. Wiper arm nuts are 13mm. Cowl cover has plastic push rivets. Be sure to pop out the windshield washer hose from the guides. This car, like my Caprice, has arm-mounted nozzles. Except this car has two per arm. Fancy. Now we can see the wiper motor. Unnecessary close-up. Unplug the harness connector then remove the 3 T-20 bolts holding the wiper motor control board onto the motor assembly. That disc is how the controller knows when the linkage is in the park position. There is a set of spring loaded contacts on the under side of the controller board. Look! An exploded diode. Just like the internet told me. And you can also see the contacts that ride on that disc. RockAuto sells this board assembly for $21. New diode soldered in place. I used the P/N in the previous post. $2.99 for a pack of 4. Perhaps as a function of the diode blowing, a thin trace on the PCB also acted as a fuse so I soldered a short jumper restoring the connection. I forgot to snip off the free trace material. Hopefully it doesn't short on anything. I guess it would just act as a fuse again. I reassembled the board in the plastic housing and reattached it to the motor assembly, then plugged in the harness connector. It works on low and intermittent again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZUF9BTC0Q8

Reattach cowl cover and push rivets. I also had to reapply the aluminum tape. If I don't, the passenger floor will get soaked as water drips off the lower edge of the windshield, through the HVAC fan. I'm sure it would be fine if the lower weather stripping was attached but it won't stay so the tape works for me. The finished product with wiper arms attached and tape applied. Good for another 14 years. Probably.