My 2000 XJ rear wiper does not work
-no relays/fuses are bad
-hear clicking as if it were operating but nothing
-got another motor from the junkyard, also does not work
-rear washer also does not work
-rear defroster also does not work
thinking its a wiring issue as it seems everything else in the back does not work but i havent seen any frayed wires that go up to the trunk roof (no headliner and few trim pieces remain)
have tried taking one of the motors apart to check the gears inside but its kind of a PITA so id rather NOT.

 

check your positive wire to ground, you should have 12VDC, if you don't, check resistance from both positive and negative sides, negative wire should be 0 ohms, positive should be OL (indicating out of limits). in the case of your windshield wiper, it's going to have a couple different sets of wires, you will still have 12VDC on all but the negative, but everything else should be identical to the first example. that wiring harness could have become dislodged in a couple places, there's a plug at the top of the hatch, and maybe another in the driver quarter panel. from there it goes to your fuse box. a shorted wire will suck down the voltage, you might have enough to engage the motor but have nothing happen.

 

Have you checked the wiring that runs from the body to the hatch the wires that run though the flex tube brake there .

 

I almost 100% guarantee its this.

 

Although, as I understand it, the motors are known to fail definitely check that wiring first, especially as it seems the only thing on the liftgate that works are the tag lights; if it looks OK, check continuity.

SirCyber's idea is not as simple as it appears, as there are more than 2 wires, & I have never fathomed which one is which function..

 

Mine was also broken there!

 

lift the rear hatch and open the cover that has all the wires going through it . You probably have several broken wires. I added about 6 inches of wire to each of the wires running through the grommet (one at a time) to fix the problem.

 

yeah so without going too deep into it i did end up finding a black wire fully disconnected

 

that looks like a lot of exposed copper. good news is that you can run a patch wire for that black cable, it's likely 18AWG, though I'm not sure. you can cut it out a few inches on either side and solder the new wire in or use a butt splice. definately need to wrap the exposed copper in electrical tape though or those will also break, but when those do they can or likely will cause a fuse to fail.

 

Assuming the black wire is the ground, it's a surprise that even the tag lights work (at least OP didn't say they didn't).

Some of the copper in that B/W one looks rather unhealthy & in need of attention, the other wires with damaged insulation could be repaired with carefully applied tape - but, I suggest, only as a quick fix.

 

havent done any repairs yet but yes all the lights work the black wire looks like it goes to one of the defrosters. theres not much room in that small cramped space so im likely cutting/pulling all the wire out of the grommet and patching/wrapping all the exposed copper.

 

That's part of the problem.

Some have extended wires & brought them thru the other boot (with the washer pipe) but I've never really been able to work out the routing. Then again, I've not studied it with a view to doing the same.

 

just about finished the job, ended up snipping every wire and extending each one a few inches with 14/16awg and everything works fine. soldered the half with the connectors attached and then used solder heat shrink splices on the jeep side. never got the grommet back on after taking it off so ill have to figure out a way to waterproof the two holes there (im sure i have some butyl tape **** lying around) thanks for the tips.

 

Always good to know we were right, & so, identified the problem, but much better to know you've fixed it - & did it very well.

As for the boot, if it's in reasonable condition, you could split it along its length with a razor blade, or similar, & fit over the wires like that, then stick the edges back together with superglue.

 

glad you got it fixed! And as UKXJ said, good to be part of the solution. feel comfortable posting pictures of your repair?