Perfect Timing

As we get into the winter months, having good wiper blades is crucial, carrying an extra set of wiper blades in the truck is priceless. Be prepared.

I recently found a very useful feature on my Western Star 5700, and I also discovered that this feature is available on Freightliner Cascadias, as well. I’m not sure which model year the feature was added, so check yours to see if you have it.

The windshield wiper controls are located on the turn signal stalk. You should have a few settings to choose from: intermittent (2 speeds), low speed, and high speed. Did you know about the additional speed? There is a programmable feature built-in right on the same controls you always use.

To set the programmable intermittent speed of your windshield wipers, turn the control switch to the first setting, then turn it off again. Wait the desired time you want for the wipers to sweep, then turn back on again to the first setting. This will program the first intermittent setting to sweep when you need it to, not just to the factory settings. This time between sweeps can be set from a second or two to around 20-25 seconds. You can cancel the programmed time by simply turning the wipers off. You can also reprogram the timing of the wiper sweeps any time by repeating the steps. This is one very handy feature when driving in a light mist or fog. 

The programming process is as follows:

1. Turn on wipers to the first setting.

2. Turn off wipers.

3. Count to when you want them to sweep (1 second to 20-25 seconds).

4. Turn wipers on again to the first setting.

5. Repeat the process to adjust the timing.

6. Turn wipers off for more than 25 seconds to reset to factory timing.