Install rear windshield wiper

[Tim]

How difficult would it be to add a rear windshield wiper to my '89 L? I understand it involves drilling a hole in the hatch, but aside from that, wouldn't the mounting brackets and wiring already be there?

[88FESTIVAGTR]

there is also a rear windshield wiper fluid bottle. Probably be easier to find a rear hatch with a wiper already there

[Gro Harlem]

You have to swap the wiring harness too. Your car should have some plugs near the drivers taillight that have no wires going to them. THese are the wires for the rear defroster & wiper motor.

it'd be easiest to pull the rear hatch from a car with the rear wiper (and defroster as a bonus) and make sure you get the FULL harness. It runs through the rear C pillar on the drivers side.

You'll also need the switch that plugs into the dashboard and the wiper motor & reseviour hoses and stuff.

It's pretty involved but isn't super difficult if you get all of the wiring & parts in advance. I installed a rear defroster hatchlid on a 91' L. color matched it too. The wiring was the hardest part.

[Bizarre]

there is one on the LX in the junkyard that I got my power mirrors off of but the wiper arm is all rusty and crappy plus the hatch was red and my car is blue. I thought I would look for a better one that would match my car. if I found a nice one I would get it Rather it matched or not cause I would just paint it when I paint my car.
-Bizarre-

[mechanicaldj]

this post is more than a year old, check the date.

FEB 09,2005

[packrat427]

A bunch of old post got dug up last night !!

[Bizarre]

and?
-Bizarre-

[aithanmier]

lol gotta agree... who cares? i mean it's not like ford went out and changed the installation procedure for a rear wiper on a 1989 festiva in the last year. :twisted:

[mechanicaldj]

lol gotta agree... who cares? i mean it's not like ford went out and changed the installation procedure for a rear wiper on a 1989 festiva in the last year. :twisted:

as far as Ford is concerned, the new installation procedure:

take one wiper motor and one festiva,
put in car shredder,
recycle,
make new focus :twisted:

[ericsmith32]

You just insulted our festiva's.. the festiva gods are pissed.

as far as Ford is concerned, the new installation procedure:

take one wiper motor and one festiva,
put in car shredder,
recycle,
make new Ford GT

there fixed.. gods are pleased.

[Nerd Racing]

lol... except for the new gt's are prolly fiberglass... I dunno for sure but it would have been the smart thing to do weight wise...

[needragr]

You have to swap the wiring harness too. Your car should have some plugs near the drivers taillight that have no wires going to them.
THese are the wires for the rear defroster & wiper motor.
it'd be easiest to pull the rear hatch from a car with the rear wiper (and defroster as a bonus) and make sure you get the FULL harness. It runs through the rear C pillar on the drivers side.
You'll also need the switch that plugs into the dashboard and the wiper motor & reseviour hoses and stuff.
It's pretty involved but isn't super difficult if you get all of the wiring & parts in advance. I installed a rear defroster hatchlid on a 91' L. color matched it too. The wiring was the hardest part.

This thread started to answer the OP question but sort of glossed it over, since as was commented, he did it with a late (90->) car.
What was implied by the designation of the MY in the 1st post, is that the base (L) carby models never came with the whistles & bells that later cars did, and as such the associated wiring doesnt necessarily exist.
As an example I posses a 89L that through junkyarding have aquired most all the add-ons including the wiper & defrost equipped hatch from a late GL.
BUT when I went to hook it up found there is NO wiring in the dash for which to connect it.
I have scoured the board & FB page for an answer as to HOW to, or what is necessary to retrofit ....but most threads end like this one, with a couple members jerking each other off, contributing nothing & leaving the question unanswered.
Anyone willing to provide actual help to a valid technical question?