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If it's not a relay or a motor, it might be a prank.

Dear car talk: My 2006 Chrysler Town & Country has an interesting question. A few weeks ago, I drove in the rain with the wiper. When I parked and turned off, the wiper kept running.

At first I thought my key was in accessory mode, but the ignition switch was off. Then I opened and closed the car again; the wipers continued.

Then I took out the key from the ignition switch. The wiper went on. I had to remove the windshield wiper fuse to stop them.

When I put the fuses back in place, they will start again even if the car is turned off and the key is in my hand. So now I can only drive when it is not raining, or if I have to drive in the rain, put the fuse back.

If I change the setting, the wiper will change from normal to fast, but will not operate in intermittent mode.

Any help on this is appreciated. thanks. -Steve

RAY: Okay, on the bright side, Steve: Now when someone wants to borrow your car, you have a perfect excuse to say "no".

I have a few thoughts. One is to find the windshield wiper relay. You will find it in the fuse box; it is even labeled! There should be at least one other relay that looks the same. Try to swap these two relays.

If your relay is stuck in the "on" position, this can explain why even after you remove the key and leave Honolulu for two weeks, there is still power to continue to flow to your wiper motor.

When replacing the relay makes no difference, my second guess is the wiper motor. This is also easy to test.

The windshield wiper motor is facing the firewall. After turning on the wiper, you will be able to hear and recognize it easily. It actually just plugs directly into the socket on the firewall.

Think about it, maybe you can buy a Clapper, plug it into the socket, and then control the wiper in this way.

In fact, all you have to do is go to your local car recycling center (aka junkyard) and buy a used windshield wiper motor for $20 or $30.

But don't install it. Just plug it in and test the wiper switch to see if the new motor stops when the wiper switch is turned off. If you can turn off the new motor with a switch, then you know that the problem is with your old motor and you can replace it.

If it's not a relay or a motor, then you are in the haunted realm, Steve. This may require a real mechanic, a wiring diagram, a voltmeter, and maybe a few hemlock roots and a newt. So I hope one of my two ideas can solve it.

Have questions about cars? Send an email to Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk by visiting the Car Talk website www.cartalk.com.

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