On 18/01/2015 14:13, Phil K wrote:
I just wanted to thank everyone for the help with my Nisan Tino wiper
problem. I followed Lee's advice and bridged pins 3 & 5 of the relay. The
wipers then worked! (Thaks a million, Lee!)

So I guess this points to the relay being at fault. Now I have what I
suspect is probably a silly question... If it works fine with the relay
pins jumped, why do I need a relay in there at all? Can I just leave it as
is, with the pins 3 & 5 bridged?

Is there anything I can try to restore the relay? Are the contacts in there
clean-uppable?

Many thanks,

Phil K


In your case it's simply to make sure the wipers only work with the
ignition on, in terms of safety it should be fine as it's fed through
both a fuse and a fusible link but it would be better to replace it in
case they are any unexpected consequences of having circuits powered
when they they are not designed to be.

In general terms, they are used, as others have said, to reduce the load
on the switch - ie it's usually cheaper and more convenient than using a
chunky heavy duty switch and associated wiring.

Think how many amps an ignition switch in a modern car would have to
switch if it wasn't for all the relays