The wiper motor on a Volkswagen is located directly underneath the plastic cowl cover. The cowl cover is located directly below the windshield.
Begin by removing the wiper arms by prying off the covers at the base of the arms and removing the nuts that secure the arms to the drive shafts. Label the passenger and driver arms so they can be installed in the same positions. They are not interchangeable. Remove the rubber hood to cowl weather seal. Unscrew the plastic fasteners from the driver's side of the cowl cover, then remove this half of the cover. Remove the fasteners from the passenger's side cowl cover and remove this half of the cover. Disconnect the windshield wiper motor wiring harness by separating the plastic wiring connector. Remove the three bolts that secure the wiper motor to the vehicle's body. Pull the motor slightly away from the body, then remove the nut that connects the motor shaft to wiper linkage. Remove the motor.
Place the new wiper motor into position in the cowl and reconnect it to the wiper arm linkage. Then reinstall the three retaining bolts. Reconnect the plastic wiring connector to the wiper motor wiring harness. Place the cowl covers into position below the windshield and reinstall the plastic fasteners that retain them. Reinstall the rubber hood to the cowl weather seal. Reinstall the wiper arms in the same position you removed them from, along with the wiper arm retaining nuts and lower wiper arm covers. Turn the windshield wipers on and test for proper operation. If the wiper blades slap against the bodywork surrounding the windshield, loosen the nuts that connect the wiper arms to the shafts and adjust.
But first, you need to ensure you have good spark. Make a spark tester by gapping an old spark plug to 0.200" and sticking it on a plug wire. Lay it on a metal ground and crank the engine over and see if there is spark. If no spark, then the problem may lie in the ignition system.
Check for battery voltage at the positive side (15) of the coil with the key on. If there is no voltage check the yellow wire from the ignition switch. If there is power there you have a break in the wire somewhere in between.
If you have power to the coil, stick your spark tester in the end of the coil wire. Then, with the key on, hook a jumper wire to the negative (1) side of the coil and MOMENTARILY ground it. If you get a spark, then the Hall Effect sensor in the distributor is either bad or not getting power. At this point I would recommend getting a Car Service Manual from the reference section of your local public library. It has a more detailed testing procedure for the testing the Hall Effect sensor and ignition module. It is much too long for me to describe here in this forum.Good luck...
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