[Done] Rain-Sensing Wipers Installed

[Mo’ Money Mo’ Broncos]

All pointed out by a generation that can't see someone else's achievements without having the need to feel noticed by making snarky comments!

Must’ve got passed down from your generation. Your post is too ironic.

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[XirallicBolts]

Finally bit the bullet and went for the full install.
Immediate lesson learned: The sensor window should've been 31mm, not 35. I'll wait until it's warmer to redo the vinyl. Doesn't seem to affect performance, just results in a silver ring around the sensor when viewed from outside. I also should've had the right edge come down lower to match the factory fritting, but I couldn't tell exactly where it was with my dashcam mount in the way.

Photos in the next post for clarity.

Thingiverse: Printable parts and templates

1) Cut a piece of Oracal 651 matte black vinyl. Either hand-cut using a printed template, or use a vinyl cutter such as Cricut. The sensor window should be 31mm in diameter.

2) Remove the rearview mirror. Thank God Bronco uses a T20 setscrew, I've broken multiple windshields trying to remove the older spring-style mirrors.

3) Thoroughly clean the windshield area with iso alcohol

4) Attach the vinyl to the windshield, ensuring none of the ceramic dots are visible in the sensor window. Avoid touching the sticky side around the sensor since it'll be visible from the outside. It's pretty safe to touch the top half though; that's mostly obscured.

5) Cover the dashboard with an old blanket.

6) Mix JBweld, apply to sensor bracket in a thin, even coat. The single-tube 'High Heat' may be ok for this application, but I prefer the two-tube grey style.

7) Attach bracket to windshield, keyway pointed up, centered on that sensor window. Use tape to hold it in place overnight

8) Prepare your wiring harness. Three wires, maybe 6 feet total length. A Dupont female connector will work just fine. Pin 1 is +12v, Pin 2 is LIN, Pin 3 is Ground. I used Red, Orange, and White/Red respectively.

9) After the JBweld has cured overnight, attach the new rain sensor. I was worried about the metal retainer pressing too hard and ripping the vinyl off the windshield, so I bent it nearly flat to reduce the pulling force. I'd rather the sensor be somewhat friction-fit into the mount than use the retainer to hold it in place.

10) Attach your wiring harness. When the sensor is installed, Ground is to the left, +12v is to the right. Route the wires down the A-pillar and to the fusebox similar to how a dashcam would be wired. I followed the path/procedure used by the IAG interior light kit, though easier options are available. (IAG guide, just follow the parts related to driver A-pillar)
+ Remove hardtop front section
+ Remove the plastic trim piece at the roof panel latch (two clips)
+ Remove two screws along driver rollcage (8mm, where the Bartact handle attaches)
+ Pull trim towards center of car. Doesn't need to be removed completely.
+ Remove A-pillar trim with 'AIRBAG' embossed.
+ Remove dashboard grab handle at the driver's door
+ Remove trim piece between the dash and driver door
+ Sneak wires behind airbag and down to the fusebox area.

10a) Alternatively, just tuck the wires into various trim pieces running down the A-pillar. My dashcam wiring was already taking up that space so I had to do the full method above.

11) Remove steering wheel column shroud.
+ Pull lower panel (the one with the headlamp switch) from the top, it rotates down to the floor and blocks the pedals.
+ Three 7mm screws on the bottom of the shroud
+ Pull on the bottom shroud to start disengaging clips
+ Turn the steering wheel to the 3:00 and 9:00 position to access last two clips between the shroud and wheel

12) Carefully remove some of the microfiber tape protecting the wiring harness leading to the steering wheel. There should be a yellow/grey wire. Remove a bit of insulation, attach your LIN wire to this. For future convenience, I soldered a 6" piece of wire with a quick-disconnect.

13) Provide accessory +12v power to the sensor. I tapped it into my dashcam wiring, which comes off an Add-a-Fuse. I don't recall offhand which fuse it taps into, but there's a plethora of accessory wiring threads on this forum.

14) Reassemble everything, attach rain sensor cover.

15) In Forscan, change the Easymode settings
SCCM: Rain Sensing Wipers [Enabled]
SCCM: Rain Sensor [Enabled]
APIM: Rain Sensing Wipers [Enabled]

The setting can be found on your touchscreen under Settings > Vehicle > Wipers > Rain Sensing.

That's really all there is to it! Total install time was maybe an hour, not counting the time spent letting the JBweld cure.
Took a drive today in a light snow and it responded as expected. When following a car, it'd wipe more frequently. At stoplights, it never wiped because the falling snow was very light.

 

[XirallicBolts]

Photos along the process. Tried taking a video and failed. You didn't want to hear me yell over the torpedo heater anyway. Edit: Newer photos with minor corrections here

Trimming vinyl

Vinyl attached to windshield

Initial look. The dot matrix with the fritting is unavoidable, the vinyl adhesive should even out over time. You can see a second piece of vinyl used for my dashcam at the bottom to get an idea of how it settles.

JBweld applied to bracket

Bracket applied and taped in place

Crimping a harness

Sensor attached. As previously mentioned, I should've made the circular cutout a little smaller. For some reason I didn't measure the window in the Flex and instead relied on the size of the bracket.

Gaining access to A-pillar

Wiring snuck along overhead trim, only shot where I actually had the sensor visible.

Steering column harness with a quick-disconnect added to my short pigtail

View as installed

View from the outside. The silver ring is my fault, again, and the template has been updated to reduce the size of the sensor window. You can trim the vinyl a different shape if desired. I tried getting it to line up with the factory edge but missed.

 

[atlawson]

Photos along the process. Tried taking a video and failed. You didn't want to hear me yell over the torpedo heater anyway.

Trimming vinyl

Vinyl attached to windshield

Initial look. The dot matrix with the fritting is unavoidable, the vinyl adhesive should even out over time. You can see a second piece of vinyl used for my dashcam at the bottom to get an idea of how it settles.

JBweld applied to bracket

Bracket applied and taped in place

Crimping a harness

Sensor attached. As previously mentioned, I should've made the circular cutout a little smaller. For some reason I didn't measure the window in the Flex and instead relied on the size of the bracket.

Gaining access to A-pillar

Wiring snuck along overhead trim, only shot where I actually had the sensor visible.

Steering column harness with a quick-disconnect added to my short pigtail

View as installed

View from the outside. The silver ring is my fault, again, and the template has been updated to reduce the size of the sensor window. You *can* trim the vinyl a different shape if desired. I tried getting it to line up with the factory edge but misse.d.

I wished you lived closer to me I'd pay a few hundred dollars for this to be done to mine plus the cost of the parts. It's a little above my pay grade .

 

[JBlanco]

Amazing work! I need to learn how to print with ASA as my printer is not enclosed for ABS but I understand is doable. I also have a resin printer I'm learning to work with so it could be an option.
I won't have access to my printers or the Bronco until next March so I have time to see what you guys come up with.
Again, great work @XirallicBolts !

 

[XirallicBolts]

Amazing work! I need to learn how to print with ASA as my printer is not enclosed for ABS but I understand is doable.

Supposedly for smaller parts like this, you can get away with not using an enclosure. The bed should keep it hot enough. MAYBE PETG would be ok, if you keep tension low enough.
The big struggle here is that the factory retainer really presses the sensor hard against the glass. That much tension will pull the vinyl away from the glass or bend PETG in direct sunlight.

I opted to bend the retainer to reduce tension. Also toyed with the idea of putting foam on the backside of the cover to help press the sensor.

---

My enclosure is some cheap wood and plexiglass. Went to a Habitat ReStore and bought two large ugly paintings for $10 just to get the plexiglass sheets protecting them. Unfortunately the first one I bought was actually glass, haha

 

[JBlanco]

Supposedly for smaller parts like this, you can get away with not using an enclosure. The bed should keep it hot enough. MAYBE PETG would be ok, if you keep tension low enough.
The big struggle here is that the factory retainer really presses the sensor hard against the glass. That much tension will pull the vinyl away from the glass or bend PETG in direct sunlight.

I opted to bend the retainer to reduce tension. Also toyed with the idea of putting foam on the backside of the cover to help press the sensor.

Cool, I'll give it a shot. I think I also have some nylon filament around that I can test this with.

 

[upnorthguy]

Very cool!!!

I’ll admit I am the type of person who despises rain-sensing wipers and have always disabled the functionality.

But still very cool. Nice work!

I agree with RagnarKon - my wife's SUV has them and they greatly over-react to any moisture. I am fully capable of turning them on and off as I have done for 50 years of driving.

 

[TheShark]

I am fully capable of turning them on and off as I have done for 50 years of driving.

That's kind of how I feel, it seems like a lot of work and $$ for what in the end isn't a lot bang. I'm not taking anything away from XirallicBolts, he has done an amazing job fabricating it.

 

[XirallicBolts]

That's kind of how I feel, it seems like a lot of work and $$ for what in the end isn't a lot bang. I'm not taking anything away from XirallicBolts, he has done an amazing job fabricating it.

Yeah it's not to everyone's taste. I can understand people not liking the idea of an automated control they don't have direct influence over.

For me, it was well worth the ~$60 in parts to add the functionality, but I also had extra resources available like the printer and crimper.
We get a lot of intermittent rain and snow and it gets annoying constantly needing to adjust the wipers slightly faster or slower based on how close you are to other cars.

Realistically, it was maybe an hour of work. Cut and apply vinyl, glue the bracket, attach the sensor, run the wires. Removing the trim pieces seems like a lot but really, it's a couple bolts and clips. You could also tuck the wires into trim gaps; that's what I did with my dashcam.

 

[CrazyPete]

Makes cracking the windshield all that more painful! Lol.

Looks great....awesome job.

 

[JBlanco]

I don't know if I missed it, is there a way of turning the rain sensing off? For example, if you are going through a car wash.
I had a Fiat 124 Spider and the first click of the wiper stalk was auto sensing, I could even increase or decrease the sensitivity to rain. Pretty cool implementation of the tech.

 

[XirallicBolts]

I don't know if I missed it, is there a way of turning the rain sensing off?

Yes, you can disable it entirely on the touchscreen (reverting back to factory behavior) or put the control to Off to temporarily disable it for carwashes.

(Replace "message center" with "touchscreen"; Flex changes the setting through the instrument cluster)

 

[XirallicBolts]

Tried to figure out Cricut Design Space. It's terrible. It was easier to convert my 3d printer into a vinyl cutter instead.

I'm pretty happy with how it came out this time with the smaller circle. Looking at other vehicles, it turns out the sensor is slightly off-center in a lot of cars, I just couldn't tell with the Flex's factory windshield because the sensor was in the tint strip. The previously-attached bracket and vinyl came off nice and easy, no risk of windshield damage.

Once I had it dialed in, cut as many pieces of vinyl as I could in case others want them. I'll print a bunch of the mounts and covers too. Anybody interested, let me know.

New vinyl applied

Hey I actually took a picture of the sensor installed this time

Straight-on

Closer view. The vinyl should even out after a week or two, similar to how the other piece for the dashcam looks.

Two different Transits at work, both with original windshields, look like this. This is the standard that Ford is working with, so I think I'm doing better.

 

[kr_1315]

That's an impressive amount of work.
Not worth it for me. Consistent Rain-X application reduces wiper use to near zero.

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