You mentioned that the line started splitting--that would be the rubber line running from the engine to the wiper unit, I assume?
If you haven't already done so, the easiest and cheapest thing to try first would be to replace that hose. If it's brittle enough to start splitting and cracking, then it's probably not sealing that well either where the ends are pushed onto the fittings. It don't take much of a leak for things to stop working. A piece of vacuum hose isn't that expensive. Try that first.
