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windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:14 am
by wannabe
....do they fail? Well, i can hear it try to run, but no liquid squirts out, and i've refilled the tank so i know it has liquid in it. i don't really wanna run it when its dry, someone somewhere said that was bad, but i dont' always trust people online....

Its now snowseason, and i'd like my liquid to work so i can have clear windshield without having to stop at a gas station and clean it. I found out that not all gas stations have squeeges and cleaner stuff outside.

I have a person who can fix it, i'd just like to know if its a part that fails and if so, how easily it can be replaced on a 97 ford escort.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:32 am
by potownrob
sounds like it may be frozen (at least in the lines or nozzle). did you drive/run the car for long before trying it?? i'd drive around for a while to see if that melts the fluid and, if so, that was the problem.

if freezing is the problem, i'd try replacing the regular washer fluid with something like prestone's de-icer washer fluid which is specialized for winter driving:
Image
i used to run that in my maxima and found it to work better on ice than regular blue washer fluid. it usually doesn't get cold enough here to freeze the regular fluid, but that might be more of a problem out in MI.
alternately, you could try putting in some concentrate or additive to boost the freeze resistence of your fluid:
Image

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 1:11 pm
by kamesama980
Sure they wear out. everything wears out eventually. they don't wear out often though. If you can hear it, it's probably fine but either it's iced up somewhere or a hose fell off and it's just peeing on the ground. There's a small chance the pump itself is bad while the motor's OK in which case you'll need a new one.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 1:22 pm
by AHTOXA
If you can hear it running when you attempt to use it, then most likely it's not broken. Either the fluid is frozen in the lines or the lines are broken and the fluid leaks somewhere before getting to the windshield. In the case of broken lines, you'd see a puddle on the ground.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:19 pm
by theholycow
^In addition to all those ideas, it could also merely be clogged with sediment/junk that fell in while the cap was open.
wannabe wrote:Its now snowseason, and i'd like my liquid to work so i can have clear windshield without having to stop at a gas station and clean it. I found out that not all gas stations have squeeges and cleaner stuff outside.
Until you get it working, don't forget you can carry a squeegee and spray bottle. You can even just squirt it with the spray bottle and use the wipers. I do that when there's dried salt on the glass anyway, just so the glass is nice and lubricated between the time the wipers start moving and the time the squirter produces enough liquid.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 6:03 pm
by AHTOXA
Lubrication and squirters, now that's my kinda talk!

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 8:48 pm
by wannabe
its not frozen....it started before freezing season. i'm just now getting around to it cuz procrastination. :3

i'd look for a puddle, but i park on dirt/rocks/grass so it would soak into the ground, i assume. i should check levels again, i filled it before....

the other day i used my 'liquid gold' prestone deicer on the windsheild and no scraping required! it was fantastic.

now, if it would warm up, just a little, i could go out and look without being in 20ish degree temps.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:14 pm
by theholycow
You can place a piece of cardboard under the car to see if it's leaking. Use white cardboard to help identify the color of what leaks.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 9:15 pm
by AHTOXA
Have someone look underneath the car while you're engaging the washer for 5 seconds or so. If there's a leak, it will be blatantly obvious at that point. If not and you can hear it run, my money is on a clog in the lines.

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 10:51 pm
by ClutchDisc
theholycow wrote:You can place a piece of cardboard under the car to see if it's leaking. Use white cardboard to help identify the color of what leaks.
I was going to say the exact same thing. :mrgreen:

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:32 am
by Rope-Pusher
AHTOXA wrote:Image my money is on a clog in the lines.
Fickset

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 3:45 am
by wannabe
:oops: :oops: :oops: it was unhooked right under the hood. maybe i should look next time >.>

Re: windshield washer fluid pump

Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2013 9:48 am
by Squint
wannabe wrote::oops: :oops: :oops: it was unhooked right under the hood. maybe i should look next time >.>
Hey, live, learn, and don't buy Loves (they are cheap feeling and not as high of quality as comparably priced diapers. /dadrant).

At least the problem was easy to fix and didn't require any purchasing of parts. It's a win!