I can hear my washer... but still no fluid!

[April Thompson]

I'll start off and say I already know I have the crappy 32-degree F formula in my bottle; nothing I could do about that as that's how the car came. But it's considerably warmer right now, and the bloody thing's still not squirting! I hear a high-pitched whir, as if it's on empty, which is nonsense, since it's literally filled to the brim! And-and I checked-there's no fluid leaks, so no loose or burst line. So: what problems do all of you know regarding these washer pumps... or do I have to wait til spring for the darn thing to work properly again?

[ericspecullaas]

try blowing the line and nozzle out with air. or remove the nozzle and see if its flowing right

[Jhart5]

Could be a frozen or clogged line

[thekidinbuff]

i have a feelings its still frozen somewhere in the line.

[April Thompson]

I'd opened the lines before the jets, so I know if it's just a blockage, it's upstream; not that the jets get a free pass, but at least they're not the culprits! Jeez: I'll have to get dirty then, and root around in the wheel well... unless there's an easier access point where the line leaves!

[April Thompson]

It's well above freezing... and I can safely say I've got a rupture somewhere; my bottle's less than half-full now, and not a single drop ever reached the windscreen! At least there's the holiday weekend to tear it apart & figure out what broke!

[HighOctaneRacing]

I think the line is busted somewhere

[April Thompson]

Got a new pump, a salvage line; guess what I get to do in the morning?

[HighOctaneRacing]

Got a new pump, a salvage line; guess what I get to do in the morning?

Hmmm go to work and support the lazy democrats? LOL

[April Thompson]

Well... all of a sudden this "minor repair" has turned into a comedy of errors; the pump I'd bought, touted as OEM, is not! And no other box store has anything but universal, which I refuse to accept. So, I have to wait til tomorrow (at least I have Martin Luther King Day off, working in a school setting) for the only surviving local parts store to open, before going to Rock Auto... but at least I know Anco has a direct-fit part (6712).

[Scottydoggs]

the line runs up the pass side fender to the cowl under the windshield, if 1/2 the res went dry and nothing hit the window theres a puddle on the ground. look for it. the line is hard plastic and can crack easy. a frozen line could split for sure.

if you take the pass side head light out you can see the pump and the line and maybe get to the pump and its line easier. if its not whining like it should when you hit the washer lever.

if you do find a broken line you can fix it with normal vacuum line. cut the broken part out, then push the hard lines into the vac line. vac line is a buck a foot tops.

[April Thompson]

I belatedly discovered the access through the headlamp... sucks not having a shop manual! But I've got it all sorted now; involved loads of cleaning sediment and sludge out of the lines, nozzles and the pump! In the end didn't cost me a penny (not including new fluid)...

[Scottydoggs]

nice.