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washer fluid pump???

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nang1969

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have a 01 ody. My washer fluid wouldn't flow but my wipers are working on both the front and the back. I opened my hood and found (and filled) the washing fluid resevoir, but still no fluid hitting the windshield. I then remembered that I used to hear a noise when the pump would work (that's how I figured out there was a pump!!!). Now, I hear nothing...I read that there are two fuses that run these things...but I can't get the fuses out to see if they are blown...how do I get these little boogers out? And just out of curiosity, why are they designed in such a way that I need a flash light and high body flexibility to even find the suckers? (ARGH!)

Thanks
NG
 
#2 ·
There should be a fuse puller located with one of the fuse panels, either the main one under the hood or the one inside. I can't remember off the top of my head or you could use a pair of pliars to pull it out.
 
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#3 ·
The fuse for the front and rear washer motors is #11 (10A) in the Driver's Under-dash Fuse/Relay box (for 01-04 models).
 
#4 · (Edited)
It sounds the bottom of your windshield fluid reservior is filthy causing blocking the flow to the neck of the windshield fluid motor. You'd better take it out to clean up. You may see a thick layer (about half inch) of deposits of whitish or greenish color stuff.

If you try to operate the motor with this condition continuously, you will fry the motor and have to buy the part too. It happens if a car gets old or the fluid wasn't such a clean.
 
#6 ·
Nang1969 said he heard the motor working sound, so I give him a the most possible cause of the problem. If you don't hear any whirring sound when you turn the windshield fluid motor on, either the fuse is blown or the motor is fried.

Anyway, you'd better take the windshield reservoir out to clean up the inside and the passage to motor if your car hits more than 100K miles although you don't have any problem. You will be suprised to see how filthy there are. These will completely block the passage to motor eventually.
 
#7 ·
Need4Speed said:
Nang1969 said he heard the motor working sound, so I give him a the most possible cause of the problem. If you don't hear any whirring sound when you turn the windshield fluid motor on, either the fuse is blown or the motor is fried.

Anyway, you'd better take the windshield reservoir out to clean up the inside and the passage to motor if your car hits more than 100K miles although you don't have any problem. You will be suprised to see how filthy there are. These will completely block the passage to motor eventually.
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Well, Nang1969 quoted, " I used to hear a noise when the pump would work (that's how I figured out there was a pump!!!). Now, I hear nothing"

Hence it points towards the fuse and no run pump source.
 
#8 ·
OMG! I haven't read the first post carefully. Yeah! You're right. If he can't hear any whirring noise, the motor must be burst out already. Anyway, he have to take the windshield fluid resorvoir out to replace the motor or let someone do it.

Sorry to confuse you.........

Need4Speed,
 
#9 ·
Need4Speed said:
OMG! I haven't read the first post carefully. Yeah! You're right. If he can't hear any whirring noise, the motor must be burst out already. Anyway, he have to take the windshield fluid resorvoir out to replace the motor or let someone do it.

Sorry to confuse you.........

Need4Speed,
Click to expand...
No confusion....but he still should clean out reservoir as you recommend too....
 
#10 ·
For those folks suggesting a washer reservoir cleaning, I've never heard of such a thing. The only stuff that goes in my washer reservoir is clean clear washer fluid, and it takes maybe two gallons of that per year. Assuming I've got a 9 year old car, that would mean I should find perceptable sediment in every washer fluid bottle I've used, especially since I buy washer fluid at BJs, three years worth at a time.

Are you sure you aren't describing the stuff one might find at the bottom of the radiator overflow tank? I can easily understand a whitish(aluminum oxides) or greenish(antifreeze) residue there.


Fuse check first, then motor check. I agree its probably the motor, but its easier to check fuses.
 
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#11 ·
SuperDad said:
For those folks suggesting a washer reservoir cleaning, I've never heard of such a thing. The only stuff that goes in my washer reservoir is clean clear washer fluid, and it takes maybe two gallons of that per year. Assuming I've got a 9 year old car, that would mean I should find perceptable sediment in every washer fluid bottle I've used, especially since I buy washer fluid at BJs, three years worth at a time.

Are you sure you aren't describing the stuff one might find at the bottom of the radiator overflow tank? I can easily understand a whitish(aluminum oxides) or greenish(antifreeze) residue there.


Fuse check first, then motor check. I agree its probably the motor, but its easier to check fuses.
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I found it out by experiences. I had worked on some of my friend cars that were blown windshield fluid motor. There was that kind of sediment on the neck of the motor. The sediment was different to radiator or overflow tank precipitation and looked like a fluffy residue which was responsible for the motor failure.
 
#12 ·
Need4Speed said:
I found it out by experiences. I had worked on some of my friend cars that were blown windshield fluid motor. There was that kind of sediment on the neck of the motor. The sediment was different to radiator or overflow tank precipitation and looked like a fluffy residue which was responsible for the motor failure.
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When living in S Cal. I've seen my share of windshield washer dirty reservoirs. Perhaps because they usually just put in tap water and with all that hard water and gunk, it can cause clogging problems. But since our move to the Midwest, as Superdad has emphasized, the reservoirs are clean as windshield washer solutions are a must for freezing climatic conditions.
 
#14 ·
In the event somebody uses the search feature of this website, I'll share my experience with the washer fluid pump. I'm sure you'll find this experience silly, but here it is.

I brought my car into Honda for the timing belt replacement only to find that when the car was returned to me, the washer fluid did not work. Could hear the motor working, but no water. So I opened the hood and tried it again and it worked.

The problem was that when the hood closed, it clamped down on the hose. When the Honda dealership was working on the timing belt them must have inadvertently moved the hose. I re-adjusted the possitioning of the hoses and everything worked as expected.
 
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#16 ·
Frozen Pump

I'll relate the experience I just had tonight to lend validity to your assertion that your pump was frozen.

We've been driving around for two days with no washer fluid coming out the front or rear. Not cool on salty roads. I finally got around to troubleshooting it tonight. No liquid coming out, check. No whirring sound, check. Oh, wait, there goes the whirring sound, still no juice though. Even though I just filled the thing I'll check the reservoir. Maybe it cracked and leaked out. Pull off cap and it seems as if it's stuck on. Not the cap but the fluid level "dipstick" for lack of a better term is stuck in the reservoir. My entire washer reservoir is frozen solid! I'm guessing the pump was too until the motor windings warmed up from trying to use the thing. So now I have a functioning pump but a frozen reservoir. My garage furnace is not yet installed and the hairdryer is making slow progress on thawing the thing out. I guess I'll carry a squirt bottle 'til Spring.

I'm betting yours froze too.
 
#17 ·
Pasopzene said:
Amazingly the pump started working again - I think the pump itself was frozen. I have never put anything in there except the blue washer fluid, but I think my trip skiing somehow froze the pump.
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Same thing on my ski trip to Angel Fire this week.

I knocked the ice off of my windshield with a bucket of warm water (car interior already warming up).

BTW, the ski conditions were wonderful.

OF
 
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#18 ·
I'd suggest that anyone with frozen washer fluid choose a different brand of fluid or pay more attention when buying it.

Most washer fluids I've seen are intended for temperatures down to -20F, and if you go to colder climates, you can get -30F or beyond.

I'd advise against just letting it sit frozen all winter. I suppose if its already hard frozen, it won't freeze any more so your tank won't break if it hasn't so far, but I think its just silly to not use it.

I'd think a lamp would do the trick for defrosting it. Basically all you need to do is get it warmed to the point where you can get flow through the bottle, then use HOT washer fluid to melt the rest(spray it out right away, before it refreezes). If you really want to, I bet there's some various alcohols you can add to the partially melted bottle which should defrost it and keep it defrosted without emptying.
 
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#19 ·
All kidding aside I wasn't actually intending to carry a squirt bottle of washer fluid for the next 3 months. Since my reservoir is frozen solid and was topped off just prior to freezing there isn't much room to pour in any hot fluid. My plan is to actually remove the bottle from the vehicle and thaw it inside the house.

As to the quality of the washer fluid, in my area (Minnesota) everyone is supplied by the same local brand so there isn't much recourse if you've got an empty reservoir on a grimy day and the station happens to be out of the really cold-weather stuff. I bought the blue stuff in a pinch, supposed to go to -20F but apparently only got to around -10F before freezing up and my 15F garage isn't thawing it very quickly. Temps aren't forecasted to get out of the single digits the next week or so. I've never had this stuff freeze before except when sprayed on a sub-zero windshield but I guess there's a first time for everything. I do now have a bottle of orange -30F fluid waiting to go in once I get my reservoir thawed and purged.
 
#20 ·
n8marx said:
I bought the blue stuff in a pinch, supposed to go to -20F but apparently only got to around -10F before freezing up ... I do now have a bottle of orange -30F fluid waiting to go in once I get my reservoir thawed and purged.
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Same here (I'm in NM right now, ready to come home from skiing). Next time I head out, it'll be the uber sub-zero orange stuff going into the reservoir...

...and a super squirt bottle in the cargo area (just kidding, as well). :D :D

OF
 
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