Which is it, my washer pump or my washer switch?

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Briano1234
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Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
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Which is it, my washer pump or my washer switch?

Post by Briano1234 »

I ran across this issue yesterday my Windshield Washer failed to come on.
While usually it is the switch my quick fix didn't work, so I had to figure out where the issue was.

From under the hood.
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Your motor has 2 pins Green/red (power) and Brown (ground). Run a jumper from frame to the brown pin, and 12v+ off the battery to the
Green/Red. Does your motor run? Yes no...

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If the motor doesn't run then it is the motor/pump that is bad. If it runs then it is usually the switch. If the Wipers move when you toggle the washer, then you probably need to adjust your switch.

Your switch looks like this for the wipers/washers
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You can file the contacts with a cut down emory board, to clean them, or they may need to be adjusted. To adjust or clean you will stick a small screw driver in to the slot to bend or clean the contacts.

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If the issue is resolved, then you are done here is the electrical diagram for the wiring, usually it isn't the relay, nor the fuse....You can upgrade to
programmed delay your wipers by using a different relay, it is simple plug and play, you will look for a 99 relay in the "yard of your choosing and swap it out for the wiper relay. http://www.cabby-info.com has a how-to on it.

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If the pump doesn't run when jumpered your best bet is to replace it.
I got a semi-direct replacement from O'Reilly's (Trico)
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REmove the stepped grommet off of the pump, and it fits right in the grommet of the windshield washer jug.
The Connector is a tight fit, and not really OEM but dang close.

I noticed that my jug was dirty, and I cleaned it only to find that the grime was internal to the jug, a good sign that your pump is failing internally.
I removed all the grime with a cut down scotch brand spongy scrubber long needle nosed pliers and "Totally Awesome" cleaner. I rinsed the jug out thoroughly afterwards.

To improve your washer sprayer I have found a few things that help.
RE-route your hose from the Raindrain, to a grommet on the side.
So you run new hose from the jug to the grommet then up the hinge, through the plastic cap, and I used a wire snake from the middle of the hood to the corner of the hood attached the hose and pulled it through.
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Where the hose left the hood, and had to roll over the engine /raintray seal I used a small barbed brass hose connector.
This keeps the hose from being pinched by the hood and the gasket which can reduce flow....alot.
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To ensure that I have good spray, I cleaned my nozzles out with a un-stranded copper wire, and inserted in to the hole in the nozzle till it bottomed out and spun it around, these nozzles tend to get plugged up when we wax our cars.
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To adjust the spray, I shoot them on, and use a PIN or Tool to move the nozzles to spray more directly on the windshield, remember that you want it low and centered, so if you are moving at highway speeds it won't spray over the windshield.
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The old way that VW did it was to loop it up the rain drain, then let it hang in the bay and rest on the Rain Diverter. While it is ok, there are a couple of issues. One it is a drain impediment allowing stuff to collect like leaves and pine needles. The 2 with the Brittleness of the Rain Diverter, it can cause issues with breaking the plastic... I personally like nothing hanging from the hood which is why I re-routed the vacuum lines through the hood and off to the side instead of hanging down to get in your way. I have threads on that as in Gelding your Bunny....

Hope this helps.
Briano

Yes as matter of fact, I have the Luck o'the Irish...everything I touch turns to fertilizer of the bovine variety.
You can lead a user to a link, but you can't make him Click.... :screwy:
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