Larry Velk

We drive ours in the winter and need the washers. It does sit idle for a week sometimes and the one-way valves stuck - enough so that air alone wouldn't pop them. I used PB blaster and air to unstick the valves from the seats. Since the rubber probably isn't OK with oil based products, I then flushed with 'windex' aka, alky and water, and all seems well. You need to use them (the washers) frequently in my experience.

Landseer

Afshin, there are a few ways to flush the system, but all I think require studying the PET, understanding it, and making a plan because some stuff would need to be unhooked in my opinion to get the junk out. One novel way of a quick clean of the tank, in situ, might be to somehow snake a 1/2" tube through the filler neck, into bottom of the main tank (which you can see if you remove the splash guard behind the front right tire) and then attach the tube to a shop vac and vac the **** out of the tank. But that would clean the lines or the check valves. (My set-up eliminated the check valves.)

Its not so much that anything would dry-out. Its that fact that the filler neck and the tank have steel sleeves (see post #1) that can't help but rust. Every other problem seems caused by that. So, as fast as you clean it, more bits pollute it unless you remove the steel sleeves.

A Nibco butt connector, copper, used to join two pieces of 3/4 copper water tubing, fits perfectly in place of the steel sleeves, in case your plastic has split. (The butt connector is bigger than 3/4 because it goes over the copper tubing, for those of you who don't do much plumbing.)
I didn't need them on mine, but I test-fit one.

G Man

I'm in the process of trying to get my windshield washers to work. I can't figure the best way to get at the pump for the windshield. I have read that it is easiest to get at it from under the car. Any experience with this process?

Marine Blue

Thanks Chris. I wonder if I could use a Mityvac or something similar which generates a vacuum and just empty the contents. Is the bottom of the reservoir the lowest point of the system or are there other areas which are lower?

Landseer

Afshin, I'd use some sort of duct-taped fitting arrangement on a shop vac, connecting to a small hose, to do that job. The other way you might get at it is if you can remove the splash shield, then somehow remove the single bolt that attaches the headlight washer pump to the tank. That attach point is very low on the tank. Like Stan (Mr. Merlin) keeps saying, though, its those damned fittings that cause the problem.

G-Man, my washer pump ran, made nasty noise at first, but ran and I flushed fluid through it and it got better, so I left it. I read, and then found, several tiny rubber **** stuck through the fender well. Those are the mounts for the pump. Looked like I could have pushed them through the fender well, into the engine compartment to free the pump, then somehow snaked it out. I didn't go there. Yet.

Mrmerlin

Afshin, if you cant remove the tank then it wont be able to be thoroughly cleaned. Its a half day job

Nicholbry

I took my washer system apart, but now that it's time to re-install I'm having some difficulty matching the two pumps on the washer tank to their respective electrical connection/rubber boots.

The terminals and plugs are identical in size/shape so there's no sorting it out by comparing those.

The pictures below show the reverse side of the windshield washer tank (the side that mounts against the body of the car) with the pumps in their correct positions ready for install.

The PET suggests that the upper/black pump gets the large rubber sleeve. However, the other wire seems more of a match to the pump as the rubber boot seemingly has a dock designed into the pump to accomodate it. Additionally, it would seem more appropriate to have the large rubber sleeve on the bottom pump to protect it from road debris since it's open and closer to the road surface. If the larger sleeve does go on the bottom (white) pump then how do you account for getting it over the metal clamp?

Thanks for any help you guys can be.

Lizard928

hook up a volt meter and see which connector gets power when each switch is activated.

Nicholbry

The voltmeter I had was broken...went in the garbage. I need to get another for instances such as this. Anyone got an idea what goes where?

BTW, if you didn't catch it in the signature; I own 1990 S4 w/ the intense, headlight washer system.

Thanks,

Landseer

The white pump doesn't get that big sleeve on my earlier 85 car. Gets an end plug with a small boot. White pump is for intensive washers for headlights.

Mrmerlin

IIRC, the lower pump gets the big boot and the smaller plug goes onto the upper pump.. On the lower pump try to rout the wires so they point down , this will keep water from running into the back end and fouling the connections same goes for the fluid line on the lower pump
Add some fluid or water into the tank prior to bolting it down .
Test the pumps. ( if the wrong pump comes on then reverse the wire connections since the tank is still loose)
Push the Washer stalk forward with the headlights on to test the lower pump, and the then pull the stalk to you to test the upper one. make sure that fluid is getting sprayed you can also add some compressed air to the OUT SIDE side of the squirters to back flow the debris and then use the pumps to spray again.\

DONT use full pressure on the lines TO the squirters or you can blow them off of there connections .

To get the Windshield washers to squirt take a pin and poke it into each hole then back blow with your compressed air ( into the outside of each squirter) this should loosen up the internal dirt ( or wax residue from waxing the car) then use the pumps to blow out the junk in the lines, throw a towel over the squirters once they are working so you dont blow out all the dirt onto the hood , same for the headlight washers

Nicholbry

Ok, so if the lower (white) pump gets the big boot, how does it go on there? I know the clamp didn't encircle it as well because there are rust marks where the clamp rested against the white pump and not on top of the boot. This picture shows the boot binding against the clamp and the boot is only partially on the pump this way. I would assume the boot is designed to protect more than the lower 1-1.5 inch or so of the pump/connection, right?

Thanks Mrmerlin and Chris for helping!

Nicholbry

Anyone? Trying to get her put back together tonight. I suppose I could cut a slit in the boot and zip tie it upper & lower for good measure. I must be missing something that's obvious.

Landseer

Did you try the headlight washer switch? Did it turn on the white pump?

Nicholbry

GOT IT! Finally. Thanks Chris and Mrmerlin for your help.

Turns out (as Mrmerlin said) the rubber sleeve is (awkwardly) designed for the lower (white pump). The earlier models must have a different arrangement, but thanks Chris. I cut a 1/2" slit in it so that I could get it around the clamp..zip-tied the upper & lower portion of the boot onto the pump. I just hope that my method for placing the boot on the pump survives long-term. The wires are oriented downward as Mrmerlin recommended. Once I started fitting everything back together, I could tell from the memory in the shape of the hoses and wires that this was a correct fit.

Oddly, the PET indicates a rubber sleeve to encompass the upper (black) pump instead....weird.

I bought a new upper pump (not in the pics) that has a different design where the plug connects with the boot. Although the terminals are oriented the same, the original pump had a raised, oval design that fit nicely into a groove on the small boot of the wire (that helped in keeping moisture out). Unfortunately, I had to silicone in a gap where the new pump and boot joined because the plug would not sit flush with the pump's surface. I really disliked that fix, but saw no other resolution.....it just doesn't look so great, but I expect it will serve it's purpose.

I tested the system out and all is well....noisy little pumps though. While I was in there I corrected the carbon canister's busted "Y" connector and fabricated a new forward fender liner (the one that allows access to the horns).

Thanks again guys for your help!

Nicholas