Windshield washer dead

[p38rhino]

Greetings. Symptom: pressing the front windshield washer button does nothing. No wiper activity, no spray. However, on regular wipe functions, the wipers work fine. Also, the rear wiper and washer work fine. Any ideas?

Thx,

J

[rrtoadhall]

Have you checked your washer pump?

[p38rhino]

Have you checked your washer pump?

The pump is definitely not running. I can check with a voltmeter to see if it's getting power. Can you offer some guidance as to it's location?

If the pump is dead, would that also cause the wipers to not function when the washer function is activated? Like I said, the wipers don't go either when I hit the washer button, but the wipers ARE functional in other modes.

Thanks!

J

[lrscott]

if the wipers or pump don't do anything when the button is pressed, then it is most likely the button.

[medcapequip]

I remember in my old Audi if the washer fluid level was not high enough it would not work. Is your tank full?

[p38rhino]

I remember in my old Audi if the washer fluid level was not high enough it would not work. Is your tank full?

Thanks for the tip, but no such luck. Guess it's just time to break out the old volt-meter and trace the circuits. I've ordered an shop manual; it's about time I had one. Hopefully that will help in diagnosing the problem, or at least locating the various components involved.

Best,

J

[rrtoadhall]

...or you can always download the manual for free off the internet.

[mekadodo]

I haven't used my washers for a long while, tried to turn the front one on, had to hold it for several seconds while the water ran through the pipes etc. The rear one didn't work @ all. Probably gunk stuck somewhere.

I must remind myself to give them a quick run every so often after I clean it out

[ajkennedy]

P38Rhino,

First step I would suggest is to stop by your stealership and buy a checkvalve for the washer system. It is a $6 plastic jobby that fits inline between washer reservoir and the windshield along (US) passenger side of engine bay. This has fixed lots of non working systems as they tend to really get clogged and shut down the supply. There is also one for the rear sprayer that does the same thing, but is a B_tch to get to behind the subwoofer in the body wall on (US) rear drivers quarter panel.

Good luck!

Art in San Jose

[DubSport]

I had a similar problem last night. The check valve (very small black thing on the wash fluid line just before it connects to hood) was spraying all over engine bay. I deleted it and now all works as normal.

[p38rhino]

Thanks for all the feedback. I finally got around to messing with this a bit more...

First, I checked with a voltmeter, and neither the front washer nor the headlamp washer pumps are getting power when the activating button is pressed. After consulting the diagrams in the Electrical Troubleshooting Manual, I'm thinking one of two things:

1) The switch itself is fried.
2) Something is amiss with the BECM.

I've come to this conclusion because, according to the diagrams, the front washer pump and front wipers operate on somewhat (if not completely) separate circuits. So, there's no explaining why the WIPERS wouldn't at least work when the button is pressed unless the signal is either not getting sent to the BECM, or if the BECM is not relaying it to the wipers/washer.

Question: Does anyone out there know of a resource that illustrates what systems the various transistors / relays on the BECM power module correspond to? I would guess that the wiper/washer function shares the same components on the BECM for both wipe and wash calls, but in case I'm wrong, it's worth checking before I pull the switch off the steering column to test it.

Thanks,

J

[BigMack]

Hate to hijack the thread.
What would cause the rear wiper fluid to not spray?
The wiper works and there are no problems in the front.

[rhino_ed]

Didn't your becm take a swim a little while ago? Did you look at RAVE?

[p38rhino]

Didn't your becm take a swim a little while ago? Did you look at RAVE?

Yes, it did, which is why it's a distinct possibility (probability) that the BECM is just wacked in that region. Hence why I'm asking if anyone knows of a resource with more info on the BECM relays and transistors, and which ones control which functions so we might have a shot at fixing it without replacing the BECM.

I checked RAVE out the the best of my ability; see my previous post for the conclusions there.

Best,

J