Jeff Van Dyke wrote: > > First "problem" with my 98 ES. > I'm not getting consistent washer fluid spray. I topped off the fluid > yesterday, got a brief squirt then nothing. This morning, got a nice > steady shot once, then nothing again. > I can hear a motor trying to run somewhere but haven't had a chance yet > to really investigate. This Florida car is now in Michigan where it is > seeing the coldest weather it ever has so I thought it could just be > icing up but you'd think it wouldn't work fresh out of the garage after > a 8 degree night and would after running for 20 miles but the one shot > I got today was right after leaving home. > Are the washer motors suspect on these? Nothing came up in the > archives.
This problem turned up for me on a Mercury Sable. Symptom was the same as yours. Pump running, no flow. It doesn't often freeze here, and when this occurred it was definitely above freezing. The inline filter was clean, but I blew it out in reverse anyway. Then it broke when I was putting it back. Plastic had gotten brittle. New one from Ford was $4.00, not bad. Before I hooked it up the second time I blew into the hose to the nozzles and found no blockage. I blew into the hose back to the reservoir and first felt an obstruction, then it suddenly let go and I could blow freely. I hooked it all up, got into the car, and pushed the washer button. Fluid squirted out. Fixed...or so I thought. Next morning it didn't squirt. PHOOEY. I took the hose apart again at the inline filter. Still clear. Blow toward the nozzles. Clear. Blow toward the reservoir. Obstruction. Blow harder, it cleared and I could blow freely into it again. But fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me. I knew this wasn't fixed, so I took off the reservoir (which on a Sable or a Ford Taurus of this vintage is one piece with the radiator overflow tank). I inverted the tank to let the washer fluid drain out, and along with the fluid came a gelatinous blob. That's what was blocking the inlet to the pump and hoses. My blowing it clear let the washer work again for a while, but overnight it would settle back again and block the inlet. Near as I can tell, it's some kind of fungus that grows in the washer tank. Since it was winter, I added some methanol as an anti-freeze for the washer fluid. Maybe the methanol did the trick; I haven't seen the gelatinous blob reappear. Yet. I guess if it does, I could wash the tank in chlorine bleach, but that will probably embrittle the plastic reservoir tank if I leave it in the fluid. Probably better to just drain the tank of old fluid and refill it with fresh fluid, once every month or so, to prevent the blob from coming back. Now, there's a title for a horror movie. "Return of the Blue Gelatinous Blob." -GP ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give the gift of life to a sick child. Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's 'Thanks & Giving.' http://us.click.yahoo.com/5iY7fA/6WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/46t0lB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Web: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid> Subscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Unsubscribe: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Moderator: <mailto://[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dodge_intrepid/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
