Washer Pump Not Working

[naiku]

I got a call a short time ago from the body shop that my Explorer is ready for pick up. However, while on the phone they let me know that the windshield washer pump is not working. I had a suspected it had a problem, as I had filled the reservoir not that long ago and a couple days before taking it into the body shop had noticed the pump not making any sound.

I am going to check the fuse first, but assuming that is good is there any way to test the pump? How easy is it to replace assuming that the pump is faulty?

Thanks.

 

[swshawaii]

Around $20. Electrical connector, and two spray outlets. Replace if you don't hear the pump. IIRC, no designated pump fuse.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...71,wiper+&+washer,windshield+washer+pump,8840

 

[naiku]

Nice, a cheap fix. I cannot hear any noises at all, so figure the pump must be dead. Is there a DIY on the replacement? Or at least getting to the pump itself. Hoping you can get to it from either below or above without removing too much.

 

[naiku]

In case anyone goes looking for how to replace the pump. It could not be easier, in fact I wish all jobs on my vehicles were this simple. Lay down at front of car, look up behind passenger headlight area. You should see the washer fluid bottle and the pump attached to the side. Get a bucket handy if you have water in the bottle, pop off one of the hoses and let it drain.

Next, disconnect the electrical connector, remove the second hose and wiggle it free from the bottle. Installing the new one is just as simple, push the hoses back on, push it back onto the bottle, plug electrical connector in and call it done.

 

[tripplec]

Aren't there two pumps? One for the rear as well? Usually set up higher on the jar.

 

[naiku]

Just the one pump as far as I was able to tell, certainly there is not one higher up on the bottle than the one I replaced.

 

[tripplec]

Hmm How are they getting the fluid to the rear window then.

I'll have to look and see if I see something. Ours is working but sometimes things fail in the winter if not used often enough or corrosion sets in the motor.

 

[naiku]

There may well be another pump somewhere, but I definitely did not see one. Looking at parts lists as well there looks to be only the single pump listed, but there is nothing that would appear to split the front and rear.

 

[garye]

Hmm How are they getting the fluid to the rear window then.

I'll have to look and see if I see something. Ours is working but sometimes things fail in the winter if not used often enough or corrosion sets in the motor.

one pump and tank feed both front and rear. there is a line going from the front to the back

 

[naiku]

Well, looks like a new pump lasted about 2 months. For some reason it is not working again, I tested it when I installed the new pump so it was working. Not sure exactly what would have caused it to fail again, especially if there is no fuse anywhere.

 

[PotatoExplorer]

Hmm, mine is currently not working either. I'm hoping it's just because of the below freezing temperatures.

Another note - yes, the one pump supplies the washer fluid to both front and rear. This past summer my rear line feed separated at a joint right before it goes down behind the passenger wheel well. Anytime I went to spray the rear window it just dumped wiper fluid on the ground.

 

[tripplec]

So how is the direction controlled it there is only one pump??

 

[PotatoExplorer]

This is based off of memory, but if I remember correctly, the pump has 2 outlet lines coming directly out of it. 1 line supplys the front nozzles and the 2nd line runs to the back for that nozzle. Not exactly sure how it does it, but I'm guessing whichever button you press, either for the front nozzle or rear nozzle, that electronic input goes to the pump and that chooses which line to feed the washer fluid.

 

[Anybody]

I just replaced my wiper pump too. Still doesn't work. I even checked to make sure it was getting power down at the power plug on the pump. Was getting power so I installed the new pump and still nothing. No pump sound at all. I do hear the relay under the hood kick in though. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[naiku]

Sounds like you are having the exact same issue that I was.... so I took my new pump and connected a 9V battery to the terminals to make sure it worked, obviously, it did. I then checked the fuse/relay under the hood which looked fine.

Crawled under the Explorer, drained the fluid (again) and connected my 9V battery to the pump there. It worked. Grabbed a multimeter and had my son push the wiper stalk inside the vehicle while I checked for voltage at the connection, yep, reading voltage. After some head scratching, I connected the hoses back up again, refilled the reservoir and tried again. Still working. Still working to this day and it was about a month ago that I worked on it.

I wish I could give you an answer as to what happened, the replacement pump was definitely not working (I had an angry wife calling me one day after having to drive in that snow/slush that basically makes it impossible to see through your windshield). Yet, I have no clue what made it decide to start working again. I did not change anything, the only thing I can suggest is to see if your pump runs with a 9v battery attached to it then, if it does, test for voltage at the harness. Hopefully yours decides to start working again as mine did.

Edit: Just saw you already checked for power at the plug, try a 9V battery on the pump itself just to see if it spins.

 

[Anybody]

I wonder if there isn't enough current to the pump motor. Is that possible?

 

[jr95]

2005 Explorer
My pump stopped working, I replaced it, and still no joy. Fuse issue??? If so, any idea which fuse it is? Is it the 5A fuse for the front wiper module or the 30A front wiper motor fuse?
Rear wiper has been dead for a while now, too. Is that typically a fuse or motor?

 

[Anybody]

I have found after replacing what I thought to be a bad washer pump, it was actually a short somewhere in the wiring some place. It showed current to the pump, but apparently not enough current and sometimes it was intermittent. This can get costly to track down. So I just ran my own wiring circuit to the pump and a switch placed lower steering column. Works just fine. Also someone earlier in the post asked if there were two pumps to operate front and back. There is only the one that operates front and rear. Hope this helps.

 

[arcanemirage]

Hmm How are they getting the fluid to the rear window then.

I'll have to look and see if I see something. Ours is working but sometimes things fail in the winter if not used often enough or corrosion sets in the motor.

Two tubes. One that goes to the front, and one that goes to the back.