Rear window squirter?

[Boomyal]

One minute it squirted, then the next minute it didn't. The front windshield washers work fine. There are two different position in the rotation of the rear wiper switch, that should activate the squirter. One is just before the O for off and the other is at the other end of the rotation after the number 2 wiper speed.

I know that both front and rear fed from the same reservoir and I can only assume that it is the same for the pump (but not sure) The exposed line from the body to the tailgate is intact.

There must be some parts of the mechanism that does not meet the eye.

Any ideas?

FWIIW, I had, just a couple hours before, squirted some lubricant down the rear wiper drive shaft from the outside of the car. After having done that the squirter still worked a couple of times before it stopped.

UPDATE: I just went out and turned the key on in the driveway to listen for the pump. It is activating. I guess it a single pump with two different outlet ports, one for the front and one for the rear.

I assume that if the pump is supplying water to the front, it is capable of supplying it to the rear. I guess I should start looking for breaches in the feed line to the rear.

 

[Explorer_PL]

I had the same problem I think. Yes, there is only 1 pump and 1 reservoir. In my case, where the line splits in Y still under the hood, the line going to the rear came off the Y since ice formed there. Follow the line from the front.

 

[Boomyal]

I had the same problem I think. Yes, there is only 1 pump and 1 reservoir. In my case, where the line splits in Y still under the hood, the line going to the rear came off the Y since ice formed there. Follow the line from the front.

I'm just getting ready to do that, I just pulled in and popped the hood. Earlier, when I was pulling out, I triggered the rear washer (did not work) and as I backed out of the drive, I could see some bubbly wet on the ground. I am sure you hit the nail on the head.

During our last freeze, just after I got the car, none of the squirters worked. They may not have put antifreeze solution in the tank. After it warmed up, they (front and rear) started working until Saturday.

 

[Boomyal]

Bingo! The sure don't make it easy to reach. There are two tubes that come rearward, on top of the wheel well but under the air filter case. One of them goes up the inner fender structure to the front windshield squirters. Right where they split off, the other one hooks to a butt connector and continues on to the rear squirter.

It seems that the line coming from the reservoir is slightly larger than the line that continues rearward to the rear squirter. Anyway, the tube has come disconnected at that butt connector, it is not a Y. It is down under an air conditioning cannister and hard to reach. You can get one hand on it easily but you really need two hands down there to reconnect it and secure it with a tie wrap. I guess I will have to find a small child or midget to get it done.

I assume this might have started pulling apart in the freeze, due to insufficient anti-freeze in the washer tank.

 

[Explorer_PL]

I also put a small screw clamp. I just did not remember what it was, so I just said Y split

 

[Boomyal]

I don't know how you got down there to put on a tiny screw clamp. I couldn't get both hands down there at one time and then peer down up on it 'cause my head would hit the edge of the hood.

In the end, I felt like a surgeon. I reached down there with two extra long Chinee needle nose pliers, grabbed the tail of the tie wrap with one while I held the locking block with the other. I was finally able to pull the wrap tight without pulling the tubing off of the butt connector. The end of the tube that went over the connector had obviously stretched. It would not have stayed connected without a tie wrap.

Bottom line is, now it works.