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Washer Jets

Posted: 12 Jun 2007 23:48
by bottomtop
Probaly not on the high list of priorities for most, but does anybody have any hints on getting the Washer Jets to work? I can hear my pump working however I get only the occassional weak squirt that doesn't reach the windscreen on the drivers side and just a slow leak of water on the passenger side. I tried cleaning the jets gently with a pin but no luck. Should I try and spray something through the jets in the other direction? Or is this as good as it gets? I tried to unscrew them to have a closer look but I can see the PO also tried this as the screw heads are butchered and won't budge with reasonable force.

Posted: 13 Jun 2007 00:18
by Periwinkle
Bottomtop,

I fixed my jets last fall, so now I get copious amounts of fluid on my windscreen. I did change the pump eventhough the old one sounded like it was working. It was not pushing any fluid. I also cleaned (using a pin as you did) and adjusted (moved) the jets a bit. I also made sure the line was not kinked where the line comes out of the fender (wing) and into the bonnet. Also the "T" connection where the line splits to feed the jets can catch a lot of sediment since it is slightly smaller than the rest of the tubing. It took a good 30 seconds or more to get the first tentative squirts of wash out of the jets. Since you do get fluid, I would look for a kink in the tubing (which would reduce the pressure) and clean the jets again.

I also replaced the intake tube from the resevoir.

Good Luck,

Periwinkle

Posted: 13 Jun 2007 02:14
by Rblackadar
I am just getting new ones as they are cheap enough. That way I don't have to mess with them.

Posted: 13 Jun 2007 02:33
by fastman
Are you certain it's your nozzles? When faced with the same problem I pulled the pick-up out from the bottom of the resevoir to find white crud plugging the screen. Clean the part and dump out the fluid and rinse the container well. This worked for me; good luck.

Posted: 13 Jun 2007 08:10
by Beans
Also could be the pump itself which is gone. Had the same problem last weekend with the DHC. Pump was running, no blockage in the tubes and washer jets but only some slight bubbling from the jets.

Probably the internals off the pump gone, put another (non-original VDO) pump in and it all works now ...

<center>Image
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1981 TR7 DHC (not very well known yet, but back on the road)
Also a 1980 TR7 DHC, 1980 TR7 DHC FI, 1981 TR7 FHC
http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="blue"></center>

Posted: 13 Jun 2007 09:41
by bmcecosse
Yep -same as fastman - intake filter was blocked with crud - cleaned and perfect washing achieved.

Posted: 14 Jun 2007 08:12
by saabfast
When I got mine back on the road after some years in a barn I found that the washer 'fluid' had turned to a thin jelly and the pump was working but not pumping. I washed out the bottle, stripped and cleaned the pump and flushed the pipes and jets and all then worked properly.

Alan
Saab 9000 Stg 1
'81 TR7 DHC

Posted: 18 Jun 2007 22:49
by bottomtop
Thank you all for your suggestions

I gave the jets another good clean as well as the intake however only a marginal improvement. When I disconnected all the tubes and just let the pump run free, I noticed the motor would turn quite fast at first and then gradually slow down. I guess its a bit tired after 27 years!

I will replace the pump. I doubt I could source an original here in oz but there a few different types for toyotas and GM at the local auto store. I was just going to choose the one that looked the easiset to make a bracket for to put on the original motor mounting and I guess I may need to change the wire plugs but I was wondering whether there were other considerations - can I safely assume that the volt & amp ratings are safe for the switiches/fuses/relays or whatever power the existing circuit?

Posted: 19 Jun 2007 09:10
by bmcecosse
Make sure that intake filter is completely clear. The pump only has to run in one second bursts - it will be fine.

Posted: 19 Jun 2007 12:30
by KRenken
My washer pump does the same thing....starts very fast and then gradually slows down...but only when it's running dry. As long as the suction line has water in it so the pump doesn't lose prime it works great.

Kimmit

Posted: 14 Jan 2008 02:54
by bottomtop
Well they don't make them like they used too. I dismantled my pump and gave the contacts inside the motor a good clean. Now it doesn't slow down. But the actual pump bits are far too worn. I bought a replacement "universal" pump (made in Taiwan). It pushed out less water than the original (enve after 29 years), and the motor died within 10 minutes. The old motor still works when connected, so clearly I have not blown up anything more important.

I will save this little project until I have a larger list of parts I am forced to import (rimmers have one).