[Touaregman33]

So in the Arctic blast of cold weather in NY, my windshield wipers sprayers have stoped work, along with the headlight washers. My passengers side headlight washer is stuck up slightly. I guess in the snow I didn't realize and it went off :frown2:. I am thinking there is air in it and after a few cycles it'll go down. Before all of this I got the message on dash to add washer fluid. I had zero. Today I added it, but when I pull the switch to wash the windshield nothing happens. The wipers delay, but nothing comes out. It also doesn't sound like anything is trying to come out also. I am thinking it could be a fuse? I hear it could be number 18? Or could it be that the cold has effected it, and it just needs to be warmer? It is -1 here with wind chills of -17...

 

[Yeti]

If you are hearing nothing you may have seized up the pump. There are fuses to, but you will need to check the manual and cards on the fuse boxes to find it.

 

[Touaregman33]

If you are hearing nothing you may have seized up the pump. There are fuses to, but you will need to check the manual and cards on the fuse boxes to find it.

Oh no... How would one un seize the pump lol.

 

[Touaregman33]

I just want to point out, my neighbor has an Armada and her washer also stoped working...

How would I have seized the pump?

 

[Yeti]

Oh no... How would one un seize the pump lol.

You don't, you replace it and unless you have a heated garage not something you want to be doing in that cold back there. It is not hard, just takes some time. I did one in my '10 over the summer. Took me maybe 45mins.

 

[Touaregman33]

You don't, you replace it and unless you have a heated garage not something you want to be doing in that cold back there. It is not hard, just takes some time. I did one in my '10 over the summer. Took me maybe 45mins.

Yeah, I'll have it fixed down the line if thats the issue or wait until the summer to do so.
My real issue is the headlight washer sticking up. Anyway to get that down? I don't want it to fly off. I can live with no washers but I look like stupid driving around with it half up LOL

 

[nickyt]

My first guess would be you have ice inside the system. Nothing to do except wait for it to thaw out. Once the ice melts, the headlight washer should fall back into place.

Got any warm place you can park the car for a day of so, to thaw out?

Once thawed, if the pump starts working, you need to fill up with a gallon a high quality winter washer fluid. Run the system until you are sure that you are spraying the new fluid from the headlights washers, and both the front and rear washers.

Run winter fluid in it all year round. You fill it up with freezable summer fluid in the spring and come fall you have the stuff that will freeze all inside the system. You are not going to empty the tank are you?

^^That is why you never use the summer washer fluid.

 

[Yeti]

Yeah, I'll have it fixed down the line if thats the issue or wait until the summer to do so.
My real issue is the headlight washer sticking up. Anyway to get that down? I don't want it to fly off. I can live with no washers but I look like stupid driving around with it half up LOL

Carefully pull it up and check for ice chunks. It is essentially a structure almost like a pop up sprinkler head. I would say pour hot water down it to get it to go down but that would be a bad idea. Other possibility would be some alcohol and not your good whiskey either!

 

[Yeti]

To add to what Nicky said I know on my '10 it was one pump that works for both the front and rear washer. I can't comment on the headlight washers since I don't have those. Not sure if there is another one for those or the one pump runs everything on yours.

 

[Touaregman33]

My first guess would be you have ice inside the system. Nothing to do except wait for it to thaw out. Once the ice melts, the headlight washer should fall back into place.

Got any warm place you can park the car for a day of so, to thaw out?

Once thawed, if the pump starts working, you need to fill up with a gallon a high quality winter washer fluid. Run the system until you are sure that you are spraying the new fluid from the headlights washers, and both the front and rear washers.

Run winter fluid in it all year round. You fill it up with freezable summer fluid in the spring and come fall you have the stuff that will freeze all inside the system. You are not going to empty the tank are you?

^^That is why you never use the summer washer fluid.

unfortunately The truck lives outside :/ But it's warmer today! ( Icey rain tonight, but not right know LOL ) I really do think that there is Ice in the system because one, its never done this before and two its been driven hard in the snow in the past few days as it is the daily. My drivers door froze the other day, and I had to heat it up with a blow dryer to get it to open. I bought winter fluid now, so hopefully fingers crossed.

Carefully pull it up and check for ice chunks. It is essentially a structure almost like a pop up sprinkler head. I would say pour hot water down it to get it to go down but that would be a bad idea. Other possibility would be some alcohol and not your good whiskey either!

I'll try to pull it up and see what's clogging it, if not its the blow dryer and the vodka >

To add to what Nicky said I know on my '10 it was one pump that works for both the front and rear washer. I can't comment on the headlight washers since I don't have those. Not sure if there is another one for those or the one pump runs everything on yours.

I actually heard the pump this morning when I tired to do it again. It sounded like it kicked on but nothing happen, so maybe it's ice.

 

[Touaregman33]

As you can see it sticking up a bit.

 

[nickyt]

I would pour the winter fluid inside the tank, since you hear the pump trying to work.

I would also use the hair dryer on low heat to gently warm the headlight washer. It might take 5 to 10 minutes, so bring something to sit on. Just keep gently warming it. Eventually the ice blocking it should melt. At that point, it should pop back into the bumper.

As soon as you get a warm enough day, pump the new winter fluid thru the entire system. And never use summer fluid again. Buy at least an extra bottle of winter to get you thru the summer. Sometimes you can not find winter fluid once the weather gets warm.

My local store actually clearances it out in the spring. I buy several extra bottles at that point.

 

[Touaregman33]

I would pour the winter fluid inside the tank, since you hear the pump trying to work.

I would also use the hair dryer on low heat to gently warm the headlight washer. It might take 5 to 10 minutes, so bring something to sit on. Just keep gently warming it. Eventually the ice blocking it should melt. At that point, it should pop back into the bumper.

As soon as you get a warm enough day, pump the new winter fluid thru the entire system. And never use summer fluid again. Buy at least an extra bottle of winter to get you thru the summer. Sometimes you can not find winter fluid once the weather gets warm.

My local store actually clearances it out in the spring. I buy several extra bottles at that point.

I went outside and no longer hear the pump lol. But good news I pulled it up like a sprinkler head like you said and BAM it went down :grin2:. That's all I really care about. I didn't even have to heat it lol.
I never did personally use summer fluid. I bought the truck last summer from deep in the south. I didn't ever add fluid or think to even change it. I think there is ice in the line. But if the pump did go out, I'll just change the pump come summer time.

 

[yuyueyuyue]

just to share my experience. I put RainX rain repel in the fluid in the summer, it must have diluted the winter washer fluid and the washer line froze when it's -20F. I drove to a shopping mall with underground heated garage and stayed there for 15 minutes to thaw the frozen line, no need to bring the whole car back to 60F, 15 minutes should be more than enough if you had winterized fluid to start with.

 

[HVMihnea]

I know winter windshield fluid is a pain, it smells horribly.
Check these bad boys out
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/00291-VW-T...NDSCREEN-Right-Heated-6E0955986-/253321015745
I have heated nozzles (as standard I think) on my T3 and nothing ever froze. Not even the headlight washers for some reason..
It's happened to be before on other cars. A hair dryer always did the trick, but you might need a garage for that.
But yes - if you pull the stalk and hear no sound, your pump might be dead...

 

[gryhnd]

So I had this problem recently too. No spray anywhere, silent pump, all fuses checked out. Next morning it worked. Later that day it didn't.

Long story short, I figure either had a mix of wiper fluids that didn't rate for the temps, or I had a bad batch from the last one I added. Once I got things flowing again on the "bad" mix, I purged a bunch of it by simply spraying often. Then added in a low temp fluid and allowed it to mix and sprayed it through and through to purge the lines. Not had a problem since and we've had the single digit arctic temps here in MA too.

YMMV

 

[Touaregman33]

just to share my experience. I put RainX rain repel in the fluid in the summer, it must have diluted the winter washer fluid and the washer line froze when it's -20F. I drove to a shopping mall with underground heated garage and stayed there for 15 minutes to thaw the frozen line, no need to bring the whole car back to 60F, 15 minutes should be more than enough if you had winterized fluid to start with.

-20 and my -17 windchills sound close enough lol. I'll have to find a garage LOL

I know winter windshield fluid is a pain, it smells horribly.
Check these bad boys out
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/00291-VW-T...NDSCREEN-Right-Heated-6E0955986-/253321015745
I have heated nozzles (as standard I think) on my T3 and nothing ever froze. Not even the headlight washers for some reason..
It's happened to be before on other cars. A hair dryer always did the trick, but you might need a garage for that.
But yes - if you pull the stalk and hear no sound, your pump might be dead...

I'm going to check the fuses on Friday when it's above 40 haha

So I had this problem recently too. No spray anywhere, silent pump, all fuses checked out. Next morning it worked. Later that day it didn't.

Long story short, I figure either had a mix of wiper fluids that didn't rate for the temps, or I had a bad batch from the last one I added. Once I got things flowing again on the "bad" mix, I purged a bunch of it by simply spraying often. Then added in a low temp fluid and allowed it to mix and sprayed it through and through to purge the lines. Not had a problem since and we've had the single digit arctic temps here in MA too.

YMMV

I really feel that it's frozen because I had the Refill light come one a day before it stoped working, and the headlight washer got stuck up, so I must have pulled it when I was adventuring around at 4 Am at some point. I just don't think the pump would seize right after it tells me it needs a refill and it being like 1 degree you know?

 

[nickyt]

You have a pretty good chance that it will start pumping again once everything warms up.

Just find some fluid that is good to -20 F or -30 F.

The main anti freeze ingredient is just plain cheap methanol. So, this is one case where the cheaper -20 F fluid is usually often as good as the more expensive stuff.

 

[Yeti]

Once you flush that summer crap out of there never use it again. Then you don't have to remember to switch it. I have never used summer fluid since I have been driving.

 

[Touaregman33]

You have a pretty good chance that it will start pumping again once everything warms up.

Just find some fluid that is good to -20 F or -30 F.

The main anti freeze ingredient is just plain cheap methanol. So, this is one case where the cheaper -20 F fluid is usually often as good as the more expensive stuff.

Fingers crossed!

Once you flush that summer crap out of there never use it again. Then you don't have to remember to switch it. I have never used summer fluid since I have been driving.

It'll never be used haha. I guess I'll have to check the next time I buy a car from the deep south LOL. I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks a lot for everyones help. My main goal was really to get that washer down. ( Accomplished ) >