How to Fix Window Wiper Fluid Leaks

How to fix windshield wiper fluid jets and check for leaks!

Window wipers - vital in modern motoring

It can be very irritating and often dangerous when your wind shield washer jets break, especially in cold weather, without a clean wind screen you can have a job seeing, especially in bright sunlight. So what could cause them to break?

If your wind shield fluid jets aren't working properly the chances are you have a leak in the tank, there are very few things which can go wrong with the actual system because it is so simple. A good place to start is not over looking the obvious. Check your tank, does it have fluid in? if it doesn't and you have filled it recently there is obviously a leak somewhere, in cold weather the plastic of both the tank and the tubes which carry the fluid can contract and crack. If you have water still there and your jets still do not work then you have a slightly different problem but i shall explain non the less. For a good video of checking for leaks, take a look here.

Unfortunately if this is the case you have little chance of creating your own water tight seal again so you will be better off buying new tubes or a new tank and fitting it yourself, or having a mechanic do it. But this isn't the only reason you washer jets don't work, if there is water in the tank and it still doesn't work then you can try this:

Unplug the tube from the jets and press the button, if water comes out of the pipe, then your jets are clogged, you can clean them with wire or wire brush to allow the water back through, or you can blast them with compressed air. At this point It would probably be a good idea to remove the reservoir and give it a good clean and remove anything which could cause it to get clogged up again.

If water didn't come out of the tube when you pressed the button you may have a pressure problem. You can use a test light to make sure that the the switch is sending a signal to the reservoir pump, if this doesn't work you can change the fuse. If the problem still persists then im afraid it is the job for a mechanic as the trouble lies with the electronics of the pump.

FINALLY: a few tips. Make sure that when you are pressing the switch that your ignition is ON! The pump is powered by the battery and wont work if you have the car turned off. The most common place on a car for leaks is the barber plastic fittings on the tubing, to source the leak just follow the tubes from the jets to the resevoir, checking for them as you go, especially at joins in the tubing.