Windscreen Washers...

[Twiggy]

I`ve been plagued recently with my washers continually blocking up - something I imagine is quite common on older vehicles. The washer bottle on mine (Citroen Synergie, aka a Peugot 806) is situated above the plastic cover under the FOS wing and is a pain to get at. I took the bottle out three times, washed it out with a high pressure hose and even replaced the plastic tubes , all to no avail - two days later and they were blocked again. Then I had a brain wave - put a filter in the supply tubes - got a plastic petrol filter, fitted it, and they`ve been fine for the last two weeks... Hope this is useful to anyone else with the same problem...

[Rocket88]

Being French, this mod will cause your ECU to explode on Friday............

[CreepingJesus]

The lack of windscreen washers on the Meg, is down to the washer pump packing up. Sadly, as is it's hidden betwixt o/s inner arch and its' liner, I haven't mustered the enthusiasm to get the thing out. As the driver's window doesn't wind down any more, I can't even stop at the lights/pull over and give it a quick skoosh from a bottle, as I was doing. Should really fix the washer. And the window.

Being French, I'm a little uneasy about fiddling with two electronic/electrical things in one week.

[dieselnutjob]

I have an 806.

 

To be honest it's one of the last uncomplicated Peugeot/Citroens and quite a tough old thing.

It has three ECUs (engine, airbags, ABS) and none of the ECUs talk to each other. Also everything is powered by switches and relays with ordinary wires. There is no multiplexed wiring or computer bus in them.

 

Ours is 11 years old and has over 200,000 miles on it and pretty much everything still works. I think that they're a tougher vehicle that an equivalent Sharalaxy or Espace and they have sliding doors and eight seat option as well.

[barefoot]

The washers in the 944 have recently begun to smell of fried onions.

 

I can't really explain why this should be, although I've been using a Halfords screen-wash type stuff in it over the winter.

It's green & smelly, but its nothing like fried onions.

[Formula Autos]

I had this problem a couple of years ago on my Ford Cougar. Being a lazy so and so I didn't fancy renewing/removing all the pipework involved so I joined the two pipes leading to the washer jets up to a connector piece and ran a length of washer tubing from those into a bucket by the car. Then I put a load of hot water and a minute amount (and I mean minute - a capful at most) of bleach into the washer bottle and ran it through the system into the bucket. I then flushed it through with clean water a few times. It seemed, once I'd connected it all back up properly, to do the trick with seemingly no adverse effects. It needs doing again now though.

 

Worth a try?

[barefoot]

I may well give that a go, but being apparently an even lazier sod than your good self have to ask,

is bleach in dilution harmful to paintwork?

Mine is white, what's the worst that can happen?

[Formula Autos]

I wouldn't recommend seeing if bleach (even in very dilute form) is OK on paintwork. That's why I rigged up the extra pipework running into a bucket by the car.

 

The bleach seemed to kill the algae type stuff in the washer bottle, though having left the car sitting around unused for a few weeks has meant it's come back. I use AutoGlym screenwash, thinking expensive stuff might stop this happening - it seems to be just as bad as when I used to lob in Wilko's cheapo value screenwash.