Late turbo windscreen washer pump

[blade7]

I have a nasty feeling the reservoir has to come out to access the pump/s, and the same feeling it's going to be a PITA to get the reservoir out, Has anyone here done it?

 

[robwright]

You are correct on both counts. I did it many years ago. It is possible to remove it from underneath but don’t ask me how I managed it. If I remember correctly with great difficulty. I remember commenting to Max at Frazerpart that they must have assembled the car around the washer reservoir ??

 

[blade7]

Think I'll get the multimeter out, and the check the one way valves in the washer jets, before the swearing and bleeding commences . Did you remove the wheel arch liner for access to the pump?

 

[Eldavo]

I fitted a 964RS tank with a 996pump and deleted the headlight washers.


Just had an extension nut welded to the arch and bolted it in to that.

 

[blade7]

Early 944 tanks had a pump mounted on the top, and draw water from the filler cap. May go that route.

 

[MJL944]

It is possible (just) to reach and free-off the screen-washer pump and then lift it up (still attached to the washer pipework) to the top of the engine bay where you can then work on it/change it.

To do so you will need a thin forearm and you will be working blind/by feel! Popeye arms aren't going to fly for this job!

• Lift the headlights up via the knob under the rubber cover to create space for your arm's descent into the depths.
• At this point you may be able to catch sight of the top of the washer pump down in the depths with the aid of an inspection lamp.
• The washer pump is held securely in place in 2 ways - 1. the recess in the plastic reservoir which the pump sits in has a couple of notches which clip the main body of the pump firmly into position 2. the thin stem at the bottom of the pump sits tightly inside a rubber bung.
• To remove the pump you need to (by feel, as you can't see what you're doing when your hand goes down towards the pump) feel for the top of the washer pump and try to force a finger tip down between the pump and the reservoir body until the pump pops away from the reservoir. It'll pop away quite meatily and audibly.
• At this stage the pump will still be attached to the reservoir via the stem at the bottom of the pump still sitting in a rubber bung.
• Grab the top of the loosened pump and pull it up until the bottom stem pops out from the bung.
• Once the stem pops out, cue the sound of running water as washer fluid flows out from the bung (or remove as much fluid from the reservoir prior to pump removal!).
• The pump is now free for you to carefully pull it up to the top of the engine bay. Careful as it will still be attached to the washer fluid pipework and it may snag on things as you bring it up.
• You can now change the pump easily but good luck working with those horrible Oetiker clips/clamps that Porsche used to attach the washer pipework to the pump - I actually refitted a new washer pump without using a clip and the pipe has remained happily attached to the motor for over 2 years now (see my forum post here).
• To refit the pump into the reservoir you'll just need to make sure the pump's stem firmly pops into the bung (you feel and hear it) and that the pump's body then audibly snaps back into the recess on the reservoir.

I'd say it's well worth attempting this method to save yourself the horrors of access from below or needing to basically dismantle the engine bay to remove the reservoir itself! If your arms aren't up to the job, you could borrow someone else's maybe?

Good luck!
Mark

 

[blade7]

Thanks for the advice Mark. I raised the headlamps and pulled the fuse so I had some space. There are 2 pumps on my car as it has headlamp washers too. Is the windscreen pump the forward one nearest the head lamp, or inboard nearest the engine? And would a long flat blade screwdriver work to lever the pump away from the tank?
Paul

 

[MJL944]

I knew you'd ask me those exact 2 questions!

Mine's an S2 also with headlamp washers.

Looking at the photos I took at the time it's the pump nearest the head lamp (basically directly under it - but a long way down) with 1 green and 1 brown wire coming from the top - those wires are pretty much all you can see with the naked eye from above. From memory it's much the trickier of the 2 pumps to access and remove - natch!

I may even have used a long flat blade screwdriver to lever the pump body away but obviously go easy as you'll be working blind and 30 year old brittle reservoir plastic won't take kindly to being prodded with a metal blade and the pump does require a fair shove to lever the body away from the tangs/notches on the reservoir that clip it in place.
Remember, once the pump body pops out, the thin shaft at the bottom of the pump will still be firmly gripped inside a rubber bung but with it being a rubber bung the pump will now pivot a fair amount.

P/N 92862817201 for a new washer pump - £25 or so from OPC.
See pic of washer pump here and note the thin shaft that sits in the bung which I'm referring to.

 

[blade7]

Similar pumps are less than a tenner on ebay. Why on earth did Porsche move the pump/pickup from the top of the reservoir. I found an exploded view of the reservoir/pump, maybe a tool could hook under the pump, or grip the top to pull it up.

 

[MJL944]

.......maybe a tool could hook under the pump, or grip the top to pull it up.

I doubt either option very much - you'll feel the reasons why once you get your hand/finger-tips down there. Working blind and a lack of space being just 2 reasons.
Once you've popped the pump's body away from the reservoir as described, you're over the most difficult part (Oetiker clamp battle notwithstanding).

 

[blade7]

Had another look today, no chance my arm is fitting far enough down to get my hand on the pump. I'll have to try and push it out from below.

 

[Waylander]

need to pay a teenager to stick his arm down there []

 

[vitesse]

Even her arm! -you want a largish "C" spanner bent at 90deg at the C end with a handle extension or grip with Visegrips & then pull or push (whatever the teenager copes with[])

 

[blade7]

I got some thin nose pliers on the spade terminal of the pump, but the fecker wouldn't move. I reckon if the tank was out, it would be easy to fabricate something to hook under the pump. I'm doing the belts soon, so I'll be under the bastid then anyway.

 

[blade7]

need to pay a teenager to stick his arm down there []

.

 

[BenEngland]

If its the pump that has seized.

Its sometimes possible to free up a seized washer pump by reversing the polarity of the electrical feed to the pump & pulsing it by disconnecting & re-connecting the power, (obviously whilst disconnected from the vehicle wiring in order to prevent damage to ECU & other electrical components).

With care this can be done with the Tank / pump still in situ.

 

[blade7]

If its the pump that has seized.

Its sometimes possible to free up a seized washer pump by reversing the polarity of the electrical feed to the pump & pulsing it by disconnecting & re-connecting the power, (obviously whilst disconnected from the vehicle wiring in order to prevent damage to ECU & other electrical components).

With care this can be done with the Tank / pump still in situ.

Thanks for the tip, took my spare battery down the tip recently though .

 

[Craigybaby]

Finally got round to doing this..they let me off with no windscreen washer at last mot but doubt I'd get away with it twice and it's due in 3 weeks...
Everything going relatively smoothly up until getting the pump back in...I can feel the washer attached to the tank with my long skinny finger, but can't for the life of me locate the pump in it...I bought a £10 pump, which looks the same overall dimensions but some of the grooves on the side are a little different, do you think this could be an issue?
Kind regards

 

[Craigybaby]

Success!!
Managed to locate it properly....tested and all works fine...ten quid and an hour well spent... Thanks to the above guidance, helped a lot and gave me confidence to have a bash...

 

[chrisg]

Chaps - sorry slow to this thread - did this on my car a few months - PITA but satisfying once complete and took some monster wriggling and faffing to get the washer tank out.

However, when it comes to washer tanks and accessing pumps....

I'll see you and raise you for BMW X5 E70 = 2006 -2011 - I had the 'joy' of repairing a washer piper on one of these...

OMG..... the washer tank is the new trendy design where all you can see from the outside is the filler cap and swan neck....

As the Plastic front wings are integrated into a section of the front bumper you'd have to remove the whole lot ~ 3hrs works to get at the washer pumps.

Fortunately, I didn't have to do this but..... Still took me 2 hrs of mudflap, inner wheel arch, shield etc and unwrapping tape to access the split hose......

So..... 944 tank and pumps = Easy in comparison.....

BTW with my X5 - previous generation washer pump (3 of them for front, back and headights) can be changed in ~ 30secs.....