Windscreen washer - no go

[Norfolk Jim]

Hi chaps.

A little while back I had an issue with my rear wiper washer on my 2009 9-3 Aero TTiD Estate. Thanks to Sgould i found it was imply the fuse which once replaced was good.

I have just come back from hols in our camper and nipping to chippy noticed my main windscreen washer jets not working; wipers do but no water. Headlamp washers and rear screen all work fine; simply no water to screen.

Checked fuses underbonnet and replaced F22 just in case but no difference. Unplugged the relay and pushed back in place and still no good. Pulled mudguard forward and all wires seem in place so stumped. Asked wife to listen for wurring of pump but silence apart from her getting wet from headlamp wash. Any ideas??

Oddly I still have issues with outside temp sensor in lower grille. I've got a new one but this still seems to misbehave and wonder if wiring could be iffy......................could these two things be linked? The loom running across bottom of lower spoiler??

Any help welcomed as obviously illegal at the moment!!

[Max Headroom]

I'm no electrickery injuneer, but I would try to see if power is actually getting to the pump by using a small and inexpensive multimeter - I picked one up in Maplins for peanuts years ago and its been really good.
Disconnect the pump and with the multimeter see if you are getting power to the plug when the switch is operated. If you have power there then the pump has bought it.
Worth considering; we've not long ago experienced some very cold weather and a freeze inside te pump may have bu99ered it.

If you do have the pump apartand pipe assemblies apart, buy yourself some new (metric I think) o-ring seals - unbelievably the joints are complex and not simple push-on pipes as you would expect. When you assemble the o-rings smear a little silicone grease on them before assembly

[Norfolk Jim]

Thank you Max.

I'm getting a pump anyway just in case - £25 roughly from dealer and in stock!!!!

It was working fine 2 weeks ago before we went on hols and fluid happily came out the nozzles. Now all I get is a fine spray from headlamp washer! It appears mine has 3 pumps.........

[Audax]

The washer pumps are not great quality, very high likelihood that it has failed. You can always bridge some wires from the connector of the rear screen pump to the main pump and see if it works to rule out a wiring problem or not.

[Max Headroom]

The washer pumps are not great quality, very high likelihood that it has failed.

Unless mine had been changed already, I was always impressed with the power the pump kicked out - far better than the half-hearted squirt that the Suzi Jimny seems to produce 

[Audax]

They work well enough just they are a common failure point on the car compared to other Saab models. I never used to sell washer pumps for other models, but the 9-3 pumps were a stock item.

[Norfolk Jim]

I'm collecting pump a little later but it does sound like that rather than any wiring issues as it worked fine before we went away so car wasn't used for 2 weeks precisely and when tested simply didn't work at all whereas if a wiring issue i would have thought either fuse would have gone or pump would work intermittently. If i lift wipers off screen and pull lever the wipers work fine and fuse still ok. If I have enough speed up the headlamp washers send a fair bit up over bonnet onto screen; always have a laugh if passing a large group of cyclists who won't ride single file (normally 3 abreast round here on country roads and try their hardest not to move over) - squirt windscreen and they get a soaking from headlamps lol. The other is if being pushed by a soft top bumper hog; slow down and then squirt and soak them over the roof....

Fingers crossed.

My external temp sensor is still intermittent on it's temps so asked about loom. Cheap enough at 55 quid for loom but on long back order - delivery not known!

[Audax]

always have a laugh if passing a large group of cyclists who won't ride single file (normally 3 abreast round here on country roads and try their hardest not to move over)

How charming.

[collywobble]

You're a man after my own heart James....they don't pay road tax, insurance or fuel duty but think they own the road!

[Audax]

You're a man after my own heart James....they don't pay road tax, insurance or fuel duty but think they own the road!

Ignorance is strong here it seems. The taxes for the roads are paid out of general taxation, that means *everyone* pays for the roads. I find it strange that car drivers think they can do things like Jim and get away with it but apparently cyclists think they "own" the roads but it seems that some car drivers are the one with that problem as evidenced by your misguided comment.

[Norfolk Jim]

Nope - round here the cyclists seem to rule the roost and we often get around 20 - 25 in groups filling the whole road width - oh and shouting their heads off to each other which infuriates me when we live on such a quiet road..................................

[Audax]

Nope - round here the cyclists seem to rule the roost and we often get around 20 - 25 in groups filling the whole road width - oh and shouting their heads off to each other which infuriates me when we live on such a quiet road..................................

Oh certainly, I couldn't think of a time I've ever seen more than 20-25 cars sitting on the A14 when I'm going to work filling the whole road width and causing traffic to back up.... 

[collywobble]

We are all entitled to our own opinions- after all we live in a democracy. And I don't like being called ignorant, 11 plus, 'O' levels, 'A' levels, Dip.AD (degree equivalent), Post graduate diploma, ONC in civil engineering, Open University B.Sc, and finally Cattell I.Q. score (Mensa) of 158 which puts me in the top 1% of the population.

Anyway being ignorant is better than being self opinionated...and lacking in a sense of humour!.

[aerojon]

I cycle aswell as drive..

[Max Headroom]

I cycle as well as drive too; I used to cycle in road competitions. But I'm never an advocate of riding in anything other than single file otherwise its asking to get knocked off.
A good blast on the air-horns usually clears the path (and gets an occasional finger but I couldnt care less about that). Anything other than single file in my books is sheer stupidity.

I also get those that think firing the windscreen wash will get the guy behind with his roof down. Clearly, their understanding of aerodynamics was learned off the back of a postage stamp