I have a 2000 Eddie Bauer Expedition and all of the sudden the washer pumps (both front and back) quit working. The wipers in the front and back work fine, but neither of the pumps. I thought at first it may be the relays, so i swapped both the front and rear washer pump relays with 2 others in the same relay box (protecting other working circuits) but nothing changed. Any idea of why both the front and rear pumps would quit simultaneously - with what appears to be good relays?

What should i check next?

 

Did you check the fuses? Did you check to see if your relays are getting power when you try to use the sprayer (need two people for this).

 

Thanks for your response. I did check the fuse, all OK there. i did not check the functionality of the relays individually, beyond swapping them around. how do i check to see if the relays are getting power when the sprayer button is pressed? I assume a multimeter is required, and is applied to the relay receptacle with the relay romoved? if so, how do i know which contacts to apply it to?

 

If your fuse checked out OK, I would then check to see if you are actually getting power to your pump when the switch is pressed. If not, you will have to trace back to your relay to see if you are getting power to them (look on the side of the relay to see where the power should be coming in).

 

I disconnected the electrical connection to the front washer pump and held a multimeter to it as someone else pushed the wash button. i got a good 12 volt reading when the button was pressed. I guess that's a good sign, but don't understand why the rear washer isn't functioning either. does the front pump push water all the way back to the hatchback?

 

Apply 12 Volts to the pump connector. The pump should work. I believe you have a single pump that operates both the front and rear washers. The relays probably turn the pump on and open the front or rear lines to the washer. My schematic is vague.

 

Similar symtoms in my wifes 03 XP was due to clogged reservoir outlet. apparently some rainex products when mixed with other wiper solutions created a "scum" that got sucked into pump and completely shut off any flow. It took about three thorough cleanings of the reservoir (lines were fine) and strict adherence to only 'cheap' stuff in the tank to get completely back to normal. Dealer did the first one for way too much cash.
If you take off the pump (one for both lines) and look at intake filter you should be able to see if that's the problem. If so, a bunch of toothpicks, long brushes, camelback cleaning tablets and patience should get you back in the game.

 

Thx. Is it hard to get to the pump? do you have to remove the entire tank?

 

'do you have to remove the entire tank?'

Good question. I'm not sure but it is way easier to get in and clean the reservoir with it out... as i recall the pump is mounted by a thick rubber seal that you can just pull out and push (like the dickens) back on.

not too much trouble to remove the tank.. getting the lines connected back to the pump was about the hardest part. notice how the lines are routed before removal so you can return to same if you pull it.

hope you have this prob as it's relatively minor versus the alternatives.

cheers

 

i removed the resevoir, which wasn't a quick job - as to do so you have to disconnect the battery, remove it, then remove the battery tray just to get to the last mounting bolt of the resevoir. once out, i applied 12v to the connections and the pump appears to want to work. previously, it didn't hum, click or do anything. once out, when showed signs of life i figured i may be dealing with some grunge that prevented the impellers from spinning. good thing i didn't burn my pump out in repeated attempts to run the washer. i inspected the inside of the tank and it had developed a film over the past 8 years. i cleaned it out very well, and then shot compressed air through the pump outlets to clear the ways. it cleared them out so well, i could hear the impellers spinning quickly as the air compressor shot the air through. i did it on both outlets. i learned that the single pump services both the front and both washers. if the polarity is reversed on the 12v provided, it pushes water out to the back sprayers. normal polarity, pushes water to the front spray heads. once all was cleaned, i hooked it back up and it worked like a charm. one word of warning though for those of you facing a similar situation - i blasted my washer tubes with the air compressor to clear anything that could have built up in there. upon doing so, the air pressure separated my rear spray head from the supply tube above the headliner in the rear of the car (above the hatch back light). it was raining inside the rear of the expedition : ) . took a few minutes to put the hose back on the spray connector, then all was well. Many thanks to all of you for your feedback.

Case closed.

 

Nice write up!

 

Sweet write up, i'll remember that. This is what they had to do at Ford when i bought my used 04 in the sig. The motor was humming, but no fluid, they replaced the motor and same, then they cleaned the tubes with compressed air and changed the resovoir filter, and all was good. .

And maby you could put a return system on there and make the pump run all the time to make a water show over the back glass on the inside of the truck just for the kids .

 

Sounds like a little bleach in the tank once a while wouldn't hurt to kill the algea and other grunge to keep the tank and tubing from clogging up.

 

Thanks for the posts regarding the washer/sprayer motor. I didn't bother with all the electrical stuff, as the wipers were working, just not the spray- either front or back. The new motor/pump was $20 at local auto parts store. Bought it. Removed the three bolts to get the resevoir out (one of the bolts on the side down low, is tough to reach, but you DO NOT have to remove the battery harness etc. I also decided that that bolt is ONLY there to make it all more difficult, so I decided in advance that I would not be putting it back. The bolts on the bottom (next to the battery) and the one at the top (easiest to get to) are plenty to secure it. After removing the tank, it was a breeze to clean it and replace the part. My thought was if that wasn't the issue, I was maybe in over my head anyway. I did blow the hoses out with some canned air before reconnecting them. Happy to say it all worked out and the sprayers both functioned perfectly afterwards.