Windscreen Washer Failure

[DanGull]

Went to the car this morning, de-iced/scarped and let it warm up a little, then cautiously headed out onto our snow-covered roads.

Temp gauge was reading -5.

Covered around 15 miles and then hit motorway, started to get a little bit of mucky build up on the windscreen so went to wash - nothing. Assuming it was still frozen up, I pulled over and de-iced the nozzles and checked the screen wash itself was liquid.

Still nothing - and I realised at this point that there was no sound of the pump running either. Have any other Mk7 owners had this problem? Luckily the car is booked in for its 25K service on Tuesday, is this something that is likely to be covered under warranty if it is a mechinical problem?

[Ryan9684]

its probably a fuse, seems to happen quite often is you try to use the washers when frozen it blows, at least it has happened on my gf's car this winter and last winter and happened to mine this winter.

[grin factor]

Mine was frozen solid the other day and as yours nothing at all, no noise. When the temp had gone up the next day it was working fine. The daughters Yaris is similar too

[AndrewL]

Mine was frozen solid the other day and as yours nothing at all, no noise. When the temp had gone up the next day it was working fine. The daughters Yaris is similar too

Exactly the same as this... I thought the fuse was a gonner as the pump wasn't going at all one day, and then the next it was all working fine again.

[Solaris]

Exactly the same as this... I thought the fuse was a gonner as the pump wasn't going at all one day, and then the next it was all working fine again.

Yeah same thing for me also. Seems to be normal.

[Nay ZS]

Same problems for me. My screenwash is in neat and is still liquid but its still freezing up in either the washer jets or the pipes.

Heard no sound from the pump today but temps haven't risen much above - 6 after a low of -14.

The last bits of washer pipe don't get the engines heat even after doing 30 miles and they are also pressed up against the ultra cold bonnet ! The material attached to the bonnet is responsible for this i think. Also the jets don't have enough pressure to break up little bits of ice that may block them after cleaning the windows.

[KeithC]

Yep, mine too.

Have to be careful as 10 miles of my trip to work is on the motorway so have to make sure the wipers don't sweep to make the screen worse.

[Lez]

i had same too, but i use antifrizz washer fluid, but the washer jets still frosen down, so i bought some focus heated windscreen washer jets from the scrap yard for £2 and wired to my real window heater swich, now i know when my real window is readi my jets too :D

[DanGull]

Thanks for the responses folks, the car is currently at the dealers. I should have said that I checked the fuse as soon as I stopped hearing noise from the pump - looked ok to me.

Here's hoping the whole system is frozen and not stuffed!

[hack-abusi]

pipes just frozen up ... needs a good run to heat the pipes and everything should start working again

[KeithC]

Mine started to work at the end of my journey home last night, the first time for 4 days.

[S666LER]

Mine done this and it was a tiny 10a fuse behind the glove box which has blown.

[KeithC]

The fuse hadn't blown on mine but the pump had stopped whirring. The day after the pump was whirring but still no fluid coming through jets. Possible safety feature to stop the pump when no fluid is running through it.

[sparticus5]

And if I have a #1 gripe with my Ford, that's it. Frozen washer jets.

Now can someone please explain what's the point of fitting a heated windscreen if the washer jets are allowed to freeze up? I thought the heated windscreen would have been a good idea, and it has been - as a demister. In sub-zero temperatures however, I'm no better off.

It was only -4 the other day and all I got was a feeble attempt from the driver's side jets to squirt water. The passenger side was a no go. Never once did I have a problem with jets freezing up on the Golf all thru last winter.

[titanium_s_spec]

A little tip in these cold conditions put pure screen wash in the washer bottle it won't freeze we do that in all of our lorries at work.never frozen yet.

[Hook]

I put a bit of meths in the washer bottle and pure screenwash. Mine haven't frozen up since I did that :D

[andyedge]

I put a bit of meths in the washer bottle and pure screenwash. Mine haven't frozen up since I did that :D

Damn! I drank all the meths Merry Chrishtmash <Hic>

[DanGull]

Fuse was fine - pump was fine once they got it inside at the dealer.

Dom/Simon - I always use neat screenwash, it's still frozen up.

Price of second service - for anyone looking in the future was £138.

[ttifmurb nitram]

hi guys. had this prob this week any idea which fuse needs looking at.wife not very happy stopping and throwing bottled water over screen

[kevin lancelott]

Yep my jets are allso blocked but it has been colder than normal this winter.First service on the 15 dec £130.

[Brent M]

Had 2 mark 7's and blown the washer fuse on both lol. As soon as the pump freezes up and you try to use it the fuse blows my local dealer says they have replaced litteraly 100's since the mark 7 was launched.

[flyer]

Hi, had exactly the same with mine recently but... no blown fuse. Drove from Yorkshire to Lancashire, nothing worked on the motorway, temp' reading says -3, got into Wigan, temp' reading at +4 & everything worked again. Driving back, the temp went down to -4 & again, the pump froze completely, not even the "noise", arrived back in Yorkshire, temp reading at +2 & all's working again. I checked the fuse - ok, checked the jets - unblocked, use almost neat screenwash too. Just seems that the pump doesn't appear to like the cold!

(08 plate - 17K miles)

[mark t]

neat screenwash will not freeze, but melt your Wiper Blades. It says not to drop undiluted screenwash on your paintwork, so if it's going melt your paint it'll melt your blades, and at 29.99 from halfrauds, I'm not buying them too often!

[Hook]

neat screenwash will not freeze, but melt your wiper blades. It says not to drop undiluted screenwash on your paintwork, so if it's going melt your paint it'll melt your blades, and at 29.99 from halfrauds, I'm not buying them too often!

I use neat screenwash in my cars and I've never had either paint or blades 'melt'...

In temperatures like these if you're diluting the screenwash down that's almost certainly why it's freezing.

The cheaper concentrated screenwash products such as ASDA/TESCO/Halfords own brand only tend to work down to -4, if you dilute it then it's fairly pointless.

If you use the more expensive brands they'll work down to -15/-20 if they're not diluted down, but since temperatures have been hitting below those in the UK, it's hit -13 here fairly regularly over the last few weeks then it'll freeze with water in.

[AndrewL]

Is there any chance that the pump is switched off at a certain temp to protect it? Seems feasible I suppose.