Water Wash Light

[swozza]

Hi All

I'm new to the forum and would like to say Hello, and see if anyone can help me. (Sorry if posted in wrong forum)

I have a 2006 Mondeo TDCI Zetec and the water wash light is on indicating it is empty, but its full. Does anyone know what could be causing this?

Thanks

Swozza

[mintalkin]

it could be the switch in the fluid bottle stuck or faulty or defected wiring to the switch shorting across putting the light on.

[Lenny]

it could be the switch in the fluid bottle stuck or faulty or defected wiring to the switch shorting across putting the light on.

Welcome to the forum mate,

Generally this type of sensor for the water level operates by two prongs submerged in the water

One being Positive + and the other being negative -

when they are both surrounded by water the small electrical current flows through the water linking the circuit thus sending a signal to the gem/Control unit indicating it is at a specific level and ok,

Then when the water drops below the level of one of the prongs the electrical current cannot flow and

The signal is not received to the control unit which then raises an alarm on your dash.

my guess is that one or both of the prongs are caked with lime or gunk,

the step to cleaning this is not to use anything as abrasive as a Calgon dishwasher tablet as this could damage your paint work on the surface of the car when run through the system,

try running out the contents of the bottle through the system,

do this in short runs, not all at once as you will strain the pump, its only designed to work for short periods so take your time emptying the contents.

Then try inserting a mix of vinegar (yes the stuff you put on your chips) and full strength washer fluid from Halfords or Tesco. Half fill the tank with this mix and leave it to sit overnight in the tank the vinegar will break down any lime in the bottle.

In the morning top up to full with hot water and again run the contents through the system this should solve the problem mate.

If not then it's something to do with the wiring. Well worth a try though

also if working on the inside of the bottle or opening the system please be aware that it is known that the water content in your washer bottle can contain traces of malaria due to the stagnate levels continuously lying in the tank. So gloves and plenty of soap recommended :)

[johnH]

legionnaires is a risk also with stagnant water...we get told to run our taps for 15 mins if they havnt been used in over 2 weeks, just to reduce the risk of catching it.

[swozza]

Thanks Guys

I'll give some of the suggestions a try.

Thanks Again.

[Lenny]

Thanks Guys

I'll give some of the suggestions a try.

Thanks Again.

Any luck in solving the problem with the Tank?

Edited September 22, 2011 by Lenny

[swozza]

Thanks Guys

I'll give some of the suggestions a try.

Thanks Again.

Haven't had the chance yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do.

[swozza]

Haven't had the chance yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do.

Hold on first name with smiley..........You guys were taking the p$ss wasn't you!!!!

[Lenny]

Hold on first name with smiley..........You guys were taking the p$ss wasn't you!!!!

NO were 100% mate everything in this thread is 100% true i wouldn’t miss lead anyone, that’s horrible thing to do particularly on a forum,

the water in the tank can contain harmful bacteria and the solution I recommended should fix the problem,

everything is 100% true

except for my assumptions on the workings of the sensor in the bottle which i may be wrong about on this model, as I can’t see the car or the bottle so I assume that’s the way they operate, so my intentions on the matter are 100% to the best of my knowledge.

sorry i didn’t pay too much attention to the way my previous post looked,

if you search my content you will see i post smiley’s on the end of allot of my posts,

sorry about that mate, and genuinely interested in your progress with this issue. As if my recommendations to you work then i will know it solves the issue and i can recommend the same solution to others if the problem arises.

Vinegar is proven to dissolve lime scale, and the mix of it with washer fluid will take the sting smell out of the vinegar and also flush out the system, I also recommended NOT to use anything as hard as a dishwasher tablet so I’m not making fun mate I’m 100%

No offence taken neither mate, it’s the way I’ve wrote the post my own fault. (No Smiley)

I’ve also edited the post to reflect this matter

[swozza]

No worries mate, no harm done and if it was a p$ss take, I would have congratulated you. I don't take anything too seriously. I'll let you know the outcome :D