Smax MK2 2015 Onwards Rear Washer Jet

[Nightowl1]

Hello

My Smax (2017) i.e  MK2 2015 Onwards Rear Washer Jet has stopped working, I have tried a thin price of bell wire to see if blocked at nozzle but it does not appear to be blocked.  I can hear the pump going so this implies a blockage somewhere else.  The front ones work fine.  Any ideas please ?.  Also I have removed the rear trim preace to try and get the rear high level brake light out which includes the washer jet but cannot figure out how to actually remove the light / washer assembly.  Looks like 2 black clips are holding it in ?.

 

Thank you for any help anyone can give.

[Meta55]

8 hours ago, Nightowl1 said:

Hello

My Smax (2017) i.e  MK2 2015 Onwards Rear Washer Jet has stopped working, I have tried a thin price of bell wire to see if blocked at nozzle but it does not appear to be blocked.  I can hear the pump going so this implies a blockage somewhere else.  The front ones work fine.  Any ideas please ?.  Also I have removed the rear trim preace to try and get the rear high level brake light out which includes the washer jet but cannot figure out how to actually remove the light / washer assembly.  Looks like 2 black clips are holding it in ?.

 

Thank you for any help anyone can give.

Before stripping anything. Find the pump first, it’s not uncommon for blockages to be at the pump. 

[Nightowl1]

Hi,. I managed to get the rear high level brake light out with ease by sliding a credit card along the outside top of brake light and that released the metal clips.  I then took pipe off nosel and tried washer, no water is coming out, I tried blowing and sucking pipe to no avail.  Which means blockage must be a pump.  The issue is I cannot get to pump.  It looks like the bumper has to come off just to get to the water container  where I expect pump is bolted too ?.  I tried flushing bottle with hose pipe also :(.  Thank you

[Nightowl1]

Hi, I accessed the pump via the wheel arch, water freely flows even without pumping if I take the front pipe of at pump, it does not for rear pipe but pumps fine when activated from pump, seems like some sort of valve inside pump that sorts that and as water is pumping easily out of pump nozzle to rear when activated from pump with hose off I am stuck.  I tried blowing and sucking with pipe off at both ends into bottle with rear pipe of at rear nozzle and pipe off at front pump out into small bottle with liquid in and could not suck up water or blow bubbles into it which implies a blockage in the actual pipe going from pump to rear nozzle ?, But that does not make sense, is their some type of valve in the pipe somewhere  does anyone know ?.  Thank you

[Nightowl1]

I have traced the pipe to a connector just before it goes through the bulkhead, pulled that connector off and tested, water is pumping fine at this stage.  Which means between the bulkhead and the rear nozzle their must be another connector or something as water is not reaching the pipe end at rear of car.  This is a 2017 Smax with less than 18k on clock, so seriously confused now.  Guess I have at least done so  basic toubleshooting that will save me money if I have to give it to Ford's I guess.

[iantt]

I'm sure there's a one way valve in the o/s/r of car high up by roof lining where the 2 pipes join. 

Worth locating and checking for water there. 

[unofix]

On some Ford models there is an anti-syphon valve fitted in the pipe to the rear washer jet just before the pipe goes from the main cabin through to the tailgate. It's not often that these cause a problem. More likely that the pipe has become twisted or crushed inside the rubber sleeve  between the body and tailgate.

[Nightowl1]

Thank you, their is no wet patches anywhere on the roof, so that's good I suppose.  2 Pipes Join ?, So it not one complete pipe between bulk head and nozzle ?.  I took the roof gasket seal off where pipe enters from body to boot, all looks fine, but hard to tell with rubber sleeve.  Such a new car and just suddenly stopped working.  I was thinking of trying to feed something through pipe from body to boot i.e where likely would crush but pipe is soft rubber, so I am too frightened I would simply end up putting a hole in it.

 

[Nightowl1]

I have checked the area where rubber grommet area is i.e boot reaches body and all is fine, no kinks etc.  I then traced the pipe back to a connector in the headlining drivers side just above seat belt mounting for the 7 seats, this appears to change piping from the normal rubber pipe to a shielded corrugated pipe I guess to stop kinks but if I was to try and pull pipe of to test if water I would end up soaking my headliner plus because I am not an expert and squeezzing my arm in headliner I have caused a crease in the headliner :(.  So really now I guess it have no option but to give to Ford's who will end up stripping back headliner ok a 3 year old 16k car :(.

 

I Believe it's a MOT failure for rear washer not working ?, So this has left me in a right pickle.

 

Thank you for everyone's input though, it's appreciated.

 

 

 

[iantt]

Rear washer not part of mot. 

[unofix]

Don't worry about the crease in the headliner I have done that many times when fitting dashcams and other stuff. After a week the crease will just fade away and the headliner will be fine. 

😀

[Nightowl1]

Thank you unofix and iantt.  Cannot believe I am going to have to cave in and hand it across to Ford's to await a nice bill for this.  Perhaps I will try and find a friendly Ford Mackanic who will advise how to get headliner above seat belt mount so I can test water at connection.  So surprised of such a issue.  The filter in the bottle was like new, well the car has only done 16k, do as expected I. guess

 

[unofix]

Hi Adrisn, have you done any work in the back of your car like fitting a dog guard or anything that could have disturbed the pipe in the roof lining?

You are going to have to pull apart the connector in the roof so that you can test it at that point. 

[Nightowl1]

Hi  unofix, no nothing, I am really crazy about my car, I e always park mile's away from other cars etc, no marks on car etc at all.  Not happy having to strip car down like this.  Even Ford was not aware you could take rear high light out by using a credit card between light and bodywork on the outside, so least that may be handy tip to someone.  Ford said they want £90 to diagnose where issue is and that's before charges for fixing.  I explained already done most of diagnosing and issue is somewhere between bulkhead entrance and nozzle but still got no reply as to how much to fix.  I was told to try and take C Pillar of, they believe their is a screw in it somewhere and then just pull on it hard to release to get to area can pull connector apart.  But frightened I will just break clips etc.  

 

[unofix]

Hi Adrian ( I see you changed your name 😉 ), if you put it in to a Ford dealership they will follow the Ford approved method to get to the pipe in the roof which is "Fully remove the headlining", while this is very nice it comes at a price - which you are going to be paying for.

The head lining in most Fords are held in place by plastic clips and sometimes plastic plugs which are pushed through the head lining. True you have to use a bit of force to pull the lining away from the roof and some clips might break, but for a few pounds you can replace all of the clips.

There is no way I would be putting my car in to any garage to get a fault like this fixed, even if it took me half a day and £20 in clips, I would at least know the job had been done right.

[Nightowl1]

Hi unofix, 

I return with good news.  I got to the connector by slowly prissing the headliner away at the edges until it released from behind the c panel and this gave me room to get arm in from back to release pipe, the water was coming out of pipe fine.  So I traced back up to boot area where in the boot about 1/2 foot away from nozzle is a one way valve wrapped in some kind of insulation.  I removed insulation and pulled pipe off, water was fine but on sticking back on the one way valve, no water was released.  So it was the one way valve.  I could not get one at 7pm so I put a normal join on for now and all is good.  I need a new nozzle also as now a strong stream of water comes out and not a spray.  That would be my fault as probably Pearced the nozzle.  So once I get a new nozzle and new one way valve.  All will be good.

 

Thank you everyone for your help.  Hopefully this will help others out also.

 

[unofix]

On 5/9/2021 at 4:43 PM, unofix said:

anti-syphon valve fitted in the pipe to the rear washer jet just before the pipe goes from the main cabin through to the tailgate

Hi, very pleased you have been able to sort it with out spending hundreds at the local dealer. The little valve can probably be fixed just by cleaning it out. The rear washer jet might be a problem 🙁 I'm not sure you can buy them seperate from the brake light unit. I hope you can, and I wish you luck.

[iantt]

Rear washer jet is part of the lamp.

Part number I believe is 1946274.

The one way valve consists of a ball and spring in the connector. Give it a poke around and try it blowing through it. 

 

 

[Nightowl1]

Hi Iantt

I believe I broke one way valve when I tried to stick a price of wire through it anyway, felt like rubber inside.  I did try blowing through it first to no avail.  Trying to find a suitable replacement on eBay etc, any idea if it's 4-5 mm or the 3-5mm one way valves I should be looking for ?, I see a Ford one advertised at £11.  Seems I was an idiot putting wire in the nozzle as as attempt to unblock it, now it's going to cost me a new lamp, unless I can get just the nozzle from a scrappy or something.  Lessons learnt I guess.  You can get the nozzle out the lamp easy enough, it's held in by a spring clip and now I figured out how to extract the lamp holder from the outside using a credit card, no more having to pull the trim of and brake the white clips while doing so :).

 

[Nightowl1]

Update.

 

Ford don't sell the one way valve separately, you have to buy it with the wiring loom I am being told from Ford's.  So will just need to use a Halfords one way valve or something.  The washer jet also is not sold separately and no scrappy wants to sell it either as part of brake light.  So ordered from Ford's with Ford Privilege Discount at just under £40.  Not cheap but little else I can do.  Cannot believe that one way valve is sold as part of wiring loom, how crazy is that LOL.

[unofix]

Hi Adrian, well at least now you have the new light on order and a 'screen wash non return valve' can be bought from Amazon/eBay/Halfords for £2 so in the end a good result.

[Nightowl1]

Hi, Bought a one way valve for £1.70 from Halfords, works fine.  Can anyone confirm the rear washer is supposed to be a mist and not just a stream of water on these please as wife is saying not 100% it was every a wide angled mist and not just a single stream it is now and hence verification needed before I pay for something I don't need.  Thank you

[unofix]

It is a kind of a spray rather than a mist. it's not like the front jets. If it gets the back window wet then I would maybe just leave things alone.

[Nightowl1]

Thank you unofix,

 

Mines now like a single fast stream of water that ends of mostly on the floor due to how much water is pushed out and the force.  Guessing something was inside that I broke through with the wire.  But as you say, it does hit the screen and I could make do to save £40 if need be.  :).  Now I need to get on the Ford Mondeo Forum for my next issue :).