19eighty4_z28

Is there a way to “prime” the windshield washer pump? I replaced all hoses and tank. Will not spray. Advice appreciated

1989karr

Usually the washer bottle mounted one starts pumping pretty quickly.

The wiper mounted pumps however sometimes seem to need a prime / they can;t suck very well if they get air in the system.... for either though, I just suck on the hose as far up / closest ot the squirters I can access the line at.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Those pumps are notoriously crappy. Very eeeeeezzzzzy however, to install a cheeeep universal one right by the bottle, and union the lines together at the factory pump to bypass it. Extend the wires that run the factory one to the new one. You'll be amazed at how much better it works than the factory stuuuupidity EVER did.

19eighty4_z28

do you, or anybody, have a picture of that? Appreciate it

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Not offhand.

Picture it in your mind. The washer bottle is ... somewhere, near a fender well, the lip of a fender, something metal in any case. The closer the metal thing is, the better; and the lower down it is, so that the new pump doesn't have to lift the fluid as high before pressurizing it (one of tgheg weeeeeeknesses of the factory crappy thing), the better. Yerbasic generic universal washer pump is what, an inch and a half diameter and 2 inches tall or some such, and has a bracket with a hole in it for a screw. You scope out the perfect place to mount the new pump. You drill a hole in the metal thing you identified at the place you chose, place a screw through the hole in the bracket and into the hole you drilled, and rotate the screw clockwise. You remove the fluid line from the bottle and attach it to the new pump output. You run a new short piece of line from the pump inlet to the washer bottle. You move up to the stock washer pump and identify the outlet lines (to the squirters) and the inlet line from the bottle. You plug the 3 lines into a little plastic T fitting.

I think it took me longer to type that than it does to do it.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Didn't the older systems have a check valve in-line close to the washer pump on firewall? Helped keep fluid close to pump

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

I don't recall mine having that. Could be wrong though. Might help w drainback and avoid requiring the pump to re-prime every time though.

Aaron R.

Both my 1985 and 1987 had one-way valves close to the wiper motor. They looked original.

1989karr

My 87 has it... very close to the pump. but if the car sits for years at a time like mine does sometimes it loses the prime and wont work right when you need it to pass your safety check!




I had to suck on the line in the guys shop so id pass

19eighty4_z28

Thanks to all for the inputs. It’s probably a combo of air in the lines plus a 40 year old pump. Gonna try Sofa’s idea…I hope I “wash” the problem away

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I'm guessing it's been 30 yrs at least, maybe 35, since I got sick of the stuuuuupid 60s spot-spoot-spoot factory crap and ditched it... memory gets foggy on minor details like that over so much time