Try to ascertain if the pump itself is working too. If not used for a long time the 'bellows' (balloon thing ) inside the pump can often perish and stop working.do make sure there is a non return valve somewhere on the pipe as otherwise the fluid will not draw up the tubes.to get the pump out you have to remove the glove box liner as suggested, and there will be a bezel on the dash side that acts as a nut that holds the pump to the dash. You will have to hold the bezel and turn the pump, or hold the pump and turn the bezel, to free the pump to remove it for inspection or testing. HUmm, I have managed to get all the bits out, but now I'm just confused, I don't think there are enough bits somehow! Apologies for resurrecting this thread.
I have a manual washer pump which I tried to get working today. Squeezing the bottle gently got powerful streams of fluid out of each jet. I then pumped from inside the car and it operated brilliantly.
An hour later though, nothing - as if it had lost its prime. I have a new valve fitted on end of pipe in the washer bottle. There are no leaks either.Maybe I didn't prime it properly, i.e. Should I get someone to squeeze bottle at same time as someone operates the pump? Or should I be doing something else?
I could convert to an electric pump but I like the originality of the manual pump so keen to keep it.Thanks. To me, it sounds as though the windscreen washer has gone past it's ' sell by date ' and the internal diaphragm has perished.If it is original to the car then the outcome is not unsurprising!The clues are a good strong flow of water from the washer bottle when under pressure but an hour later nothing i.e. The water in the pipes has drained back through a porous diaphragm.Time to purchase a new pump from somebody like ESM ( circa £15 /20 from memory ).Manual or conversion to Electric?
All a matter of personal preference. Your car / your decision.Bob. So symptoms repeated today.
First strokes on the manual pump powerful water jets. 20 mins later took 3-4 pumps to get going again; an hour later = nothing.Coincidentally the front windscreen washer on my C4 daily driver decided to stop working (faulty pump) and the air push button on the downstairs toilet also broke through plastic fatigue. Sorted the toilet with a couple of strategically placed pins and ordered replacement Citroen washer pump.I then took the Minor's washer pump off the car and tested using some spare tubing from the faulty toilet.
Windscreen Washer Fluid
One problem at least was immediately obvious. Water was getting past the diaphragm and surrounding the push button itsef so glad I've removed it.
Windscreen Washer Pump
Cold StartingWhen starting your engine from cold on cars with manual transmission you should have your foot ‘OFF’ the clutch pedal and the transmission in neutral. When you depress the clutch pedal you place a very direct force on the crankshaft thrust washers and with no oil pressure in the cold engine more wear will take place than needed of the thrust washers.The wear will not be so great on an engine that has recently been operating and has all the parts well coated with oil.
Windscreen Washer Fluid
However its always a good idea to get into the habit of starting the engine with the gear lever in neutral and your left foot off the clutch. Speedo CablesIf a little grease is good, more grease is better- right? Well it ain’t necessarily so!The owner of a MGB decided to lubricate his new speedo cable, something which isn’t really necessary but after a period of time he noticed that the speedo needle would slowly move to the proper speed but would not return to zero when the car stopped.Finally the speedo was removed from the car where on examination it could be seen that the rotation of the cable had forced the grease through the drive gears and into the magnetic cup. This completely fouled the unit.It took quite a bit of cleaning with a spirit degreaser to remove all the grease plus removing the inner drive cable to try to remove the excessive grease, after which the speedo was soon returned to normal working.A new speedo cable should not require any additional grease however if you do decide to add grease a little bit will not hurt – but please not to much! Also remember that a cable driven speedo rarely fails and if the needle is wavering to any degree it is almost always that you will find the inner cable dry, the cable possibly kinked, the outer casing has been crushed somewhere or it is making too tight a curve.