windhield washers (f&r) quit working.

[hawkman]

yeah, i searched the forum first... didnt see any similar issue...

well, it's been damn cold here in Colorado this past week... and while heading to the hills to go ski the windsheild washers, both front and rear, quit working. While initally i thought the -20 fluid had just froze, a strange course of events occured.

when i shut off the vehicle, and returned i tested the washers and they worked fine.

i drive about 5 minutes, they quit.

park and return they work- drive a bit and they quit..

this is a fun game and all... but, i'd really rather just have them work.
anyone know how the pump is actuated? i presume it's just an electric pump.

anyone else experience this before?

i cant wait to take it to the dealer to get their reply..
TECH: well, they are working just fine...'
ME: drive it around and they quit
TECH: they are just frozen
ME: but when you park it and there's no temperature change, they work.

.....and around and around we go!

 

[nevada]

yeah, i searched the forum first... didnt see any similar issue...

well, it's been damn cold here in Colorado this past week... and while heading to the hills to go ski the windsheild washers, both front and rear, quit working. While initally i thought the -20 fluid had just froze, a strange course of events occured.

when i shut off the vehicle, and returned i tested the washers and they worked fine.

i drive about 5 minutes, they quit.

park and return they work- drive a bit and they quit..

this is a fun game and all... but, i'd really rather just have them work.
anyone know how the pump is actuated? i presume it's just an electric pump.

anyone else experience this before?

i cant wait to take it to the dealer to get their reply..
TECH: well, they are working just fine...'
ME: drive it around and they quit
TECH: they are just frozen
ME: but when you park it and there's no temperature change, they work.

.....and around and around we go!

it does sound as if it may be freezing. they'll get a heat soak from sitting.
the wind chill it gets from driving may be just enough to freeze it.

you could try adding some more winter washing fluid, perhaps the stuff in there now is a bit diluted?

 

[buchaja]

it does sound as if it may be freezing. they'll get a heat soak from sitting.
the wind chill it gets from driving may be just enough to freeze it.

you could try adding some more winter washing fluid, perhaps the stuff in there now is a bit diluted?

Exactly what I am thinking.

 

[philsey]

Edited to make sense: You should be able to hear the pump(s) trying to work if they're frozen.

Perhaps they share a common ground?

As [MENTION=84120]nevada[/MENTION] said they share the same bottle, so that's probably it. Put some hot water in it, and drain it. Then get some good AF in it.

 

[nevada]

You should be able to hear the pump trying to work if they're frozen. It is odd they both fail together though, as I'm certain they are separate. I had the rear pump fail, and the fronts worked fine.

Perhaps they share a common ground?

not sure on the 5th gen, but I just verified on mine, they share the same bottle. also, its very exposed to the air, the bottle mounts outside the engine compartment, so it wont be getting a lot of the heat from the engine.

 

[Intruder]

I drive in -30C (-40C wind chill) temps regularly during the winter and have never had the washers freeze. Wind chill shouldn't factor as the ambient air temperature remains the same. Unless your temps are a lot lower than -30C or you're running a "summer" washer fluid, freezing probably isn't the problem. I'd be more inclined to check for a faulty fuse, loose wire, or something along those lines.

 

[1engineer]

I would normally agree with others but I had this exact situation occur with my daughter's CR-V a few weeks ago. She was heading here from school in NC and called from the road saying her washers quit working. She had said they had worked fine before she left. When she got home I went outside and checked them although I had waited about 30 minutes before doing so. Needless to say they worked. I checked her washing fluid and it had some conglomeration mix in there. I drained it and put in proper winter fluid. The only thing I could think of was the tank had turned to slush on the way home (warmer to cold) and when it stopped and sat for awhile the ambient temp from the engine had heated it enough to thaw.