Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

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B3DAWG
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Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by B3DAWG » Sun Jun 24, 2018 4:47 pm

Hello my Outpost outlaws! Went to refill my washer reservoir and ... yep, she pissed herself all over the driveway. She poured out fast too. :o

So either I have a cracked reservoir or busted rubber line somewhere. Any guesses? Your help is appreciated. ;)

This is definitely not top priority because I rarely would even use it, but would be nice to have it working order when my wife, who is anal about a clear window, is riding along and can't stand all the bug guts smeared on the windshield. :)
porschepissed.jpg

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by 5chn3ll » Sun Jun 24, 2018 4:58 pm

Bummer. There are several hoses and fittings, more if you have the center radiator. Without knowing exactly where it’s leaking from, it’s anyone's guess.

Hopefully, the cheapest and most readily available. ;)

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by B3DAWG » Sun Jun 24, 2018 5:08 pm

5chn3ll wrote: Sun Jun 24, 2018 4:58 pm Bummer. There are several hoses and fittings, more if you have the center radiator. Without knowing exactly where it’s leaking from, it’s anyone's guess.

Hopefully, the cheapest and most readily available. ;)
Thanks Schnelly, but this is not associated with coolant lines or rads, but instead, the headlight/windshield washer system.
I went to refill the reservoir and boom... it spilled everywhere. ouch!


I'm assuming there is one reservoir and two pumps - one for the windshield and one for the headlights. More than likely, there is a large crack or disconnected hose someplace. I don't know.

Does anyone know how much the reservoir holds? Maybe I over filled it?

Help!

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by sweet victory » Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:20 pm

I had this issue about month after I purchased my car. I found that the pumps for the sprayer had gone to shit. I rebuilt mine myself instead of purchasing new ones, so it only costed me some time. You have to remove the reservoir to access them as they're attached directly to the tank. The reservoir tucked away the driver side right behind the front wheel. You'll have to remove the front fender liner to access it. Very easy to figure out how it comes out. A lot easier than the coolant expansion tank reservoir...

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by B3DAWG » Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:29 pm

sweet victory wrote: Sun Jun 24, 2018 8:20 pm I had this issue about month after I purchased my car. I found that the pumps for the sprayer had gone to shit. I rebuilt mine myself instead of purchasing new ones, so it only costed me some time. You have to remove the reservoir to access them as they're attached directly to the tank. The reservoir tucked away the driver side right behind the front wheel. You'll have to remove the front fender liner to access it. Very easy to figure out how it comes out. A lot easier than the coolant expansion tank reservoir...
Thanks man! I appreciate your advice. :D

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by B3DAWG » Mon Jun 25, 2018 5:29 am

Happy to report I found the problem. After removing both headlights and tracing the washer lines back to the reservoir and then to the windshield nozzles, I located the source of the problem. Fortunately, it wasn't a cracked tank or malfunctioning pump, but rather, a disconnected hose. Whooosh! :) I'm counting my blessings on this one because of my recent repairs have resulted in a lighter bank account.

Simply reconnected the hose and put a metal crimp to secure the hose (no shown) to the connector. Obviously, it detached because of the water pressure and then drained out due to the lack of vacuum to hold the fluid in the tank. Fortunately, the disconnected hose was laying next to the drain near the battery.
washerfix.jpg
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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by 32wildbilly » Mon Jun 25, 2018 5:39 am

Very nice when the "fix" is a simple one. Surprised it hadn't been previously reattached with some space age adhesive!
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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by gnat » Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:25 am

b3freak wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 5:29 am Happy to report I found the problem. After removing both headlights and tracing the washer lines back to the reservoir and then to the windshield nozzles, I located the source of the problem. Fortunately, it wasn't a cracked tank or malfunctioning pump, but rather, a disconnected hose. Whooosh! :) I'm counting my blessings on this one because of my recent repairs have resulted in a lighter bank account.
I was sooooo betting on the Glue Group being at it again and specifically related to that mess of a headlight washer you just cleaned up :lol:

Glad it was an easy one. Looks like the fitting is cracked a bit though. Probably worth adding to the list to replace it at some point.
Fortunately, the disconnected hose was laying next to the drain near the battery.
If you haven't already, rinse that area out good with a hose. The washer fluid will leave a residue that will crystallize and get all funky.

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by B3DAWG » Mon Jun 25, 2018 9:03 am

gnat wrote: Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:25 am
Glad it was an easy one. Looks like the fitting is cracked a bit though. Probably worth adding to the list to replace it at some point.
Yea, that's probably the main reason it didn't hold under pressure. I put a metal crimp on it and hopefully that will hold tight for now. ;) Thanks!

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Re: Help! My car pissed itself! Any idea where the headlight/windshield washer reservoir is located?

Post by 5chn3ll » Mon Jun 25, 2018 5:28 pm

Oh, nice. The amount of spilled fluid made me assume coolant. That's a f*****g WIN.

Understeer: You will hit the wall with the front end.
Oversteer: You will hit the wall with the rear end.
Horsepower: How hard you will hit the wall.
Torque: How far you will move the wall.

Gone hunting with Alec Baldwin and Dick Cheney. Back soon.

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