no more rear wiper fluid...'97 Impreza Wagon

[bb2003]

HUH?!?

About a year ago the rear wiper fluid stopped working on my 97 Wagon...I can here the pump whining, like it's trying to shoot out some juice, but nothing comes out...front works fine...any ideas folks?

 

[T]

disconnect the hose from the nozzle, see if juice comes out the hose with pump running, the nozzle might be clogged with gunk

-T

 

[DS]

I don't know about the Impreza, so I'm sorry if this is a dumb response, but on my Legacy Wagon the washer fluid tank for the rear window is seperate from the front window washer and is located in the trunk space behind an access panel. I always forget to fill it back there.

 

[Dan Duncan]

HUH?!?
About a year ago the rear wiper fluid stopped working on my 97 Wagon...I can here the pump whining, like it's trying to shoot out some juice, but nothing comes out...front works fine...any ideas folks?

Probably not applicable, but...

The front and rear sprayers on my Forester use the same reservoir but the pickup tube for the rear must be higher than the front because when I get low on fluid the rear does exactly what you describe and the front still works fine. I suspect this is intentional because having front fluid is probably more important than rear. You probably aren't just low on fluid since this has been going on for a while, but could your pickup tube be clogged?

-DanD

 

[D H]

HUH?!?

About a year ago the rear wiper fluid stopped working on my 97 Wagon...I can here the pump whining, like it's trying to shoot out some juice, but nothing comes out...front works fine...any ideas folks?

Awfully simple suggestion here, but it might work. Both mine and my wife's Forester's have had the rear stop working just as you said, but all it took was cleaning the nozzle exterior with some water and a rag. It is easy for grit or dirt to clog just the outside of the holes, and usually it come out simply with some washing. Maybe you wash your car as seldom as I do? or maybe you don't usually do it by hand? The scrubbing action is more likely to help than just running through a car wash. Hope it is this simple for you. Be sure to run the pump long enough to get fluid back there if it has been allowed to go dry.

 

[BoB (archive)]

Awfully simple suggestion here, but it might work. Both mine and my wife's Forester's have had the rear stop working just as you said, but all it took was cleaning the nozzle exterior with some water and a rag. It is easy for grit or dirt to clog just the outside of the holes, and usually it come out simply with some washing. Maybe you wash your car as seldom as I do? or maybe you don't usually do it by hand? The scrubbing action is more likely to help than just running through a car wash. Hope it is this simple for you. Be sure to run the pump long enough to get fluid back there if it has been allowed to go dry.

Thanks DH and Dan. Since mine is an '02 Forester, and the dealer is nice about fixing little things free, if it turns out that there is a third cause, I'll pass it on. I suspect pinched tubing as it looks that way when I peeked into the mounting area after removing a cover.

I can also vouch for your wind noise fix from that old thread.

BoB

 

[bb2003]

Well, I don't think I'll be hand washing the car until the temps manage to at least get above freezing!

But i will give this (and all suggestions so far) a try! Thanks gang...my first stop to the forum, but I'll definitely be back!

Mike
'97 Impreza Wagon (a green one)

 

[zulu]

Well, I don't think I'll be hand washing the car until the temps manage to at least get above freezing!

But i will give this (and all suggestions so far) a try! Thanks gang...my first stop to the forum, but I'll definitely be back!

Another possibility (from personal experience on similar model):

Check the wiring harness to the washer pump. It is routed through a boot grommit, from roof to hatchback, near the passenger side hatch hinge. On my vehicle, those wires were pinched, and two were severed. A wire splice fixed it, but wrestling with the grommit was a challenge.

 

[Shamus in CO]

Another possibility (from personal experience on similar model):

Check the wiring harness to the washer pump. It is routed through a boot grommit, from roof to hatchback, near the passenger side hatch hinge. On my vehicle, those wires were pinched, and two were severed. A wire splice fixed it, but wrestling with the grommit

was a challenge.

I had my hatch lock wiring do the same. When I opened up the harness I found the defroster wires about ready to go too!