Window washer and front bumper

[Solarboy]

Oh boy. My 95 GA washer ain't squirtin, and so I'm looking for it...and as near as I can see, I've got to take off a lot of panels and trim and the front bumper cowling thingy...is this true? It's under the batter case, behind the side of the plastic bumper/cowling thing, and behind the plastic fender liners? Yuck!
Ok...maybe I'm making a big deal out of it. But if I have to take off the plastic nose bumper thing, how do I disconnect it from the fenders? 4? 6 bolts? get at them from underneath? Washers sure would be nice in salty wisconsin this time of year!
Thanks...glad I found this website.

[martopg]

Yup it's under the battery tray, real pita to get to. The 'neck' should stick out next to the battery. Before you go dismantling your car, check the obvious... A) make sure you have fluid (had to say it lol) and B) follow the washer tube/line from the wipers down the side of the engine bay, towards the washer bottle to make sure it's not torn. Mine just tore a few days ago, and I haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.

[Solarboy]

thanks for the come-back...The fluid is ok, fuse ok, the line is ok (what I can see of it before it dissappears into the abyss) I took the battery out, and it doesn't seem that there is space under the tray for the bottle...Looks like tray support structure is what I'll find under the tray, and not access to the bottle. Doesn't look too tough to take out, so I'll do that, just to see. This car appears to have been in a small accident...signs of wrinkled plastic and broken cover panels right around the bottle area.

[Solarboy]

Well...the washer bottle/pump is not accessable through the battery holder....someone must have had to deal with this before...I've searched the web, nothing...my Haynes manual doesn't cover it (figures) Any suggestions? It's a 95 Grand Am.
Thanks!

[antirice]

I would assume its accessable through the wheel well, just undo the plastic retainer clips

[Solarboy]

Ok...on a 95 GA w/2.3L quad. You take out the bottom cover panels and the wheelwell panel. Then you take out the air cleaner intake thing. It's the black plastic thing that's part of the intake. (what a twisted path that thing takes! How can it breathe?) Then you get to see the side of the washer bottle, with pump and connector. Connector is a standard pull off with a locking clip. Pump wiggles out of a rubber grommet, and all your washer fluid runs down your arm. Which on mine today, was about 7 degrees. Pump works when I put juice to it, can't measure any juice at the connector. I'm sure there is some wiring diagram somewhere on the planet that shows a convenient place to check this without bloodshed, unlike the method I used. The saga continues...

[Solarboy]

My haynes book, and ALLDATA talk about a "convenience connector" where you can check voltage to see if the wire or switch is bad. Of course, none of the diagrams look anything like anything I have in my car. This information is apparently, like Cheney...at an "undisclosed location". I'm not giving up yet, and doing a work-around, but it's getting closer...

[fuel4thesoul]

honestly i had to replace the pump on mine...i just took off the drivers-side tire...unscrewed the inner wheel well...(the black plastic stuff) (lol sorry just trying to make sure) and u could reach the bottle and pump...the pump actually just snaps into the bottle.

[Solarboy]

I turned the tire, took out enough of the wheel liner fasteners to push it back...then there is a black hollow section of the air intake...about "2 quart" size...one bolt, and it wiggles loose from the snorkel above and the intake underneath. Then the bottle and pump were right there. The pump is fine, but no juice to it. Trying to find the "convenience connector" where you can supposedly check voltage from the switch, or continuity to the pump...and I can't find anything that looks like the diagrams or pics I have. Anyone got a shop manual specific to this car/engine? The haynes covers 5 models, over 10 years,,,and of course, my exact configuration isn't included. I have a hunch of which connector it is, but it's kinda nasty to get at, and I'd like to be sure. Especially when it's 0 degrees here today!

[fuel4thesoul]

get a test light and then just keep following the wire and stabbing it to see if u got juice....remember though u need 2 people b/c one has to hold in the lever to get the power to the pump....this is what i forgot..then thought about it and got a friend to help me and it turned out to be the pump.

[Solarboy]

The pump is fine...put 12v to it, it runs good. The first connector where you can test the wire at is at the wiper motor body, but is a pain to get out because of other things in the way...like the wiring harness. I'm going to check for continuity between there and the connector at the pump...I'll be back.

[SMITHDD]

Could it be a fuse or a faulty relay? You may be able to jump the relay to see if you can get power to them pump.

[Solarboy]

Ok...here is the scoop. The wiring from the control for the wipers/washers goes into an electronic assembly that is part of the wiper motor. The timer for the washer is in that assembly, and the switch that sends juice to the washer pump is in there, too. I have a switched signal to the wiper motor assembly from the wiper/washer control in the car, but no juice out of the wiper motor assembly. This assembly is a pain to remove, because lots of wiring harness and other fun things are covering it up. I think it's the first part down the assembly line, and the rest of the car is built around it...
So I faked it. I hooked up the washer pump to the fog lights. I drive with my lights on, and if I need to wash my windshield, I flick on the fog lights for a moment. Crude, but it works for now. I'll tackle the real problem when I have time.