Windshield washer pump repair.
Hi everybody,
Last week, my front windshield washer pump went out on me. A bit of a hassle but not too bad I guess, considering it's the first time in 101,000 miles !
Anyway, I come to the EOC site, do a little searching, and find what I need to know before I attempt the DIY. First off, there are many threads regarding this topic, some a little more accurate than others. After reading a few threads and checking out some front bumper removal pics, I decided I would do it myself.
I just did the job today, it took maybe an hour at the longest. And I didn't break a single snap fastener either !
I read one or two posts saying you don't have to remove the front bumper, but that you can get to the pump by loosening the wheel well lining. I'm 5'7", 170 lbs. and have small hands and I couldn't get to it that way. Really, I can't see, after doing the repair, how ANYBODY could replace the pump that way. So, I took the front bumper off.
If you're looking to do the removal of the bumper, run a search and pull up the fog light installation pictures, there's a real good illustration of the process there. There are at least 10 or more snap fasteners you have to remove, and 6 screws. 4 screws are under the car, and 1 in each wheel well. I think you'll need a 10mm and a 6mm socket, I can't remember for sure of the size.
As far as removing the snap fasteners goes, my best advice is to take your time ! Use a small flat screwdriver to pop the middle up, then work the whole thing back and forth until it comes free. These things are known to break kinda easily, and they're not too cheap, about $3.00 a piece ! They don't work too well broken either.
Now, here's the best inside tip I think I can give ya if you're gonna do this repair. You really DON'T have to take the bumper completely OFF the car. I almost did this when I realized that, UNDER the car, there are 4 snap fasteners that actually HINGE the the bumper to the frame so that the bumper swings down ! I was able to work around it, and the bumper didn't get in my way during the job. I just put a piece of cardboard on the driveway to protect the bumpers' surface. I think it also made it easier for me to get everything to line up again when I was finished. I could see this as being pretty handy if you had the car up on a lift working on the radiator or condensor. I don't know if Honda designed this on purpose or not.
Once I had the front off, the repair was super easy. Drain the washer tank, literally pull out the old pump ( it's just a press fit ! ) press in the new one with the new gasket, and connect the water hose and wiring harness. That's it ! When I went to test it, at first I wasn't getting anything out of the nozzles, there must have been a big air gap in the line. After a while, I had washer fluid spraying !
A few more things. You might want to replace BOTH pumps while you got the front off, the rear washer pump is located BEHIND the washer tank. You'll have to remove the washer tank from the frame to get to it. I probably should have done this but, oh well ! I decided NOT to buy the Honda pump, my dealer wanted $78.00 for one ! I bought one from a local parts store for $25.00 ! The only difference I can SEE on the pump I bought, is that it doesn't have the locking clip for the wiring harness to lock on to. I also see I should invest in a grill screen for my condensor !
Just by chance, if you need to replace your horn, it's located on the drivers side in almost the same position as the washer tank. You'll have to take off the bumper to get to IT too !
I hope this post might be of help to someone who's thinking of doing this themselves and saving some cash. My advice, read a few posts from other members, get to know a little bit of what you're going to attempt, and just jump in. I have a few pictures of the job (always helpful ), I'll try to post them as soon as I crop them down to size.
See ya !