Started my car the other day and heard a sound "kinda like a supercharger". popped the hood and it was coming from the washer fluid area. Come to find out, the washer fluid just decided to randomly turn on and that noise was the sound of the motor dry pumping the washer fluid. I just hit the washer fluid button and it stopped. Today it happened again.


I have seen posts about this.. What is the cure for this? New motor?
This has to have happened to others on here.

 

The motor isnt the issue,,,its the button! Why dont you have fluid in the tank?

Its a shame to have to replace the whole column switch for a stinking button.

BC

 

I dont have fluid in the tank because it turned on and shot it all out!

I did a search and someone else posted this happening to them as well. Just wondering if there was any further insight on this.

 

I've had this happen. The button at the end of the column that activates the wiper fluid is a single piece of plastic with some features molded on the inside/underside: 1) two plastic "blades" that separate the contacts of two leaf switches, 2) two posts onto which two springs fit that keep the button up, and 3) two thin posts with "barbs" facing outwards, designed to flex when the button is first inserted, then snap it into place.

Somehow after five years of age and summer heat (I drive my '02 to work half the time), the posts I mention in #3 above have lost their "springiness" and are now permanantly bent inwards somewhat, so their little "barbs" no longer hook reliably into the sides of hole in the column. The button would come out part way and if I happened to bump it, the wiper fluid would start flowing, and flow until I could get the button re-seated. I went through a jug of fluid after such mishaps.

You can pop the button out -- I used a toothpick so as to not mar the plastic... but be careful not to lose the little springs, as the button can go flying & shoot the springs out with it.

In fact, my button is still out as I speak. I keep the fluid from flowing with two little pieces of cardboard inserted into both leaf switches. Both switches need to make contact before the wiper fluid pump activates, so when my windshield's dirty, I carefully pull one, then the other.

As for what to do with the button, I still don't know. I tried wedging something between the posts to force them outward, but they still want to cant inwards. I thought about heating them up & bending them, or making cuts to the inside or outside of the little posts to encourage them to bend outwards. I've even considered a "U" of spring steel (like piano wire) sunk into the plastic pressing outwards on the posts. The "U" would be necessary because anything wedged between the posts would block, say, the "blades" I mention in #1 above.

If I ever get time to mess with that and figure out a decent solution, I'll post it. In the meantime I have no button and my passengers have asked what the little white pieces of "paper" in the switches are for. Heh.