alxltd1

Well I had read a number of windshield wiper motor threads and the general recommendation was to make sure the drain udders on the driver’s side under the cowl were not clogged. Always made a mental note to check mine but never seemed to get around to it and not having a wiper problem it never became a priority either. Today I just happen to be cleaning leaves out of the cowl area and by chance decided to at least check them out. Wow, both were solidly clogged and filled with water. Thanks goodness the water had not yet backed up to the level of the cowl and the wiper motor. So the moral of the story is don’t put it off and make it a regular routine maintenance item. It is easy to do and could save you not only some money but the aggravation of dealing with non working wipers or ones that won’t shut off. Just a thought.

johnson-rod

Don't forget the passenger side. You have to pull the battery.

Bill Curlee

And DO NOT pull the passengers side OUT. Just disconnect it and use a garden Hose to FORCE the crap out. The tube is like 20 feet long and a bitch to get it back in right!





Ive seen one of these on a late night horror show where it comes out of the dark and eats things!!!

alxltd1

Thanks guys. I will be pulling the battery this weekend to put an acid absorbing mat under the battery just as a safeguard, and was going to clean out that udder as well. I did not realize it was extended like that so thanks for the tip. And yeah I have killed things that look like that in by yard here in Florida.

The Big Guy

You can also get to the passenger side udder by removing the right front wheel and the plate at the rear of the wheel well. It's your call.

The Big Guy

Further, by adding the acid mat you will not eliminate the problem as the acid flows down the battery cable to the computer located below. You will not see the damage until it is all over. Use a gel battery like a Optima and you eliminate the problem completely.

Mickeyrx70

THANKS!!! I read this post and quit watching a boring football game, went out to the garage and cleaned the driver side udders. They were FILTHY! Tomorrow I'll flush the passenger's side like Bill Curlee recommends. I really appreciate the timely advice.

jcorina

Just wondering...you said "both", but I have 3 of them (C5). In my case it was the (driver's side) one further back that was clogged. Wow, talk about nasty! Beyond description what fills those udders.

Bill Curlee

YES,,, there are THREE udders on the drivers side. Just a reminder, you can easily POP them in and out.

You can see the tip2 of front two in this picture:




Here is what came out of mine and it STINKS!




This shot shows you how far back the third one is:



BC

v8srfun

When I cleaned mine there were peanuts in them

huesmann

Do you live near a circus?

v8srfun

Lol. I cleaned them shortly after I purchased the car I don't k ow how they got there

foamypirate

Great info! I was unaware of the 3rd udder on the driver side, and completely oblivious to the one on the passenger side as well. Guess I know what I'm doing when I get home tonight.

work_truck

My FRC flooded the day after I brought it home, found a nest in the cowl and all of the udders with FILLED

so never underestimate what can get stuck in there!

mwestc5

Found water on driver side after rain. Thought it had to have some thing to do with rain drains. Had similar issues with other cars I've owned. Had no clue where these are on my c5. Searched all over with no success. Thanks to everyone on this forum I found out where to look. Found the so called rain utters including the passenger side. The drivers side were all completely clogged up with what looked like damp mud. These had to be the cause of the water on the driver side floor. I was going to check passenger side but could not find my 8mm wrench to detach battery cables. My 8mm socket was too big to get into the space. Instead I removed the battery hold down and was able to move the battery aside enough to get my hand in there to remove this udder. It had some mud in there too but nowhere near the amount in all 3 driver side utters. Looking forward to a dry driver side carpet next time it rains.
Thanks to everyone.

RagTopLovr

Cleaned the cowl drain udders today, thanks to all the excellent posts on the forum

When I started to put them back I stuck my finger up into the cowl area thru thru the opening, seems to be a lot of junk in the cavity that needs to be flushed out befoare putting the drain hoses back or else they are going to star s filling with the leaves & trash that is in the cavity.

I’m going to try flushing it out with the garden hose before I put the drains back on.

Could I be exposing the wiper motor or anything else to damage by doing this with noa drain hose in place.
Ragtoplovr

UM Rebel

runner140*

Did my snip a few years ago...was a good idea here in South Florida.

Bill Curlee

I would pop the udders off and ALSO pull the cowl cover off and inspect the drain well. If there's lots of CRUD, pull it out or flush it through the udderless holes in the floor of the well. You must get the CRUD out for the udders to drain properly.

I keep the udders OEM and just check them often.

BC

69_Shark