I've got a (new to me) 2001 XJ8. Windshield washer worked, but shortly after we got it, it seemed that something wasn't right. Spray worked on on some ports and dribbled in others. Wife had it on the road last week and it wouldn't work at all. I just finished washing and detailing and pulled the hose at the cowling. I put a compressor on the line to the wiper and it's clean (i saw mist at all four points). I tried the pump again to see what I had at the nipple and all I got was some residual goo that dribbled out. I can hear the motor running but it doesn't want to push the gunk out. I imagine its some kind of residue that formed in the tank and has gotten pulled into the pump - figure if I can get to the pump I can disconnect the hoses blow them out and clear the system. Any other ideas I'm all ears.

 

Never mind. I'd traced the feed line from the reservoir to the firewall (hose turned from black to red) and a visual down through the cowling didn't look promising. After checking out what the pump looked like, it wasn't hard to find the pump under the top cover plate. I suppose the hoses all attach behind the "Trico" cover plate, but it didn't look like much fun to pull so I just pulled the hose on the cowling used a syringe to back flush and started running the pump. It took about 5 minutes of on and off again attemps and back flushing, but the primordial ooze that had formed in the line eventually made it through. Any ideas on what I might be able to add to the reservoir to help dissolve and clear out would be appreciated.

 

Lots of fresh clean water, and a very dilute screen wash. Use regularly to stop build up.

check it isn't jellified sludge in the rez too, if so empty it, don't run it through the lines.

Screen wash is highly alkali and rots the front scuttle on these cars, I have pictures!

 

From over here across the pond, what exactly is a "scuttle"? I finally got the bonnet and boot part figured out, but am still learning. No wonder we had to declare our independence - couldn't understand the language!

 

Scuttle=Firewall

My screen wash tank and pump are at the front of the car behind the RH headlights, and I thought they were there on all models? I had to dismantle most of the front wheel arch liners and under tray to get at it, and will have to go through it all again soon as my tank has begun leaking!
I need to get hold of my own air compressor at some point though, you just reminded me.

 

Interesting, my tank is directly behind the headlight in the same place, and I assumed the pump was in the wheel well somewhere, but waiting for a response to my original post I did a quick search for the pump, just to see what I was looking for and what a new one would set me back if that was the culprit. On my 2001 XJ8, the pump sits under the center tray cap at the firewall ( at least it looks like the pump I saw) It's mounted to a plastic panel that is mounted to the firewall itself and it has TRICO molded into the panel. The pump looks easy enough to remove from the panel, unfortunately the panel is behind a variety of other things that need to be detached in order to unbolt it. I got lucky and the back flush with a syringe appeared to dislodge the goo enough to let it pass. I did pull the hose from the nipple on the cowling to keep from pushing the goo into the sprayer assembly, I imaging that would be a bear to clean out.

 

The pump for the screenwash is fitted to the rez behind the headlamp, it's a push fit into the rez. It'll be around 6" high. The bottom of the pump sits in the rez via a water tight grommet. The Trico unit your looking at is the heater pump I think.