Went to top off the washer fluid and wound up pouring about half a gallon into the reservoir even though I had hardly been using it. Then I came out later to drive it and there was a puddle almost a foot in diameter underneath the front of the car (I didn't spill a drop, I promise!).

I did, however, fill it up to the top of the filler neck (above the small, removable screen), so is it safe to conclude that I just overfilled it, or do I have a leak in the windshield washer system?

Just went back out to check, and there is a puddle about six inches across under it now after sitting for 5 hrs.

 

I had this exact same problem a few weeks ago. When I removed the wheel and wheelarch liner, I saw there were two small leaks from around the pipes that go in and out of the tank. I removed and cleaned them and then put some gutter sealant around the joints.

If you don't want to go to all this hassle, the good news is that the pipes enter the tank half way up, so as I rarely use the wipers anyway, I just half fill the reservoir thereby avoiding any risk of leakage.

 

Same problem with my '02...actually I had TWO problems, a small crack in the plastic reservoir about halfway up and a crack in the bottom of the fill neck assembly where it attaches to the fill hose. I replaced both, although the reservoir was a bit of a challenge.

 

So to access the reservoir the wheel and the well lining have to come out?

 

Sounds like the best solution for now. Is the liner and reservoir removal and replacement difficult?

 

It's easy! Especially if you have an impact wrench. The wheel well liner is just held in place with three plastic nuts, a couple of reusable plastic rivets, and two or three plastic rivet-screws. Once the wheel is off you can remove the liner in less than 5 minutes. The hardest part is removing the two plastic rivets down near the bottom front of the wheel well. You'll need two screwdrivers. Stick one screwdriver between the "pin" and the rivet and twist the screwdriver to open up a little space between the pin and the rivet. Then stick the second screwdriver into the gap and wedge the two screwdrivers against each other to pull the pin out. Once it's out an inch or so you can just grab it with your fingers and pull it out, then the rest of the rivet can be removed.

The screw-rivets are similar, except you just use a phillips screwdriver to unscrew the "pin". Once it is unscrewed the plastic rivet comes right out.

There's nothing difficult about removing the wheel well liner. I was intimidated at first, too, but once you take a look at it you'll see how easy it is.

 

Thanks Sam. Guess I can take a look and see what's wrong, maybe have some sealant handy before I go in.

 

YouTube - Billy Mays' Final Commercial (Mighty Tape) (1 Minute Spot)

 

Agreed, the well lining came out easy enough. Getting the reservoir out was a bit of a challenge but not to bad.

 

Skid Mark, I made a video just for you. It's in this thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-video-53820/

It shows how easy it is to remove the wheel well liner.

 

Thanks Sam. I'll take a look when I get back. Gettin ready to drive to the Cape today for the Endeavor launch tomorrow. I did put the RainX on yesterday!

 

Lucky... wish I washing to be there. I've never seen a shuttle launch. I guess I still have one more chance.

 

This happened to me and I found that the problem was a rubber grommet that went where the motor seated in the washer tank near the bottom. I just pulled up on the motor to remove it from the grommet and replaced the grommet. The 50 cent part was available from the dealer for about $5.

 

I was glad to find that mine was leaking around the bottom of 3 inch hose from fluid pump . I replaced with a piece of fuel line and white zip ties - easiest repair yet and no $ . See picture I added red zip ties on other hose to prevent them from working loose.

 

Same thing happened to me this week. Filled reservoir, found it leaking out under the car. Pulling it apart tomorrow to find the problem. Thanks for your solution.

 

Mine is leaking where the filler neck (#10 in the diagram) connects to the hose (#2 in the diagram) that goes to the reservoir. There is an "O" ring (#14) that's supposed to prevent leaking but replacements are apparently no longer available. The part # is JLM 21754. Any suggestions on how to stop the leak? Silicone sealant?

 

Hi Ray, I do have the same problem with the missing o-ring. Did you find a solution? I'm not sure where to seal how much with silicone. It would be helpful to have a photo from the original o-ring, but I couldn't find one. Maybe its just a commonly used cheap part?

Stephan

 

Silicone is not a good fix. Take the worn out o-ring to an auto parts store and match it up with a replacement. It doesn’t need to be a special material or heat proof, just not hard and worn out.

or measure it and get one on Amazon.


Z

 

The o-ring is missing. I don't know when it went missing. Maybe I have to blame myself... when removing parts of the washer reservoir unit. So I don't have a template to compare with. When I would know its location I could do the measuring myself.

You have quite an impressing car history, especially the e-types and Shelby Mustangs :-))

 

maybe someone can post the o-ring dimensions, I’ve never had to take the reservoir apart, so I don’t know the size.

re history, if one lives long enough, there are some great opportunities for having some great cars during their depreciation years when a regular paycheck can cover the cost of them. I had my e-types when they were about 10 years old. And even then they were weren’t cheap.

Gasoline was expensive in 1973 during the Arab oil embargo & it was an especially good time to buy American muscle cars. I traded a VW bug straight across for a gas gussler Old’s 442 convertible.

Z