Has anyone had sucess simply disabling the headlight washer? It has no postive use in my world and I'm tired of worrying that it will squirt a passenger or my dog everytime I use it.

Graham posted this in a similar thread recently (thanks Graham):

"The screen washers and headlamp washers have separate pumps in the same reservoir. One pump can fail and the other still work. The reservoir is behind the LH wheelarch liner."

This tells me I could just disconnect the power to the headlight washer, but wanted to run it by you before I create some kind of cascade disaster by doing so.

I should acknowledge that someone once posted that you can pull a specific fuse to accomplish this but I expect that no single fuse services the headlight washers so I didn't want to lose whatever else might be on that circuit. (do correct me if I'm wrong, a fuse would be much easier to pull)

Thanks for your thoughs,

John

 

Seems like it might be your lucky day. Fuse 7, 30A in the engine compartment fuse box is dedicated to the powerwash pump as is No4 Relay in the same fuse box - of the five relays in a line, it's the second one in from the outboard side

 

Thanks buddy, that's a big help. I appreciate your help.

John

 

Fuse #7 / Relay #4 are certainly Powerwash but I can't find a separate fusing for Screenwash in the '98 Vehicle Care Handbook or in the Electrical Guide schematic 14.1.

Either I'm not looking in the right place or you're likely to disable both headlamp and screen washers.

Graham

 

That was so nice of you to follow-up thank you. I pulled the manual last night and came to the same conclusion. Oh well looks like i have to get to the pump itself, providing there arr 2 separate pumps in the 1998s.

Thanks again.

 

The relay only does the headlight pump so if you remove it you should still have the screen wash.
The schematics show the screen wash to be via the BPM.

Roger

 

Interesting. I can't interpret page 14.1 other than F7 (Engine Compartment F Box) is solely for the powerwash pump. I would suggest the screen washer pump is supplied directly from the BPM, via either input 15 or 19 from F 5 or F7 ( Both Drivers side F Box). Although direct battery supply, they are switched through the ignition switched BPM ground wire (Output 5 from the BPM)

Edit: Later MY wiring diagrams differentiate between inputs 15 and 19 to explain that 15 is a Logic supply and 19 is a Motor supply, so it looks like 19, ie F7, Drivers side F Box is for the screenwasher pump

 

I agree Fuse 7 Will disable the headlight washer pump.

Roger

 

IT WORKS!!! I pulled the relay - windscreen washer works, no sign of the headlight washer working at all. Thanks Roger and everyone. Much better. I appreciate all the input.

John

 

Glad to have been of service John.

Roger

 

If it was me, I'd remove only F7 from the Engine compartment fuse box and leave the relay in place as an onboard spare for the all the other 'essential' relays that would ground you if they failed at an inconvenient time and place.

 

Good point. For a while there was contradictory opinions on whether the fuse controled more than the headlight washer. To your point I'll probably pull it and take that route. Thanks.

 

Interesting to read to the conclusion of the Fuse/Relay protection of this function.

The Drivers Handbook helps explain the BPM control of the frequency/delay of the headlamp washer when the screenwash button is pressed:



I hadn't read this sufficiently carefully before and thought it was simply the headlamp washers operated at every sixth press of the wash/wipe button.

Graham

 

Johnken,
Thanks for posting!
I have been frustrated with the powerwash occasionally hosing down my hood. Where I live, we get a lot of dust and it just makes mud.

Rchiv,
Thanks for the easy fix!
Works great.

 

Rchiv, glad we could help.

John