Windshield Washer Valve

[bretski]

+2. My washer also works fine. I keep a small bike pump under the passenger pedestal to top up the pressure when refilling.

My big complaint with the system has always been that it's nearly impossible to fill the tank (sans funnel) without spilling washer fluid on the floor.

[chitwnvw]

Washer filler hose.
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When I got done pumping air into it, and tried to get the pump disengaged the valve popped out.
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I put some epoxy around the valve and pushed it back into the rubber. Hopefully that will create a reliable seal.

Oeveedub pictures theirs with some sort of one way valve in the cap portion.



I don't have that. I only have the schrader valve. Am I missing something? I am loosing pressure somewhere and trying to track it down.

[dtrumbo]

I would have cut off the "swollen" portion of the hose you pictured, slid the rubber sleeve over the newly-cut hose, inserted the valve stem in the hose and slid the sleeve back up over it. This would have allowed nice, tight rubber to grip the valve stem. The epoxy thing will probably work too.

The OEVeeDub picture is a washer valve for a Super Beetle, not a bus. In a bug, the spare tire provides the air to the washer reservoir. The valve you see only allows air to pass into the reservoir if the air pressure is over something like 20-25 lbs. That way, if your washer system develops an air leak, it won't completely deplete the air in your spare tire.

[chitwnvw]

I would have cut off the "swollen" portion of the hose you pictured,

GP. I guess that option is open if this doesn't work.

[chitwnvw]

I pumped it up to 40 lbs last night, and this morning the washers still worked, so that solved that problem, but I had a couple of teaspoons of fluid leak out at the switch area. I think the plastic valve, where the hoses connect was leaking where it mates with the rest of the assembly. I put a little silicone here to try and make a gasket of sorts. We'll see.

Also, does anyone know which hose goes where on the switch-valve? Does the feed from the tank go on the upper or lower barb. There's little pictograms on the valve by each of the barbs where the hoses are supposed to connect, but I can't figure out what they are trying to tell me.

[dtrumbo]

I wouldn't think it would matter which way the water flows, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The same trick applies that I mentioned before, you might try pulling the hoses off, clipping off the old, dried-out ends and putting the hoses back on the valve. See if that stops your leak. The "new" tight hose is a bear to get on, but if you heat the hose up with a hair dryer or heat gun and shove a golf tee in the end to "prepare it", shall we say, it goes on the barb a lot easier. If it isn't a royal PITA to get on, it's too loose and it will leak.

[Amskeptic]

If it isn't a royal PITA to get on, it's too loose and it will leak.

. . ^ . .

[chitwnvw]

I bought some hose at the local Ace and was trying to get it to work, but I think, while it pushes on with difficulty that it doesn't have the PITA quality that is needed. I put some sealant on the barbs by the switch/valve and pushed the tubing on, let it cure for 12 hours, got home from work pumped up the system to 40 psi and took a look at how it was doing. As I was checking out the weeping at the switch/valve one of the hoses popped off and gave me a good dousing.

The only part of the old tubing that is cracked is the part that ran next to the steering column and was in the sunlight. I am going to see if I can get a donor section off of the '79 parts bus. If that doesn't work I know oeveedub has the hose, but it'll cost like 30 buck to get it. I'd prefer to order the other seals I need when I do that, so I don't get raped with the shipping charges.

[dtrumbo]

If that doesn't work I know oeveedub has the hose, but it'll cost like 30 buck to get it.

I bought a whole roll of hose that is too-close-to-tell-the-difference from the original hose from my local NAPA for like ten bucks.