Windscreen washer pump upgrade

[bob hughes]

Am I ashamed - no!

I have just brought my car further into the 21 century with a motorised washer pump. The old Mk 1 hand push unit has been playing up for years and I have had to fiddle with it to get it to work for the annual MOT certificate, it has now totally packed up.
Looking at the offerings from all the usual suspects I decided that as I had a spare way in my auxiliary fused box (inside the cockpit) left over from the installation of an auxiliary power point for a sat nav / phone charger, I would put in an electric pump. It would fit on a purpose made bracket and utilizing 2 existing captive nut screw holes built into the side of the cross fresh air duct, the motor would then be sitting on top of the duct. My original thoughts were to screw the motor direct into these holes but I remembered just in time that the water bottle virtually covered the holes and hence the pump and bottle would clash.

I have tried to locate a switch that looked similar to the old pump push and have purchased something that was akin to it ( similar to a starter switch) but when it arrived it was huge by comparison, so for now I have settled for a lever (momentarily on) switch. The pump was purchased from Ebay and did not have any rating details, my first stab at 3amps was off the mark but a 5 amp fuse appears to be holding when the pump is under load. - So much easier than bending the thumb on the manual system, and all for the princely sum of just under £10.



Bob

 

[Lin]

Hello Bob,
this is what I did. Totally stealth. Works beautifully.
Lin

https://valvechatter.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Rose-Elect.-Washer-Pump-Comp..pdf

 

[Bugeyze]

Bob, I had the same problem, I cut the end off the pump, set a push switch (£1.79 from ebay) in resin within the pump body, all looks original and works a treat.

Graham.

 

[RAC68]

Hi Bob,

I can count the times on one hand that I have used my windscreen pump in the over 50 years I have owned my car and when it stopped working, I never noticed.

A number of years back, I decided to replace my under-dash driving light switch as part of a relay/alternator upgrade. Since I was using relays to activate the driving lights and the switch now only had to carry sufficient amperage to trigger the relay. I wanted something that would fit the dash and not be obvious. My solution was to fit a common push on/off switch inside the housing of the original windscreen pump. This switch implementation has functioned perfectly for a number of years and I believe you can do the same. No change to the dash look and your new push on/off switch will activate your electrical pump.

By the way, the washer bottle is still in the engine compartment with fluid and a tube running to it...as if it was still in use.

Good luck,
Ray(64BJ8P1)

 

[Bob_Spidell]

My stock washer still works (I think). I gave up on it; engine bay heat evaporated the fluid in the bottle in a few hours driving.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Ditto

 

[bob hughes]

So I am not alone!

Very reassuring,

I have already opened up the old hand pump and I am now considering the mods to use the old button.

Great stuff guys.



Bob

 

[Randy Forbes]

So I am not alone!

Very reassuring,

I have already opened up the old hand pump and I am now considering the mods to use the old button.

Great stuff guys.



Bob

A few of the steps I took, may/may not be of help to you.

Of course after having done all this, and the severely infrequent use it got, the #%@$ cheap-a$$ electric pump croaked.

But hey, I filled the empty hole in the fascia__dash to us Yanks__didn't I?!?!

 

[kozelding]

So, I replaced my pump this year with the (manual, dash-mounted) one Moss sells.


We'll see if it holds up, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised how well it works.


Of course, I really only use it to pass annual inspection....

 

[bob hughes]

So, I replaced my pump this year with the (manual, dash-mounted) one Moss sells.


We'll see if it holds up, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised how well it works.


Of course, I really only use it to pass annual inspection....

That is one of the main reasons for me replacing it as well.

Randy I see that your pump now has a metal base to it, looks as if you have turned something up in the lathe, good idea. I think that my plastic base will be suitable but I can make a metal one should it be needed, and I will be trying to utilize the plunger as well, I may need to extend or adjust it to touch the button once the button switch has been fitted, not exactly high priority right now, I am preparing for a 500+ mile journey (round trip) with the Healey through Wales to fish for sea trout on the Dovey. It will be the first time since I bought it that I will be going for a long run and without back up - gulp.



Bob

 

[Randy Forbes]

That is one of the main reasons for me replacing it as well.

Randy I see that your pump now has a metal base to it, looks as if you have turned something up in the lathe, good idea. I think that my plastic base will be suitable but I can make a metal one should it be needed, and I will be trying to utilize the plunger as well, I may need to extend or adjust it to touch the button once the button switch has been fitted, not exactly high priority right now, I am preparing for a 500+ mile journey (round trip) with the Healey through Wales to fish for sea trout on the Dovey. It will be the first time since I bought it that I will be going for a long run and without back up - gulp.



Bob

Being of mostly Scottish descent myself, it's genetically impossible for me to throw anything away, and what I used for the base is a curved-washer that you'd find securing the bushings on a shock absorber. I did indeed use a lathe for trimming to the required outside diameter to fit inside the pump housing. The offset in the washer was enough to put the switch within reach of the plunger.