Skoosher Trouble

[Neil72]

The skooshers on my Elise are pretty much useless. A tiny dribble of water comes out, and if I'm travelling fast enough it gets blown far enough up the windscreen to allow the wiper to clean the screen.

Is it a case of 'TADS' or is there a problem that needs further investigation ?

[robin]

If it's the flow rate that's the problem (rather than the jet direction) then you've got crud in the lines, or your water line is so twisted from repeated right handed removal and replacement of washer bottle that no water flows up it. Is it S1 or S2? For the K-series it's pretty much the same anyway - pop bonnet/remove pax-side access panel, identify washer bottle. There's a plastic tube coming from a pump that's pushed into the water bottle. Check that the tube isn't kinked or just twisted up.

If OK, remove the water bottle, tip away almost all of the water, then replace the bottle.

Remove the plastic pipe from the pump (if you didn't remove enough water, what's left will now piss out of the pump).

Try not to let the water that's trapped in the pipe flow back out and blow up it. - you should be able to blow what water is in the line out of the jets. If you can easily blow it out and you get a nice jet then your pump is probably knackered. I think their a common part and you should be able to get something like it from Halfords or a motor factors, if not Lotus themselves.

If you cannot blow through it easily then the pipe or jets are blocked. Find a friendly place with a compressor and an air nozzle and get them to blow out the jets, or "just" replace the jets (from memory that results in severe knuckle scraping and skin loss

If you're in there anyway, you could consider the mod where you run the tube all the way up the wiper arm with a couple of strategically placed holes in the tube.

Cheers,
Robin

[Shug]

To echo Robin - the pump is definately available off the shelf from Halfrauds if necessary.

[BiggestNizzy]

To echo Robin - the pump is definately available off the shelf from Halfrauds if necessary.

good cause I know I need one after I got stopped by the police

[jj]

I had this problem on one of my previous cars, and got a replacement pump from eBay - it was from a Rover 800.

[Shug]

I had this problem on one of my previous cars, and got a replacement pump from eBay - it was from a Rover 800.

Pretty sure the whole pump/bottle assembly is off later minis as well.

[Neil72]

Thanks for the feedback

I'm pretty sure the pump is OK as I can hear it whirring away, and it does manage to squirt some water up onto the screen. The car is still under warranty (it's a 2005 111S) but I suspect the warranty will not cover a pipe blockage or a twisted pipe so I'll have a look at it myself in the first instance.

Is it easier to fumble about under the bonnet to do this or am I better removing a wheel and working from underneath the car ? (water bottle is located in drivers side of engine bay) I've never had a spanner near this car yet so I'm still a novice when it comes to Elise maintenance.

[Shug]

So have you ever filled it up?

That might be your problem right there...

Will be obvious when you do - under the service panel in the front - no real way to get at it from an arch liner. Bottle just pulls out of it's mount - slide it up.

[Shug]

Just ignore my pish about service panels there - hadn't read your last post...

Not sure if the bottle just pulls out when it's in the relocated position (in the engine bay) You've also got a lot more pipework to think about. It should be fairly easy from the top, but if you need to get further in, you may need the wheel off - can't be of more help as I've not looked at the routing on later cars

[jj]

I had a blockage on my S2 Exige and took the pipe off the bottle in the engine bay, skooshed water through from the garden hose, then took out the bottle (it pulls out) and there was a layer of sludge in the tank, cleaned that (and the wee filter in the bottom of the tank where the pump is) and all was well. I have not had much luck with my washers

[Neil72]

So have you ever filled it up?

That might be your problem right there...

Ahhhh....Does the bottle need to have water in it before the skooshers will work ?











Mind you, after admitting recently that I had never checked my tyre pressures you were quite right to ask.

Took the bottle out and wiggled a few things about and it seem to have sorted itself out. Not sure exactly what the problem was but it's all working fine now