2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube disappears 
into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible looking there. I 
imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need to get at it because the 
pump works but nowt comes out front or rear barring a dribble even after 
going through the screen nozzles with a pin. I'm guessing it's blocked up 
with gunge and slime and just needs a good clean.

I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a mild 
solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone tried that?

Dave

Dave Baker wrote:
> 2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube
> disappears into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible
> looking there. I imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need to
> get at it because the pump works but nowt comes out front or rear
> barring a dribble even after going through the screen nozzles with a
> pin. I'm guessing it's blocked up with gunge and slime and just needs
> a good clean.
> I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a
> mild solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone tried
> that?
> Dave

IIRC you can reach this pump from under the front

Dave Baker wrote:

> 2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube disappears
> into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible looking there. I
> imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need to get at it because the
> pump works but nowt comes out front or rear barring a dribble even after
> going through the screen nozzles with a pin. I'm guessing it's blocked up
> with gunge and slime and just needs a good clean.
> 
> I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a mild
> solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone tried that?
> 
> Dave


Remove N/S front wheel. If plastic sill cover is fitted, remove front
section. Remove wheel arch liner. Pump is a push fit in bottom of
container. It has a filter screen on the end which will be blocked.

Having got this far, I personally would remove the container and give it a
good clean. It's a bit fiddly getting the filling tube back in, but worth
doing.

To avoid having to do this again, always use a good quality screen wash
additive. Do not use any household products, especially bleach.

If you fill the Focus screen wash container to the brim, about a litre of it
will splash out as you drive through the two breathers at the top. There
was a TSB that blocked off one of the breathers, but doesn't help much.

I modified mine by fixing about 100mm of heater hose to the remaining open
breather with a jubilee clip, thus raising its height. I've never lost a
drop of fluid since I did this eight years ago.

For future reference, there is a NG dedicated to the Focus at
alt.autos.ford.focus.

HTH

Chris

-- 
Remove prejudice to reply.

"Chris Whelan"  wrote in message 
news:%tlbk.83287$ft1.33937@newsfe14.ams2...
> Dave Baker wrote:
>
>> 2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube disappears
>> into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible looking there. I
>> imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need to get at it because 
>> the
>> pump works but nowt comes out front or rear barring a dribble even after
>> going through the screen nozzles with a pin. I'm guessing it's blocked up
>> with gunge and slime and just needs a good clean.
>>
>> I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a mild
>> solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone tried that?
>>
>> Dave
>
>
> Remove N/S front wheel. If plastic sill cover is fitted, remove front
> section. Remove wheel arch liner. Pump is a push fit in bottom of
> container. It has a filter screen on the end which will be blocked.
>
> Having got this far, I personally would remove the container and give it a
> good clean. It's a bit fiddly getting the filling tube back in, but worth
> doing.
>
> To avoid having to do this again, always use a good quality screen wash
> additive. Do not use any household products, especially bleach.
>
> If you fill the Focus screen wash container to the brim, about a litre of 
> it
> will splash out as you drive through the two breathers at the top. There
> was a TSB that blocked off one of the breathers, but doesn't help much.
>
> I modified mine by fixing about 100mm of heater hose to the remaining open
> breather with a jubilee clip, thus raising its height. I've never lost a
> drop of fluid since I did this eight years ago.
>
> For future reference, there is a NG dedicated to the Focus at
> alt.autos.ford.focus.
>
> HTH
>
> Chris

Chris, thank you for that comprehensive and illuminating answer. I will dig 
out the trolley jack and have at it. It's no doubt my fault for using 
washing up liquid instead of screen wash but I've managed with that quite 
happily in the past. I suspect older cars don't have such fine filters which 
block up as easily.

Dave

Dave Baker wrote:
> "Chris Whelan"  wrote in message
> news:%tlbk.83287$ft1.33937@newsfe14.ams2...
>> Dave Baker wrote:
>>
>>> 2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube
>>> disappears into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible
>>> looking there. I imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need
>>> to get at it because the
>>> pump works but nowt comes out front or rear barring a dribble even
>>> after going through the screen nozzles with a pin. I'm guessing
>>> it's blocked up with gunge and slime and just needs a good clean.
>>>
>>> I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a
>>> mild solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone
>>> tried that? Dave
>>
>>
>> Remove N/S front wheel. If plastic sill cover is fitted, remove front
>> section. Remove wheel arch liner. Pump is a push fit in bottom of
>> container. It has a filter screen on the end which will be blocked.
>>
>> Having got this far, I personally would remove the container and
>> give it a good clean. It's a bit fiddly getting the filling tube
>> back in, but worth doing.
>>
>> To avoid having to do this again, always use a good quality screen
>> wash additive. Do not use any household products, especially bleach.
>>
>> If you fill the Focus screen wash container to the brim, about a
>> litre of it
>> will splash out as you drive through the two breathers at the top.
>> There was a TSB that blocked off one of the breathers, but doesn't
>> help much. I modified mine by fixing about 100mm of heater hose to the
>> remaining open breather with a jubilee clip, thus raising its
>> height. I've never lost a drop of fluid since I did this eight years
>> ago. For future reference, there is a NG dedicated to the Focus at
>> alt.autos.ford.focus.
>>
>> HTH
>>
>> Chris
>
> Chris, thank you for that comprehensive and illuminating answer. I
> will dig out the trolley jack and have at it. It's no doubt my fault
> for using washing up liquid instead of screen wash but I've managed
> with that quite happily in the past. I suspect older cars don't have
> such fine filters which block up as easily.
>
> Dave

wu liquid goes to a glue like latex in the reservoir, it also has no anti 
freeze and contains a lot of salt which damages paintwork

Mrcheerful wrote:
> Dave Baker wrote:
>> "Chris Whelan"  wrote in message
>> news:%tlbk.83287$ft1.33937@newsfe14.ams2...
>>> Dave Baker wrote:
>>>
>>>> 2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube
>>>> disappears into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible
>>>> looking there. I imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need
>>>> to get at it because the
>>>> pump works but nowt comes out front or rear barring a dribble even
>>>> after going through the screen nozzles with a pin. I'm guessing
>>>> it's blocked up with gunge and slime and just needs a good clean.
>>>>
>>>> I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a
>>>> mild solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone
>>>> tried that? Dave
>>>
>>>
>>> Remove N/S front wheel. If plastic sill cover is fitted, remove
>>> front section. Remove wheel arch liner. Pump is a push fit in
>>> bottom of container. It has a filter screen on the end which will
>>> be blocked. Having got this far, I personally would remove the container 
>>> and
>>> give it a good clean. It's a bit fiddly getting the filling tube
>>> back in, but worth doing.
>>>
>>> To avoid having to do this again, always use a good quality screen
>>> wash additive. Do not use any household products, especially bleach.
>>>
>>> If you fill the Focus screen wash container to the brim, about a
>>> litre of it
>>> will splash out as you drive through the two breathers at the top.
>>> There was a TSB that blocked off one of the breathers, but doesn't
>>> help much. I modified mine by fixing about 100mm of heater hose to
>>> the remaining open breather with a jubilee clip, thus raising its
>>> height. I've never lost a drop of fluid since I did this eight years
>>> ago. For future reference, there is a NG dedicated to the Focus at
>>> alt.autos.ford.focus.
>>>
>>> HTH
>>>
>>> Chris
>>
>> Chris, thank you for that comprehensive and illuminating answer. I
>> will dig out the trolley jack and have at it. It's no doubt my fault
>> for using washing up liquid instead of screen wash but I've managed
>> with that quite happily in the past. I suspect older cars don't have
>> such fine filters which block up as easily.
>>
>> Dave
>
> wu liquid goes to a glue like latex in the reservoir, it also has no
> anti freeze and contains a lot of salt which damages paintwork


Surely the amount of WU liquid you'd put in a windscreen resevoir - like 
10-15 ml is not going to cause that kind of damage when diluted with 2 or 3 
litres of water though? Can't say I've ever noticed any on mine..

Mike P

Mike P wrote:

> Mrcheerful wrote:
>> Dave Baker wrote:
>>> "Chris Whelan"  wrote in message
>>> news:%tlbk.83287$ft1.33937@newsfe14.ams2...
>>>> Dave Baker wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> 2001 Focus 3 door. Where is the bloody thing? The filler tube
>>>>> disappears into the n/s wheel arch but no washer bottle is visible
>>>>> looking there. I imagine it's behind the arch trim somewhere. Need
>>>>> to get at it because the
>>>>> pump works but nowt comes out front or rear barring a dribble even
>>>>> after going through the screen nozzles with a pin. I'm guessing
>>>>> it's blocked up with gunge and slime and just needs a good clean.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm wondering if sucking the bottle empty with a tube and putting a
>>>>> mild solution of bleach in there might be an easier fix? Anyone
>>>>> tried that? Dave
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Remove N/S front wheel. If plastic sill cover is fitted, remove
>>>> front section. Remove wheel arch liner. Pump is a push fit in
>>>> bottom of container. It has a filter screen on the end which will
>>>> be blocked. Having got this far, I personally would remove the
>>>> container and
>>>> give it a good clean. It's a bit fiddly getting the filling tube
>>>> back in, but worth doing.
>>>>
>>>> To avoid having to do this again, always use a good quality screen
>>>> wash additive. Do not use any household products, especially bleach.
>>>>
>>>> If you fill the Focus screen wash container to the brim, about a
>>>> litre of it
>>>> will splash out as you drive through the two breathers at the top.
>>>> There was a TSB that blocked off one of the breathers, but doesn't
>>>> help much. I modified mine by fixing about 100mm of heater hose to
>>>> the remaining open breather with a jubilee clip, thus raising its
>>>> height. I've never lost a drop of fluid since I did this eight years
>>>> ago. For future reference, there is a NG dedicated to the Focus at
>>>> alt.autos.ford.focus.
>>>>
>>>> HTH
>>>>
>>>> Chris
>>>
>>> Chris, thank you for that comprehensive and illuminating answer. I
>>> will dig out the trolley jack and have at it. It's no doubt my fault
>>> for using washing up liquid instead of screen wash but I've managed
>>> with that quite happily in the past. I suspect older cars don't have
>>> such fine filters which block up as easily.
>>>
>>> Dave
>>
>> wu liquid goes to a glue like latex in the reservoir, it also has no
>> anti freeze and contains a lot of salt which damages paintwork
> 
> 
> Surely the amount of WU liquid you'd put in a windscreen resevoir - like
> 10-15 ml is not going to cause that kind of damage when diluted with 2 or
> 3 litres of water though? Can't say I've ever noticed any on mine..
> 
> Mike P

I'm not sure how much you need to damage paint, but using it as screenwash
will definitely encourage the growth of a white slime that will block the
pump filter, pipes and nozzles.

Chris

-- 
Remove prejudice to reply.

"Mrcheerful"  wrote in message 
news:l9mbk.20567$E41.5172@text.news.virginmedia.com...

>
> wu liquid goes to a glue like latex in the reservoir, it also has no anti 
> freeze and contains a lot of salt which damages paintwork
>

This 'salt in wu liquid damages paint' seems to do the rounds on the usenet 
every few months. My 1999 Pug 306 that's just done 200K miles has seen 
almost 10 British winters and the salt encrusted roads, often the salt has 
crystallised onto the paint surface and the salt/grit has been blasted into 
the paintwork by the equivalent of an 80mph wind on the motorway. Yet when I 
take the bucket and sponge to it the [base+lacquer] paint looked like a new 
pin and  I've not polished it for 5 years.

I think it's pure rowlocks, just like not using grease on battery 
terminals - which harks back to the days when the cases were made from 
natural rubber.

Julian.

Julian wrote:
> "Mrcheerful"  wrote in message
> news:l9mbk.20567$E41.5172@text.news.virginmedia.com...
>
>>
>> wu liquid goes to a glue like latex in the reservoir, it also has no
>> anti freeze and contains a lot of salt which damages paintwork
>>
>
> This 'salt in wu liquid damages paint' seems to do the rounds on the
> usenet every few months. My 1999 Pug 306 that's just done 200K miles
> has seen almost 10 British winters and the salt encrusted roads,
> often the salt has crystallised onto the paint surface and the
> salt/grit has been blasted into the paintwork by the equivalent of an
> 80mph wind on the motorway. Yet when I take the bucket and sponge to
> it the [base+lacquer] paint looked like a new pin and  I've not
> polished it for 5 years.
> I think it's pure rowlocks, just like not using grease on battery
> terminals - which harks back to the days when the cases were made from
> natural rubber.
>
> Julian.

It definitely wrecks paint if you use it to wash the car, my dad wrecked 
loads of finishes like that !!  Mind you that was older paint (cellulose)

Mrcheerful