Failed MOT - windscreen washers!

[skell]

Washer pipe is not accessible behind grill it runs along inside near the bottom of the windscreen where the wiper motor and mechanism is. It is all up under the dash, just underneath the bit where the dash gets very close to the bottom of the windscreen. The heater will block most of the view, but iirc you can see the wiper motor when you look up from where the glove box is. Coat hanger poked in from outside sounds good, for the drivers side you will want to try and run it along the bottom of the windscreen til it is behind glove box (completely remove glove box, it will give you better access). If you find you need something with a bit more bollox (will hold shapes you form it too a bit more) than coat hanger wire you can use copper brake pipe.

[Captain Tuba]

Hi Folks
MoT time tomorrow - and the washers wouldn't squirt. I checked the fuses OK.
Then I searched on-line and found this thread. Thanks to mr_clarkson who wrote:

if you cant find the pipes, just go under the passenger side footwell and look straight up, that is the washer bottle, you can a) undo the 3 bolts to drop the bottle then you will see the pump on the side wich should have the pipe attached

If you have a tall and clean bucket or crate you can lower the washer bottle onto it without undoing the electric supply or tub to the screen.
Get someone to squirt the washers and see if you get any action from the pump. In my case nothing happened.
So I pulled the 12v supply plug off and used my multimeter to check for 12v getting to the pump. The 12v supply was OK.
Next I disconnected the water pipe, slide back the little rubber collar and then use a small flat bladed screwdriver to ease the pipe off the pump.
Put your thumb over the end to stop the water going everywhere and tip the contents into the clean bucket for later.
The pump is just pressed into place and by a rubber grommet, it can be eased out by levering up slowly with some large flat blade screwdrivers.
Check to see if the pump works by connecting back to the supply. In my case still nothing happened. So I took a small pair of needle nose pliers and twisted the pump spindle around a bit - and hey presto! The pumped worked.

Refitting is, in true Haynes style, just the reverse.

So thanks mr-clarkson and thanks Club 80-90. Fingers crossed the rest of the MOT will be OK.

C.T.