Club 80-90 Forums

We regularly have people on with problems with screen washers and other electrical things packing up. Before you go out and buy new parts like pumps, check your fuses. Earlier vans like mine were kitted out with alumimium fuses (barmy idea) which corrode and stop the electricity flowing. So about every six months or so take each fuse out separately and WD 40 it. Put it back and then do the next one so you dont put the fuses back in the wrong place.

Trust me I have had this problem myself several times, most recently with my screen washers packing up. A quick clean up and they worked again. This saved wasting money on a new pump which would not have worked anyway. In an emergency in the case of the bullet shaped fuses, a gently twist of each and that should break the corrosion until you get home. Ideally try and get copper fuses. I found some 16amp copper replacements but I haven't found 8amp bullet shaped copper fuses yet. If anybody has any to spare or knows where to find them, please let me know.

Oh and if you have plastic bodied bullet fuses replace them with ceramic ones. The plastic ones melt and distort. Cheers.

I turn all my fuses at least twice a year for that reason. A good seal on a fuse cover helps but VW didn't really think that one out. A greater problem and harder to spot is a fuse with a hairline crack in the metal.