Hello. I have an 05 Honda Element. Whenever I use the windshield washers a horrible vomit like smell enters the car. the smell often remains for days. The dealership said that the wiper fluid reservoir need to be replaced and would cost several hundred dollars. We asked if it could just clean it out…

I don’t own an Element, but If I did, I’d open the hood and look at the fluid reservoir. Can you see how it is attached? Does it look like there is room to get at it without disassembling the car? And you do not have to remove it to drain it. Get a 5-foot length of rubber or Tygon tubing and a c…

Good suggestions here, but I would rather use a pump rather than suck out stuff that usually contains methanol, but smells like vomit. You might try an inexpensive bellows pump that is made to syphon fuel. It might take a trip to a hardware store for some smaller flexible tubing and some barbed ad…

I used to have an Element. Great vehicle! The dealer is partially right…to remove the washer fluid tank, you do have to remove the front end of the vehicle (the big piece around the headlights, grille, and front bumper). But it is SO EASY to do on an Element! With a flat-blade screwdriver and a …

I can tell you what I would do- I’d disinfect it in place. Those things are designed last to fit in between everything else and not easy to remove. This will clean the bottle and lines. My vehicles can blow through washer fluid in no time so I wouldn’t worry about the pump. That being said, they’re…

Change brands of washer fluid. With the alcohol content of washer fluid, I doubt too many little beasties would be living in it. I thinkyour problem is with the fluid itself.

I have a foul smell in my washer fluid reservoir when I have stale summer washer fluid that uses no methanol in it. I think it is an organic compound that goes sour and smells like puke. So the only way to deal with that is to just use water in summer, or change washer fluid before it has a chance t…

Another thing to consider. What if the smell isn’t coming from the washer fluid? What if there’s something down in the intake vent below the windshield? And whatever it is doesn’t produce a smell as long as it’s dehydrated? But once the washers are used, the water in the fluid rehydrates whatever is…

Smelly Wiper Fluid

Maintenance/Repairs

SteveF May 26, 2008, 9:02pm 2

Clean the reservoir yourself, what’s the big deal? Fill it with soapy water and empty it with a siphon. You could also use the washer pump itself to drain the reservoir, directing the hose’s outflow into a bucket. That might take longer. Whatever method you choose, this is NOT a job for an automotive expert.

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Smelly Wiper Fluid

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