Hi pro’s.
Car (2007 Ford Focus Mk2, Diesel 1.6hp, 155000km/96000miles) stood for 2.5 months untouched in north coast of Norway during summer. Interior got moldy, car battery died. Charged the battery back and car is good to drive.
The issue: windshield spray doesn’t work, so I bought a new one, when replacing it, tried to spray without hoses attached to the pump to see if they were the problem, but doesn’t work either, with both pumps (old and new one / engine on & off). I’ve checked the voltage and the meter reads 1.26V lol. So appears that there is electrical issue? How does one trouble shoot it? What I should look for? Was it mold that built up somewhere in electrical system, or maybe the spray button doesn’t fully gets pressed? Rust on the wires? Do I have to get access to all electrical infrastructure to test each wire?
Please be careful with the mold. You really don’t want that in the air you’re breathing, so make sure you eliminate it completely.
I presume you probed at the connector to the pump, while the pump was plugged in. When I had that problem as a first step, I connected the pump to a known good battery source using test clips. If you haven’t tried that, suggest to do t or hire a shop to do it.
I had this same problem a few years ago. When I connected the pump to a battery source, the pump still didn’t work. I removed the pump, found it stuck, wouldn’t rotate. I cleaned it out with a water-jet gadget (water-pick used for cleaning teeth). After that the pump worked when connected to the battery source, so I replaced it and all has been well.
Didn’t mention but yeah, I’ve bought a vacuum cleaner with liquid spray attachment for it. Washed the car’s interior twice and wiped the hard surface areas with vinegar. Will see if mold comes back in the future. Cheers!
I probed the connector to the pump that connects to the pump meaning it was disattached from the pump. The new pump didn’t work either. I’m convinced it’s electrical issue within wires or perhaps the button?
Thanks for the added clarity. If you measured less than 2 volts when a helper was pressing the button, most likely the switch that the button operates is faulty. Or the fuse is blown on that circuit. Probing the voltage as close to the switch as you can easily access is probably the next step, but I expect the switch will have to be removed for a bench test after finding the fuse is good.
You need to check electrical connections. Start at the pump. Do the wires show power to the pump? If not move your ammeter backwards in the chain the the point where the harness starts and check again. It could be corroded terminals on the connectors and may be the wiper switch. I have had sensors that didn’t seem to work but after connecting/disconnecting a few times they started to work again. Apparently it was oxidation in my connectors.
If the interior was moldy, there’s a very good chance that the fuse box had moisture that is causing this. Pull the washer motor fuse and all the wire connectors to the block and clean them. The washer pump wire is yellow with a black stripe. Disconnect the battery before pulling the connectors.