After noticing my windshield washer pump was not working (I checked the line and it’s not clogged) on my '88 Cressida, I decided to replace it. After replacing it, it still didn’t work. The electronic connections seem to be working (not confirmed with a multimeter).
First, I had a friend pull the stalk for the “mist” setting to test the old pump before I replaced it. He told me there was a small puff of smoke from the steering wheel column after he pulled it! He said it didn’t smell like fried electronics, though. Either way, I replaced the pump with a new one so I could be sure that wasn’t the problem.
After that, I went out to test the wipers and the actual wiper settings work. Before that puff of smoke, the wiper blades moved just a little bit. Now, when I pull the stalk for “mist,” nothing happens at all. I’m absolutely confused with this situation.
Do you think some sort of electronics shorted out or a fuse is blown? Right now I’m not sure if I need to replace the fuse if the wipers work when I’m not using “mist.” Hopefully that makes sense…
If there’s something wrong on the steering column controls, is there a safe way to remove the steering column cover without cracking it (I haven’t done this before)? Second, if my problem is at the switch, does anyone know where that is located and how I would replace it?
Worst case scenario, would a Toyota (or independent) mechanic be able to fix this for me without it costing a lot of money? Thanks in advance, everyone, I appreciate your help and sorry about writing a novel!
I doubt if it is a fuse. It would be nice if it were fuses all the time, but nearly all the time it is not the fuse that is the problem and often even if the fuse is blown, the reason the fuse blew is a problem down the line that caused the fuse to blow.
That leaves four things I can think of. The linkage, it may be stuck, the motor, it may be worn out or have been damaged due to a linkage problem, the clock spring or switch, both in the steering column.
Some work with a meter might be able to pin it down, or someone else may have some better ideas.