Washer Fluid Pump.

[DMCVegas@xxxx]

A little while ago, I saw a posting that someone made that stated 
that they were able to sucessfully repair their Washer Fluid Pump. 
Well today was my day off, and with nothing better to do, I fixed my 
motor as well. As I discovered when I opened the casing, the magnets 
on the sides of the housing had indeed rusted the brushes into place. 
Using a pair of pliers to get a steady grip, I was able to pull the 
center impeller out. Gently using 400 grit sand paper, I was able to 
clean the brushes. And with the addition of a small dowl, I removed 
the rust from the magnets. The little motor now runs like a champ, 
but I don't know for how long. If your D is a daily driver, and you 
have other projects going on, I would reccomend cleaning the motor to 
get it going again. But I wouldn't call this a permanent solution, as 
much as I would a temporary fix. As soon as I can, I'll order a new 
motor to replace this one. To be honest, replacement rather than 
repair is what should be done.

On another note, the problem with the motor rusting up seems to be 
poor drainage from the bucket that houses the reservoir tank. The 
drain holes in the container don't look big enough to allow water to 
drip out, let alone flow freely thru. When I took the bucket off, I 
saw load of grime, and a water mark that was over half-way up. To 
fix, I simply used a pocket knife and carved out a bigger hole by 
twisting the blade in the existing hole.

Like I said before, this is only a temporary fix. Judging by the 
amount of corrosion inside, and outside the motor, it is very likely 
the unit will fail again in the future. Fixing the motor right away 
is more of a safety issue to me if I get caught in the rain, and 
can't wash off road grime to see. A new unit is about $50 @ DMC 
Houston, but at least you'll know it's a new, clean motor. I know 
there's products such as Rain-X, but the BOSCH Microedge wipers do 
such a great job, regular washer fluid gives the extra kick to clean 
off the really stubborn gunk. On a scale of 1-5, this was a 2 because 
I did need an extension on my rachet to reach the 8mm bolts.

-Robert
vin 6585