Rear window washer does not function

Tiny
CAMPC
  • MEMBER
  • 2008 FORD EXPLORER
  • 145,000 MILES
When I select the rear window washer, I can hear the pump run, and it appears the fluid level in the reservoir is going down, but nothing comes out, nor is there any fluid on the ground. What is the routing of the hose? I see it disappear near the junction of the right front inner fender and firewall. The front washers work fine.
Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 AT 3:59 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
It will more than like run on body and or frame to rear of truck then back into body/door. Sorry, we have no pictures of that.
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 AT 4:37 PM
Tiny
CAMPC
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  • 3 POSTS
Well, yes, it would have to. I will have to crawl under and see if I can spot it. It comes out of the body under the rear hatch on the right side, where a short piece of rubber tubing goes back into the body to the third brake light, so at some point it does go into the body. My concern of course is I am spewing fluid internally where it can cause corrosion?
Thanks for the quick reply! I will post back when I look into it. Likely this weekend.
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 AT 5:42 PM
Tiny
HMAC300
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Best way for this as you probably know is to have some one use the squirt-er to see if you see fluid dripping someplace. If any sharp metal under hood check there as well as it may be leaking at bottom of tank or close to it. I had same thing happen to me.
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Wednesday, October 26th, 2016 AT 6:25 AM
Tiny
CAMPC
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  • 3 POSTS
Fixed:
Nice day Saturday, so I crawled under the truck and tried to follow the line. Looking along and around the passenger side frame rail, I found the hard lines for the rear heater/ac run there, but no rubber hoses. Hmmmm...
-Then I got smart: Thinking that since no fluid shows up on the ground the issue is most likely at one end or the other. I pulled the 3rd brake light off and disconnected the hose to the washer head. Sucking on the hose revealed no open line, (and no fluid) so I hung the hose out disconnected from the head, and ran the rear washer. A few seconds later I got some questionable looking fluid out, so I ran it long enough to know I had purged the line of old fluid. Since I've found heads plugged in other vehicles over the years, I blew through the head but found nothing indicative of a blockage.
I connected and reinstalled the brake light assy and it now works fine. So, no smoking gun, but perhaps some foreign material in the line or contaminated fluid was blocking the spray head orifice. It’s a new vehicle to me, so no idea of its previous care or history.

Thanks for your help HMAC!
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Monday, October 31st, 2016 AT 11:56 AM
Tiny
HMAC300
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  • 48,601 POSTS
A lot of tims even front washers do that and normally I take a fine wire and run into the spray head, not sure if the alcohol dries up and causes it but least you have it fixed. Btw the line would run in or on the body not the frame.
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Monday, October 31st, 2016 AT 12:00 PM
Tiny
THORHOME
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  • 1 POST
I had were the front would work and not the back. We found out that when you open you tailgate there is a tube splicer at the top of the frame were the fluid comes out. Ours got separated, all we had to do was push them back together. The way we found out it was there is I pushed the washer and my spouse watched for fluid and it was running inside the headliner. Good luck.
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Sunday, January 10th, 2021 AT 9:26 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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That is great info. Thanks for the addition to this post. This is about 5 years old so I doubt they will benefit from it but I am sure others that visit this page will.

If there is anything we can help you with in the future, feel free to post the question and we will get back with you. Thanks

https://www.2carpros.com/questions/new

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Sunday, January 10th, 2021 AT 10:10 AM

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