Rear window washer blocked and the heater fan is whining

mkoprulu · Post by **mkoprulu** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:31 am

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone knows how to unblock the rear window washer without having to disassemble the spoiler, boot door, etc. I think it's blocked because i remember it was spraying when i first bought the car. The washer motor is still making a sound which indicates it's working. It's just not spraying anymore. BTW, I already tried needle-in-the-hole trick and it didn't work. I also tried WD40 at some point... Also from the haynes book the rear washer seems to be drawing water from a separate container in the boot on the right hand side opening just against the right hand light cluster. Mine however doesn't have any sort of bottle in the back at all. I only have one in the front. I'm puzzled a bit... any ideas?

Second ongoing problem is with the fan motor. It always made this squeaking noise regardless of which speed setting. I tried WD40 to the bold in the middle of the fan blades but it made no good. I also tried to take the motor off to clean it, but didn't have proper pliers to take off the clamps for the hot water hoses, so i quit. I'll try again some time, but i'd appreciate if anyone had the same problem and would tell me how they fixed it. (Which part was causing it and how did you cure it?)

Oh, and it's snowing out there, and i love it!

Murat

mk2keel · Post by **mk2keel** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 1:52 pm

Hi
If your polo is a coupe version or a late model something like that the washer will draw water from the front reserviour. I advise getting a new washer and just putting it on the old hose, try this and see if it works if not then it sounds like the hose is blocked.

The whining heater means the bearings are knackered and means a new/second hand working one is required.

mkoprulu · Post by **mkoprulu** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:06 pm

Thanks for the advice mk2keel. I didn't think the heater fan problem was that serious. I'll check around for it sometime.

For the washer, is it possible to take it out without taking the black spoiler out first? It seems to be deep inside the spoiler, pretty unreachable. What's more, it looks like i would need to get into the area where the hose connects to it by dismantling the boot door. Or is there an easy way (i.e. just prying it off with a screwdriver) I don't want to break it...

mkoprulu · Post by **mkoprulu** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:05 pm

Would the golf heater fan fit polo's? If so which make? mine's a mk2 polo, so should i assume a mk2 and/or mk1 golf's heater fan would fit?

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:21 pm

The spoiler just pulls off (on the squareback anyway.. is yours squareback or coupe?). The washer's quite easy to get to with the spoiler off so you shouldn't have any problems there.
There's a whole thread in the mk3 forum about the heater fan whining (and not working on speeds 1 and 2 if you ever get that in the future), advice ranges from getting a replacement from a scrappy (like I did.. and like I will be doing again soon as this one's stopped working on anything but full speed..), to drilling a hole in the top of the casing and spraying lubricant in there. Anything's worth a shot I guess.. the fan unit is a bit of a bugger to get out, I seem to remember, but I'm sure you'll manage

Just have to unbolt lots of bits that are in the way in the bulkhead to get it free.

mkoprulu · Post by **mkoprulu** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 10:59 pm

I think it's the squareback one. It's the same shape as the one on your signature. BTW how do you add picture to your signature? I'll try the washer this weekend.

I also read the other thread about heater fan, cheers.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:24 am

Yeah, mine's a squareback - the coupe is the one that looks more like a normal hatchback, with the sloping back end.
With the squareback all you have to do is pull the spoiler off, it's just held on with a load of plastic 'poppers' that pop in and out quite easily, just do it one at a time and try not to snap any, although they're pretty tough little clips.

http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/v ... php?t=3388 should help you with posting pictures to the forums. To add a picture to your sig, just go into your profile page and enter the address in the signiture box (surrounded by [img] tags).

mkoprulu · Post by **mkoprulu** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:07 am

Cool

I'll have a chance to clean the green moss building up in between the spoiler and the body.

I don't know why, but i like the squareback better. It's more unique. Hatchback is just like another hatchback.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 9:03 am

Yeah, I know what you mean.. I kinda switch between liking the two really. The squareback is a hard one to make not to look like an old granny's shopping car without going over the top, but it's very individual if you can manage it.. nice and practical too, you can fit a vast amount in the boot

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:13 pm

the blockage i think would be likely to be in the final half inch or so of the pipe (ie gunge in the nozzle) - have you tried using a needle as a pipe-cleaner?

mkoprulu · Post by **mkoprulu** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:12 pm

Tahrey, I've tried the needle but only for the washer bit, i couldn't reach to the pipe before. I'll try it when i take the washer out. I also tried wd40 but no avail.

GroovyCarrot, believe me, i had less attractive cars. I had a proton (Very reliable car too) which looked like a granny's shopping cart before, so i have no problems with how it looks to other people. What matters is how i see it as. Because that effects how i feel driving it.

I see the polo as a cute little loyal friend. It's all a matter of perception i think. And i don't mind my friends driving spiritless cars making fun of me either. VW's have spirit. I believe all people that drive german cars would aggree to that.

I had a vw bug before and it felt exactly the same as the polo. I also had a '80 bmw 316, and that car was full of spirit as well.

BTW, i aggree fully to your comments about carrying capacity, i managed to fit a 43" projection tv to the back of the car. The only problem was the fear of police seeing me in a Â£100 car with a Â£800 tv in the back and thinking the natural thing....

Fionadilston · Post by **Fionadilston** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 9:53 pm

mkoprulu wrote:
I see the polo as a cute little loyal friend. It's all a matter of perception i think. And i don't mind my friends driving spiritless cars making fun of me either. VW's have spirit. I believe all people that drive german cars would aggree to that.

I had a vw bug before and it felt exactly the same as the polo. I also had a '80 bmw 316, and that car was full of spirit as well.

BTW, i aggree fully to your comments about carrying capacity, i managed to fit a 43" projection tv to the back of the car. The only problem was the fear of police seeing me in a Â£100 car with a Â£800 tv in the back and thinking the natural thing....

absolutely full of spirit ...gonna pop outside now with a needle and see if I can unblock me rearwash too ...indeed a cute little loyal friend ...her name is Angela !!

k4lps · Post by **k4lps** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:36 pm

a footpump with a plastic football adapter (the crappy 1 you get with the footpump) will unblock that

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 12:17 am

"little trooper" sums it up perfectly i think, always willing to punch above its weight regardless of the chance of success - probably suits the british underdog spirit. just put your foot down and hold on (then overhaul it at 80k to reward it's complete - and ongoing - lack of complaint at such treatment)

dunno if its just small cars that evoke that reaction though. the old fiat panda was the same, and the mini. still cant get myself worked up the same way about novas / corsas though, which i think shows im not mad.

the coupes are quite smart when done right and suit the GT/G40 stance better, though are maybe a bit too close to a fiesta from a distance (still the light/plate/screen arrangement is quite different) ............. overall i like the design of (soon to be ex-)my squareback, its practical, functional, looks quite smart from the right angles, but is still an obvious throwing of the fashion towel to the four winds. plus as has been said - there's not many other cars have that shape. Some fiats and other tinsy hatches ape it, mainly because they're so small they'd have no boot at all otherwise even with the squashed seats. there are one or two out and out resemblances (olllllld civics, that sort of thing) but you can't say a 3-door estate somewhere in size between a fiesta van and a (similarly unique) 3dr escort est is all that common a category.
the mk2s are even better in that regard because of the anachronistic (nowadays anyway) grille, afrika corps auterity to the metal shaping, and odd plastic bits of trim round and abouts.
and thats not even considering the radio aerial being on the passenger side wing, or the front quarterlights. it's 80% quirk, 20% automobile, and is great for it because convention often brings annoying, overly common downfalls.

ANYWAY
hows the washer flow looking up, its not a kink in the pipe or anything like that? the fan noise might just be unavoidable aging, mine squeaks now and then but theres little to be done. you could squirt some wd40 on it if you can find it..?
might run forever like that - might make like sat. works' break room ciggie smoke fan and just gradually conk, making more and more noise and less and less output.