Windscreen washer mod

[ian65]

Back in the day Elfords offered this mod on their Elford Turbo converted cars. The idea was to use tHE much more powerful headlamp washer pump to power the windscreen washers..... presumably because you'd be going so fast the standard pump couldn't keep up
Sounds unlikely and I've never come across a car that's been so converted.... anyone tried it?

This from their installation manual...

[Hobbawobba]

I remember seeing this posted ages ago aye. I was planning on getting rid of my headlight washer bottle and trying to get more cold air to my turbo haha. Which means a spare motor to try it with. I'm sure an aftermarket and more modern motor could be used instead though?

[myatt1972]

You'd be able to wash the screen of the car behind you

[ian65]

the original idea was to leave the headlamp washer bottle and pump where it is as the bracketry holds it securely and then mod the wiring and run an extended hose down to it... I suppose you can move it but it's more work and the pump only works with the original bottle as it fits into a housing in the bottle. You can see what I mean here...

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23

[spirit r]

You'd be able to wash the screen of the car behind you

Turn the wash jet and you'd be able to wash the people on the cross-walk.

[KYPREO]

Cool idea and one which i had never considered. It would certainly clean up the engine bay.

I had considered using the headlight washer tank as a reservoir for my water/meth injection. It has decent capacity.

The headlight washer system has always puzzled me. The US never got it at all. In Japan it was only available on the top luxury spec SE Limited and not even the flagship sports model, the GTX. Yet they were standard on the Deluxe and Limited spec in Australia (99% of models sold) and only omitted on the Sport. Same in NZ for locally delivered models.

It seems like it was standard in Europe. Are they needed for snow? Am I missing something from living in Australian climate? And yet not equipped on models sold in northern US states.

I'd be keen to know if anyone has honestly thought while driving "geez headlights are a little dirty, i might need to wash them right about now". I never have in 20 years of ownership

[Hobbawobba]

and the pump only works with the original bottle as it fits into a housing in the bottle. You can see what I mean here...

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23

Ahhhh yes of course haha

I'd be keen to know if anyone has honestly thought while driving "geez headlights are a little dirty, i might need to wash them right about now". I never have in 20 years of ownership

Yeah this is the exact reason I was thinking of removing it all and making the filler hole larger for getting fresh air in . With some tubing/ducting of some sort. A lot of the parts on these cars are all over the place aren't they hahah. I wonder if the headlight washer thing was partially due to laws in certain countries?

[aarc240]

A slight variation to the Elford idea is in my trials car.
The wiring for the original washer is connected to an extension harness (two wires from a two pin connector direct plug in) which runs to the headlight washer just about as described.
Headlight washer tank has a plastic plug in the fill neck with two 6mm tube stubs through it.
The original washer tank is still in place, 6mm hose runs from original outlet to one tube stub, another 6mm hose vents the headlight tank right up at the back corner of the engine bay. Yes. it's a bit slow to fill but I've never been that short of time while doing other service work for it to be a problem.
From headlight washer tank a tube 8mm supplies the washer jets - in this case two extras plus the standard dual outlet.
Outlet hose at 8mm was chosen because it is possible to feed this through the standard hole in the front apron alongside the headlight washer tank fill neck.
The idea is to have as much tank capacity as possible in an already cluttered engine bay and a really wide spread on the screen at good pressure - you would be surprised at how much mud and crap gets up onto even the roof in a country as dry as Australia! .

[aarc240]

Hobbawobba, have a look at the way I get cold air in from alongside the radiator. Works real well.

[ian65]

I'd be keen to know if anyone has honestly thought while driving "geez headlights are a little dirty, i might need to wash them right about now". I never have in 20 years of ownership

I've been around these cars for 32 years and in that time I've never used the headlight washers whilst driving... the only time I've ever used them are:
1. to see if they actually work when buying a car / when I've just bought a car
2. to demonstrate them when someone goes " what are these black things on the front bumper?"

Apart from that they are completely pointless... a bit like that red warning light that flashes up on the instrument cluster when the headlights are raised just in case you haven't noticed the 2 great big headlight buckets that have popped up in front of you.