Why is my windscreen washer not spraying?
The order to check things in when nothing comes out, why the pump is rarely the culprit, and how to stop the whole system freezing solid in the first place.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 20 min
- Read
- 5 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Check the level first, then listen. If you hear the pump whirr when you pull the stalk, the fluid is being blocked somewhere — frozen, a blocked jet, or a pipe that has come off. If you hear nothing at all, it is the fuse, the switch or the pump. In winter the answer is almost always ice, and the answer to that is to fill the bottle with a proper screenwash mixed to the strength on the bottle rather than with water.
This is one of the very few faults on a modern car that an owner can genuinely resolve in a car park with no tools, and it is worth knowing because it is also an MOT item and a real safety issue. The system is about as simple as a car system gets: a plastic bottle, a small electric pump screwed into its base, a few metres of narrow tubing, and two or four jets. There are only four things that can go wrong, and they can be separated in about thirty seconds by listening.
Safety
Step by step
- Check the level, properly.The bottle is usually large, often tucked behind a wheel arch liner, and the filler neck is frequently marked with a windscreen and water symbol. Levels are hard to judge on many cars — if in doubt, add a couple of litres and see what happens. This is by far the most common cause.
- Pull the stalk and listen with the window down.This single test splits the fault. A whirr or buzz from the front of the car means the pump is running and the blockage is downstream. Complete silence means the pump is not being told to run, or cannot.
- If the pump runs but nothing comes out, suspect ice first in winter.Water freezes in the jets and in the narrow pipes long before the bottle itself does. If the car has been outside overnight and the bottle is full of water rather than screenwash, this is almost certainly it. Park it somewhere warm, or run the heater with the demist on and try again once the car is properly warm.
- Check the jets for blockage.The tiny outlets block with wax, polish, grit and insect debris. A pin or a fine needle clears them, gently — do not force anything large enough to enlarge the hole. Many modern jets are moulded into the wiper arms and have several outlets.
- Look for a pipe that has come off.Open the bonnet, have someone operate the washers, and look for fluid squirting inside the engine bay or under the bonnet. The joint where the pipe splits to feed both jets is a common place for it to pop off, and it pushes straight back on.
- If the pump is silent, check the fuse.The fuse box lid diagram names the washer circuit. The catalogue's guide on finding and changing a car fuse covers the method. A blown washer fuse is often caused by running the pump dry or against a frozen system, which is worth knowing before you refit it and do the same again.
- Consider the pump itself last.Pumps do fail, usually after being run dry or against ice repeatedly. They are inexpensive, but they sit in the bottom of the bottle, which usually has to be drained and sometimes removed to reach — so it is a job worth pricing rather than assuming.
- Fill with proper screenwash at the right concentration.Screenwash concentrate states a mixing ratio for different temperatures — a stronger mix for hard frost. Plain water freezes, grows algae that block the jets, and does not shift road film or insects. This one habit prevents most winter washer failures.
Common mistakes
- Filling the bottle with plain water — It freezes in the jets on the first hard frost, it grows algae that block the jets in summer, and it does nothing to shift the greasy film that traffic leaves on a screen. Screenwash costs very little.
- Repeatedly operating the washers when nothing is coming out — The pump runs dry or pushes against ice, which is exactly how pumps burn out and fuses blow. Two attempts, then diagnose.
If it doesn't work
Front washers work, rear does not
Cause: Separate pump, or a pipe that has come adrift where it passes into the tailgate — Fix: The pipe runs through a flexible gaiter between body and tailgate and chafes or splits there. It is a common and cheap failure on hatchbacks and estates.
Weak dribble rather than a spray
Cause: Partially blocked jets, or a pump losing pressure — Fix: Clear the jets first with a fine pin. If both jets are equally weak after clearing, suspect the pump or a partially blocked pipe.
Spray hits the roof or the bonnet
Cause: Jets knocked out of aim, often by a car wash brush — Fix: Many jets can be nudged into position with a pin in the outlet. Aim slightly above centre of the screen so airflow at speed carries it down.
Washers work but the screen smears badly
Cause: Old wiper blades, or a screen contaminated with polish or traffic film — Fix: New blades and a proper glass clean. The catalogue's guide on smearing wipers covers it fully.
Fuse blows every time the washers are used
Cause: A seized pump, or a short in the wiring — Fix: Stop replacing the fuse. A seized pump draws far more current than it should, and that is what the fuse is telling you.
Questions people ask
Is it an MOT failure if the washers do not work?
Yes. Washers and wipers are tested together as part of the driver's view of the road, and a washer system that will not deliver enough fluid to clean the screen is a failure. It is also one of the cheapest failures to prevent.
Can I use washing-up liquid instead of screenwash?
It is a common suggestion and a poor one. It foams heavily, leaves a film that smears in low sun, contains salt in some formulations, and offers no freeze protection. Screenwash is formulated to sheet off the glass and not attack paint or rubber.
Why do my washers work in the garage but not on the road?
Usually ice: the car is warm enough to thaw the jets standing still, then the airflow at speed refreezes them. It points firmly at a bottle filled with water or with screenwash mixed too weak for the conditions.