Ford Focus ST Forum banner

Think Washer Fluid Is Leaking From Rear Of Drivers Side Wheel Arch

2K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  five_star 
#1 ·
think washer fluid is leaking from rear of drivers side wheel arch

orange light came on saying low washer fluid

so filled it up and it came back on again after a few hours

noticed a lot of fluid coming from the rear of the drivers side wheel arch

anyone else had this and can i fix it by shouting at it

its too cold to be messing about
 
#2 ·
QUOTE(ME-GRIMLOCK @ 12 Dec 2009, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>can i fix it by shouting at it
If it was that easy I would be a master technician in many fields.


The washer bottle is a notorious problem and just a very bad design overall. It leaks under normal use, but looks like yours is leaking more than usual.
Can try shouting at it, but think your efforts will fall on death ears. Might need to suffer the cold and whip the wheel arch off to have a look.
 
#3 ·
This is not an uncommon problem although it doesn't normally cause the tank to drain completely.
You may get by in the interim by leaving the level low and topping up more often but you will eventually have to fix the fault which is almost certainly down to the poor interconnection between the two parts of the tank.
There's lots of information on this (with pics) if you do a search.
 
#5 ·
spoke to ford about this ( 2 seperate garages ) and they claim this very forum is telling lies
, they have never replaced a leaky bottle and its not a well known issue ..

mine leaks if i fill it up to the top , so i just top it up a little every so often ... as for a warning light , i aint got one ??
 
#6 ·
QUOTE(focus149 @ 12 Dec 2009, 04:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>spoke to ford about this ( 2 seperate garages ) and they claim this very forum is telling lies
, they have never replaced a leaky bottle and its not a well known issue ..
Utter bullpoop.

Maybe the dealer's aren't aware of it because the people on here who've had the issue fixed it themselves.....rather than take the car into the dealers and a) be told there's nothing wrong b) they're all like that or c) have new parts fitted which are exactly the same design and spec as the ones which are at fault?

As posted above, search 'washer fluid leaking' or similar and you'll soon find lots of posts on the subject and a couple of photos of the washer bottle set-up behind the drivers wheelarch and the flexi palstic pipe which links the 2 sections of the reservoir plus the black rubber seal which is usually the cause of the leak!

I fixed mine with the info from here, used up washer fluid until it was below the level of the joining pipe, dried it all off abd put loads of clear silicone sealant around the joint. Job done.
 
#8 ·
And another of the 'fix' for the breather...

Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Gas Auto part Electrical wiring


Simple test for you to do.
Fill the bottle up and leave standing on your drive or road for a few hours. Check level (or puddle) to see if it's leaking. If it is, it's probably not the breather but a leak on the pipe joining the reservoirs.
If it hasn't leaked, go for a quick drive but be sure to include a couple of bends. If you come back and it's started leaking its probably the vent on the top bottle - bends start it leaking, then this causes a syphon which continued and draws off loads of fluid until you see pool under the drivers arch.
My dealer didn't believe me either until I proved it by doing this.
 

Attachments

#10 ·
The orange snowflake tells you when its 4.0c down to 0.5c (Warning - Possible risk of ice)

The orange snowflake turns red at 0c and below. (Warning - ice on road)

Well, this is how it works on the face lift.

Many new cars come out with this system, but i have only seen ford with a visual light to warn you, most car makes just beep, or the temp reading flashes.

Hope this helps.

Dave
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
QUOTE(goonturbo @ 13 Dec 2009, 08:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The orange snowflake tells you when its 4.0c down to 0.5c (Warning - Possible risk of ice)

The orange snowflake turns red at 0c and below. (Warning - ice on road)

Well, this is how it works on the face lift.

Many new cars come out with this system, but i have only seen ford with a visual light to warn you, most car makes just beep, or the temp reading flashes.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Same on the Pre Face Lift
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top