[erikv11]

I had the car up in the air for about a week while I replaced the front strut towers (all Mopar parts), put in a working thermostat plus new lower rad hose, and pulled the radiator to fix a pesky leak in the hydraulic hose on the mini-trans cooler.

Now there is no life to the windshield washer pump, whereas it worked fine before. Is there an obvious wire I might have pulled, or something like that?

Or in general any troubleshooting tips for this issue?

[joe_]

Check the connection at the pump to make sure the connector didn't get bumped or something.

[erikv11]

Thanks, is the pump and connector right under the reservoir?

I know I had that reservoir out last year, will have to look it up in the FSM later tonight.

[joe_]

Yeah, should be. Probably easier to get at from underneath.

[peva]

The pump plugs into a hole in the side of the reservoir near the bottom, the connector plugs into the pump. It's possible the pump popped out and there's no fluid.

[erikv11]

There was plenty of fluid, the problem was the pump did not activate when the button was pushed.

Once you remove the driver's headlight, there is plenty of access to the reservoir bottle and the pump connector. I unsnapped the connector, used a voltmeter and confirmed the connector was getting 12V when the button was pushed. Reconnected it, pump still dead.

So I removed the bottle to test the pump itself. Removed bottle, removed pump, reconnected the pump solo to the connector, still dead.

Hooked up 12V directly from the battery to the pump and it works. Switched polarities, it goes slower in one direction than the other. Ran it back and forth a few times, reinstalled it, works great. Buttoned it up.

I'm guessing the pump shaft bearings are worn and were jammed. Since a new pump is like $75 at the dealer and I figure most junkyard pups are as much of a gamble as the one in there now, let's see how long it lasts. If it locks up again soon I'll replace it. Easy enough to take in and out.

[peva]

You never know - you might never have any more problems with it. Maybe it just got a little stuck sitting for a week - piece of grit or some residue started to stiffen up, or a little bit of motor brush corrosion.

[erikv11]

Exactly, I'll hope for the best, take what I get ...

[Scooter-Man]

Your pump could be like a sticking starter, whack it a few times and see if it will work again. My Wife's old Rodeo had a similar window washer pump issue, life the hood, hit it a few times and worked once again. Naturally it was replaced.

[erikv11]

At this point I'm not going to mess with it. I'll keep that in mind if it stops again, thanks.