Windscreen washer reservoir

[Cavalier342]

Thought i'd kill some time this afternoon and clean what i can in the engine bay...
Came across to me to clean the reservoir as it was yellowy and greasy. So instead of wiping it over like previously, here's what i did. Estimated time is 30-40 mins depending on preparation of tools etc. (no pics, sorry)

1)Remove the battery
2)Unbolt the reservoir, just the one bottom bolt. Disconnect the thin power lead on top and the small pump unit on the side, and remove the reservoir. The pump unit just pulls off with a bit of a twist.
3)At the kitchen sink, (my chosen place) twist and remove the filler cap, and rinse and drain the tank a few times in hot water.
4)First i tried washing up liquid but it took forever, so i got some bleach, filled a tub with hot water/bleach, and scrubbed away furiously. The tricky bit will be the dark grimy mark left around the filling hole. (hard brush or a scrubbing sponge comes in well here) (Also note that after using tesco value rubber gloves my hands were covered in bits of fluff from inside the gloves so get a good pair)
5)Flush and drain the tank several times and peep inside to see if there's any gunky stuff on the inner walls, if so, a toothbrush i found was effective in removing it. Any long thin brush will do here.
6)Clean the filler cap.
7)Wipe dry the cap and tank and fit back into the mounting brackets in the engine bay and tighen the bolt. (It may also be a good idea at this point to clean and dry the bodywork around the battery tray area and look for rust etc.)
8)Refit the battery, and leads, refill the washer reservoir, plug the lead and pump back on it and wipe away any wet patches left around the engine bay.
It really came up amazing in my attempt, so give it a go if you already havent.
Note that obviously on GSi's and other high spec models, the reservoir is hidden in the wing, this method applies only to the smaller engines, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8.
From now on i intend to run the reservoir right down to empty then refill, rather than topping it up all the time, as the water in my opinion goes stale and will make the reservoir look dirty again.)
Any questions, or futher tips, please reply
Andrei

[marcia]

I do this quite regularly with my washer bottle and coolant expansion bottle,only thing i put them in the dish washer,wait till wifes out though,the bottles come up like new.Is this sick or what.
William

[Cavalier342]

not a bad idea, but the dishwasher won't thoroughly do the insides. Thats where doing it by hand turns out better i think. Still, waiting till the wife is out sounds quite funny

[marcia]

Once you have cleaned them this way a few times the bottles are easier to keep clean,try a dish washer tablet inside the bottle.
William

[Cavalier342]

Fair point. May give it a go next time. I do prefer doing it by hand though.

[Envoy CDX]

Dishwasher does do a fair job. Better still use a mates while his parents are away for the weekend


Another top tip though Andrei!

[Cavalier342]

No Problemo

[solaris]

good tips , i cleaned mine this weekend was bored. it was black/green filthy inside never been cleaned, used soda crystals and boiling hot water left fo 2 hours looks like new

[2cavs]

Great tip - i had heard of the dishwasher method before but was never keen to try it

[SRi_stu]

I've cleaned inet manifolds in the dishwasher before, never considered cleaning the washer bottle though

[Kevwaggy]

Save a lot of time with messy washer reservoirs by simply buying a V6, it's then hidden under the wing

[GSi mon]

Here is a good tip and ive tried it when flushing oil out of a Vectra V6 cooling system and expansion tank..........

DAZ washing Powder just fill the holes in the tank with a cloth or something and put in half a cup full of powder and then fill with boiling water give it a shake and a soak and the grease and crap will just fall off