Mk3 Cavalier Owners Club | Vauxhall Cavalier Dot Com

Hi guys, trying to get my headlight washers working. Wipers work perfectly but the squirters arent, got the little pump in my washer bottle for the windscreen wash.

Do I just loop out of that or is there another pump I need? And why is the pump got 2 outlet's to it (feed and return it seems?)

The car has had a complete restoration and all the pipes have been renewed, hence my problem.

Thanks.

Anyone able to help?

I'm not very familiar with the system myself.
I'll take a look at my CD auto next time I go to see it and take a few photos of the washer system for you.

Not that familiar myself but i do know they only work when lights are on and consume a lot of screenwash!

Alan

Are there not two pumps?

One for the windscreen and rear screen.
(The pump with two hoses on it).

Then a second pump for the headlamps.
(One hose on it.)

As mentioned it only works when you operate the front windscreen washers with the headlamps on.
So maybe an additional relay in there somewhere.

Robsey wrote:Are there not two pumps?

One for the windscreen and rear screen.
(The pump with two hoses on it).

Then a second pump for the headlamps.
(One hose on it.)

As mentioned it only works when you operate the front windscreen washers with the headlamps on.
So maybe an additional relay in there somewhere.

I think there is also a 2nd washer bottle under the front passenger side wing.

Hmm - I thought it was just one all singing and dancing over-size bottle under the wing, with a long filler neck on it, that has two pumps and a fluid level switch.

However having never had one on my car, I cannot say for sure.
I have one in my shed though as I was going to retrofit the level switch.

Thanks for all the replies lads!
Yeah it's 1 massive bottle under the passenger inner wing with the long filler neck but on mine there is only 1 pump and nowhere for a level sender.. Although there is an extra unused plug so maybe I've got a bottle for a car without headlamp washers.
I have the motors for the wipers working when the lights are on etc so no need for extra relays. Just the plumbing side I'm having issues with, went to see a scrap car today but all that was missing from it, typical.
I'll need to find out for definite before I go any further.

I have just disabled the headlight washers on my 1998 Astra by removing the 30 amp fuse. Pump for screen and separate pump for headlights.
I did it because the headlight washers use a horrendous amount of screen wash which ran me dry the other day. I keep the car pretty clean so felt I could do without it!

Alan

According to Haynes, the headlamp washer pump is in the filler neck.

th0m45 wrote:And why is the pump got 2 outlet's to it (feed and return it seems.

I think the 2nd outlet is for the rear washer if your car is a hatchback

th0m45 wrote: Although there is an extra unused plug so maybe I've got a bottle for a car without headlamp washers.

You could also try testing the unused plug for voltage while you operate wipers to see if it will work.

A moment of realisation.

The pump arrangement will depend on your body shape.

A hatch back will need three outlets.
Windscreen, hatch window and headlamps.
A saloon will only need two as saloons do not have rear wash / wipe.
(Please correct me if I am wrong).

So if you have a saloon bottle, then it will only have forward pump for screen and reverse pump for headlamps.

A hatch would ordinarily have forward pump for screen wash and reverse pump for hatch window.

So with headlamp wash it would need another pump on the bottle purely for the headlamp wash.

Low spec saloons have a bottle in the engine bay fixed to the suspension turret with a single pump as in my Motorsport, higher spec cars have the bottle under the wing with a single pump under the wing & another pump in the filler neck with 3 hose connections one suction line which connects on to the bottom of the bottle under the wing, one goes towards the headlights & the other goes up towards the bulkhead as in my GSI. Hope this helps you.

Thanks for all the replies chaps, yes my car is a hatchback.
I've removed my rear wiper and scoosher so I could use that for the headlights? Although I'd like the level switch so I'll be checking out that extra plug before I go much further.
The boy that had the car before me it was a v6 saloon he had as a donar car, maybe that's the bottles etc I got with my car, as mine was partially stripped when I bought it.
As for it using loads of washer fluid I'm not overly fussed, the car is only a summer/weekend toy, I use my van as a daily.

Hi everyone!

I have a Chevrolet 1994 Vectra GSi saloon here in Brazil, the same as MK3 Cav MK3 there in UK. It has never produced with the headlights washer, but I've brought from UK the washers, plumbing, a solenoid, motors and wipers. It only does not have the bottle and the pump.

But even considering that the headlights washers consumes a lot of screen wash fluid, I'll try to assemble all the parts, and use the main bottle (the one for the windscreen), replace the pump to two outlets and install all the plumbing from the bottle to the wipers.

I have some questions that I could not find the answer through the last posts I've read. Sorry to bother you with a possible double-answers:

-> For the saloon version, of course:
- How could I turn on the headlight wipers? They are always on when I turn on the windscreen wipers (intermitent, 1st speed and 2nd speed)? Or they have a independent switch/button?
- How could I turn on the headlight washers? They work exactly the same as the windscreen ones (like a few wipes after a wash command)
- What is the function of the solenoid? Allow me to only bypass the water to the headlight washers when the lights are on? Or off?

If you guys could please help me, I'd like to be the first Brazilian Cavalier with this interesting accessory. I always use my old car to travel thousand miles to vist my family, and it seems that this accessory would be worth it to clean all the small insects that melt on my car's front (grille, windscreen, and of course: the headlights!)

Thanks and cheers,
Robson Lott

Hi Robson,

Robson Lott wrote:Hi everyone!
It only does not have the bottle and the pump. (...)

This is not necessary for your conversion. With headlight wipers the car got the bigger bottle but the pump remains the same.

Robson Lott wrote: -> For the saloon version, of course:
- How could I turn on the headlight wipers? They are always on when I turn on the windscreen wipers (intermitent, 1st speed and 2nd speed)? Or they have a independent switch/button?
- How could I turn on the headlight washers? They work exactly the same as the windscreen ones (like a few wipes after a wash command)
- What is the function of the solenoid? Allow me to only bypass the water to the headlight washers when the lights are on? Or off?

The headlight wipers have no separate switch. When you turn on the headlights the headlight wipers will be automatically activated when the windscreen washers are switched on. If your headlights are off, the headlight wipers will do nothing.
Function of solenoid is following:
The car is equipped with one (!) washer pump with one(!) outlet if saloon. At the outlet is a t-piece in the hose to windscreen washers. One end is for windscreen and the other end leads to the solenoid. Solenoid has one inlet and two outlets - one for each headlight. Solenoid is activated, it lets water through to headlights. If it is not activated the water only sprays onto windscreen.

You need one more thing - a relay. I assume, that Brazilian Vectra are not equipped with any prepared cabling (European Vectra/Cavalier are). It is installed behind the inner fuse box. It is activated everytime you switch on windscreen washers but the power for solenoid and headlight wipers is fed by fuse F9 which is for interior lights, parking lamps (instrument lights and so on).

Addition to my post:
As you have a saloon you can also use a wiper switch from a hatchback model. Then you can use a washer pump from a hatch with two outlet and fit the hose of the headlight washer to the second outlet. Signal for headlight wipers and soleniod (the solenoid is obsolete then) is sourced by rear washer signal.
If you switch on windscreen washer only windscreen washers will work and if you switch on rear window washer the headlight wipers will work.

Maybe an idea worth to think about.

Tobias_CDX wrote:Addition to my post:
As you have a saloon you can also use a wiper switch from a hatchback model. Then you can use a washer pump from a hatch with two outlet and fit the hose of the headlight washer to the second outlet. Signal for headlight wipers and soleniod (the solenoid is obsolete then) is sourced by rear washer signal.
If you switch on windscreen washer only windscreen washers will work and if you switch on rear window washer the headlight wipers will work.

Maybe an idea worth to think about.

That's a neat trick, on my old V6 sedan I fitted a wiper stalk from a hatchback, and when I pushed it forward (to activate the non-existant rear wash/wipe) only the washer jets came on, not the wipers. It was handy as it meant less wear on the wiper blades as the windscreen was already wet before I could turn the wipers on. Amazingly simple but so clever.