Can't win for losing...

If you have been reading for any time now, you know that I like fixing things. I consider myself to be pretty handy with a toolbox when I'm not busy being lazy. The project for this weekend was the windshield washers on my Tahoe. Ok, a little background is needed on this story.

I'm guessing that it was about 4 years ago that I noticed little rust spots on the driveway at the left front of my Tahoe. About the same time, it made the tell-tale sounds of the battery getting weak (sort of the rump-rump sound as it starts up). I took it by NTB (owned by Sears at that time) and they diagnosed the battery as having a cracked case and I had them put in a new battery. I went with the one made for trucks and SUV's that had a heavy-duty case.

All was well for a few months, then I noticed that my washer fluid bottle must have had a leak. I'd fill it up and it would be empty in a day or 2. I just left it empty for more than a year when I decided to see what the deal was. Ok, getting to the washer bottle is not easy. You have to remove the battery, battery tray, several bolts, and a few clips that hold the inner fender liner in place, then slip if out from underneath the truck. Well, it wasn't the bottle, it was the pumps. Both the front and rear washer pumps were bad. Obviously eaten by the battery acid from the previous bad battery.

This in itself is a STUPID design. First, things sensitive to acid should not be mounted directly below the battery. Second, the pumps are canister shaped deals that attach to the bottle itself. 99% of the cars I've had before had pumps mounted to the firewall or somewhere else with just a hose leading to the bottle (ie, easier to replace without having to practically dismantle the truck.).

Ok, I replaced the pumps only to realize the little hoses that carry the fluid to their points of dispensing were also eaten by the acid. And those were dealer only items.

Well, life happens and I never got around to replacing the little hoses, until this year. Several months ago, I was at the dealership and bought the 2 little hoses, one front and one rear. Not much to them, just about 24 inches of plastic tubing with several bends molded into it to fit where it needed to go. They were about $90 total. Geez, what a rip. The pumps were only about $15 each. That gets us to today.

I went through the drill of removing the battery and battery tray. It was evident at this point that my battery is leaking a little acid. The quick diagnosis is that it seems to be coming out the top, where you add water to it. No problem, siphon a little out since it appears that I might have added too much water to it when I checked it a couple of months ago. Start replacing the tubes and realize that the rear washer motor is broken. Crap. The front one is also partially eaten. Plastic parts do not operate well when doused with battery acid. This means I have to go through the hassle of removing the washer bottle again Head to the Auto Zone and buy 2 new washer pumps to replace the ones previously replaced, but never used. I'm getting good at this. Once I returned home with the parts, I'd say it only took me about 20 minutes to get it all reassembled and tested. I will be keeping watch on the battery now. At the first sign of leakage, I'm going to replace it. These hoses and pumps are a hassle to keep changing.

I am happy to report that after about 4 years, the windshield squirters are now functioning properly.