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Wed Mar 10, 2004 4:58 am

I know the washer fluid is pressured from the spare tire, and the top of the bottle has a 20" hose that runs from the seat (where the bottle stands in the hood) to the spare. Isn't there supposed to be a length of hose (seems like I'd need 4 ft. or so) that should run from the base of the bottle to the wiper arm? Maybe I'm completely wrong here (still new at this stuff and not as mechanically inclined as I hope to become.) I'd appreciate any help you might provide. Thanks

Wed Mar 10, 2004 8:42 am

You are correct. There is a hose that comes from the tyre valve to the top cap of the bottle. This valve allows air pressure from the spare tyre to enter the tank and pressurize it. The valve stops working at 20psi (I think its 20) so that your spare never goes flat. The bottom of the tank then has a hose that runs to the back of the wiper motor switch in the dash. Then a second hose goes from this switch to the nozzle in front of the windsheild. The spare tyre pressurizes the tank and hose right up to the switch. When the button in the middle of the switch is pressed it opens a valve that lets the washer fluid flow out the nozzle.

In an original car you are very lucky if the valve cap on the tank still operates. And also lucky if the switch in the dash works. It took me a while to get my system working. You can rig it to use an electric pump motor, but thats just not as cool.

Wed Mar 10, 2004 8:52 am

This was a pic for something else a while ago, but it shows the two hose fittings on the dash switch as well as the button. THe 67 + ones are different, but the hose connections and basic concept are the same.

Wed Mar 10, 2004 2:30 pm

What would be really cool is to rig up an electric switch that works off the existing "push pin" deal. Anyone done it?

Wed Mar 10, 2004 3:35 pm

Thanks for the info and picture-that helps. So I need to find some additional hose, then figure out if the valve cap and switch are working. Sounds like I might just be keeping windex and paper towels in the ghia for a bit longer!

Wed Mar 10, 2004 5:34 pm

the electric pump from late model GMC trucks and vans is really tiny and would be easy to add inline to the existing system. I have a spare one from a 1992 sierra. I contemplated using it a while ago.

Sat Mar 13, 2004 8:50 am

Last time I checked, BugCity in Rowley, CT had the hose and wiper switch, if you need 'em. They're on the Web, and it can't be a bad trip from Farmington...nowhere in CT is terribly far away.

ONe thing you said is confusing. You said the hose you have runs from the "seat" to the spare. The hose should run from the spare into the top of the bottle through a nipple on the cap. The hose from the bottom should run up to the dashboard and connect to the wiper switch. The third hose runs from the wiper switch to the nozzle on your hood. That way, air pressure comes into the top of the bottle, and pressurized fluid comes out the bottom of the bottle.

Also, you don't really need the hose from the spare. The washer bottle has a fitting on it like a bicycle tire...you can just pump the bottle up to 40#, and that gives enough pressure to empty the bottle of fluid (you would run out of fluid before you ran out of air pressure). The hose from the spare is cool, though. I have one, but only hook it up for looks every now and then. BTW, when I took my Ghia in to DMV in CT for the safety inspection, they wanted to see the washer work. I'm not sure if CT is still doing safety inspections on cars 25+ years or not, but they were a couple of years ago when I registered. Let me know if you want any advice on what they check on a VW.

Bruce

Sat Mar 13, 2004 9:08 am

GhiaNut wrote:
ONe thing you said is confusing. You said the hose you have runs from the "seat" to the spare.

I think she meant "seat" as in the front trunk metal piece that the bottle is suspended from.

My original bottle and cap do not have a schrader valve on them as you are suggesting. Or do you mean that you added one to the end of your hose instead of hooking it to the tyre? Maybe they had a valve added in later years.

Sat Mar 13, 2004 10:41 am

j_c_hamilton wrote: What would be really cool is to rig up an electric switch that works off the existing "push pin" deal. Anyone done it?

My dad did that on his 1971 Ghia back in the 1980's. Went to the FLAPS one day and picked up this very small motor. He rigged it up so that the existing switch worked. I think the motor was designed to sense a drop in pressure, whch made it kick on. That way the spare tire was never low on pressure.

Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:34 am

Oops, made a dumb mistake. The hose from the spare hooks right into the tire valve thingy on the side of the bottle, not the cap. The second hose runs from the nipple in the cap to the wiper switch.

If a Schrader valve is the thing that looks like it came off a bicycle inner tube, mine isn't in the cap...it's set right into the side of the fluid reservoir (bottle). I'm sure it's stock...it has a sticker on the side of the bottle telling (in English and German) what pressure to pump it up to, and the OE Owner's Manual talks about pumping it up. The hose from the spare to the valve came in an OEM box that was German, but not VW (I forget who made it). The owner's manual said you could get one of these hoses from your friendly VW dealer, and I figured this German company either made them for VW to sell, or just sold them on the aftermarket. So your setup doesn't have the tire valve? Where does the hose from your spare hook into?

Sat Mar 13, 2004 11:56 am

THe hose goes from the spare to the cap. The cap has a little valve inside that stops the air from leaving the tire below 20psi. The bottle doesn't have a valve on it, but I have seen those. My car is a 1970, what year is yours?

Sat Mar 13, 2004 12:02 pm

Heres what the cap looks like. I also saw some beetle style bottles with the schrader valve (bicycle valve) on them.

Sat Mar 13, 2004 2:49 pm

Mine's a 67. Guess I should have asked Monica which year she had before I started spouting off...

Sat Mar 13, 2004 3:36 pm

I kind of wish mine had that valve ghiafan. But then when I think about how many times I actually wash the window with that tank I realize it would be a waste of time to change the setup I have.

Sat Mar 13, 2004 8:01 pm

Any of you know how to fix the push button valve on the dash?
What's the most comon problem?:
1) it won't let fluid through when you push it in or
2) it won't close when you let go of the button?

Sun Mar 14, 2004 9:16 am

I have never had one apart. Mine worked when I got the car. I took it out of my dash when I painted. The button in the middle pulls out and is a long syringe looking kind of thing.

I would guess the most common problem is the seals inside deteriorate and jam up the flow of the water. I would guess the long syringe is for pushing a button inside, probably opens a valve to let the water though. If I had a broken one I would blow compressed air though both ends to see if it was clear. Maybe if I can get one for a couple of bucks at a swap I will tear it open.

Sun Mar 14, 2004 12:54 pm

I think she meant "seat" as in the front trunk metal piece that the bottle is suspended from.
Right- the bottle clips into this metal piece and is held upright. Thanks for the tip on where to get the hose, ghianut. I can order it by the foot from BugCity, and it's cheap enough that if I can't work out the problem it won't be a big deal. I've got a '73 'vert, by the way. Sounds like we've got different setups. Are you going to the Litchfield Bug-in? Maybe you can show me yours and I'll show you mine...

Mon Mar 15, 2004 6:21 am

Any of you know how to fix the push button valve on the dash?
What's the most comon problem?:
1) it won't let fluid through when you push it in or
2) it won't close when you let go of the button?

Most common problem is internal leak-by. The valve won't hold pressure, and weeps fluid out when you try to pressurize the tank. I am not aware of anywhere you can get the rubber/plastic internal parts, and if you could, it probably wouldn't be worth the time/$ to tear it apart. So, rule out everything else first. Usually, replacing rotted hose cures most problems. Another common problem is the gasket on the bottle cap. If it leaks, no pressure equals no washer fluid. If everything else is OK...save up $50 and buy a new one.

Are you going to the Litchfield Bug-in? Maybe you can show me yours and I'll show you mine...

If, by the grace of all the mechanical gods, I actually get my baby re-assembled, this will be the first year I enter it at Litchfield. She (Andrea) was running for the last three years I've been to the show, but this will be the first year I felt comfortable putting her on display. After seeing some of the other cars, she won't take a prize, but she'll make me proud.

I call her Andrea after the German-born wife of a good friend. She's ornery and never works, and costs a lot of money to maintain, too.

Tue Mar 16, 2004 11:12 am

Here's a new cap/hose, if anybody's looking for one.
http://thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/index.php?alert+200312211807164171