Windshield Washer '79 Super Beetle

[frydaddy96]

The bottle in the wife's '79 exploded when I had put about 45 psi in the tire. Took about a minute for it to blow up a full bottle. Found a new stock bottle in the classifieds.

[Tim Donahoe]

You guys aren't suppose to pump Krypton gas into this system!!!

Tim

[chefpeon]

Kinda resurrecting this thread......

I have a 72 Super. The windshield washer system works fine, except I have to keep refilling my spare tire to the right PSI way too often, which leads me to believe I have a little air leak somewhere. I put some soapy water on the spare tire valve stem and the top of the cap. It looks like I have a slow leak in the cap that screws on top of the spare tire valve stem. So my question is......what is it called? Do they still make them? Either they don't exist or I'm not entering the right search terms when I try to find it on all the usual VW parts sites, like JBugs, Mid-America, Airhead Parts, CIP1, etc.

Anyone know where I can find one?

[Tim Donahoe]

I just call it a water bottle valve. You can pick up OEM used ones from the Samba Classifieds. If none are available, buy the whole bottle from the same place--with the valve/cap attached.

First, take off the valve and turn it this and that way and re-tighten. See if that helps.

Tim
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Richard O'Brien

[Tim Donahoe]

Here you go:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1526771

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[Yehan73]

There is a way to make the original system work with a backup electric pump. I placed my pump next to the bottom of the steering wheel area. The hoses got plugged into the pump. I can either run the pressure process or the electric process without interfering with each other.

[chefpeon]

[bikelash]

And just FYI, should you decide to go electric, you can wire the pump to your built in washer switch so that it functions as a pressure switch would. The stock washer stalk has an unused switch that was made for using an electric pump.
_________________
Ace

64 baja sold
72 sb wrecked
69 baja sold
69 std sold
72 sb sold
54 std sold
74 sb-ongoing
88 westy-ongoing

[chefpeon]

OK, now I'm kinda stumped. Not only am I losing pressure in the tire very quickly, but now I'm finding all the washer fluid has leaked out of the reservoir into a puddle on the garage floor. Any guesses or suggestions on this particular problem?

Cheers.....Annie

[Asleep@thewheel]

Take the spare and fill it with air then roll it around in tub of water look for bubbles thats where leak is local garage should be 10$ fix. sounds like new bottle you have coming should fix that leak.

[chefpeon]

[Tim Donahoe]

Annie, the purpose of the water-bottle valve/cap is to let the spare-tire air into your reservoir bottle ... until your spare gets down to about 26 pounds. Then the reservoir cap/valve is supposed to close so that your spare tire doesn't go flat.

Assuming your tire holds air when it's not hooked up to the washer system, then the reservoir cap/valve is probably shot.

When you get the new stuff in the mail--if your reservoir bottle is okay, then just screw on the new cap. Do this after filling the spare to 42 psi.

Hopefully, this will solve the problem--that is, if the new cap/valve is not also shot .

Before you hook up the new cap, fill up the reservoir again. Screw on the ends to the spare tire and the valve/cap. Watch and think happy thoughts.

If you still have an issue, get back to this thread. Hopefully, you don't have a broken line between the tire and valve/cap.

By the way, do you have a bottle like this:

Another by the way: I ended up installing an electric pump, due to a leak at my washer stalk at the steering column. About twenty bucks and I get a great aquirt--and no tire issues.

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[bikelash]

Another by the way: I ended up installing an electric pump, due to a leak at my washer stalk at the steering column. About twenty bucks and I get a great aquirt--and no tire issues.

Tim[/quote]

Then wire it up to the stalk and it will be activated the same way as it originally was.
_________________
Ace

64 baja sold
72 sb wrecked
69 baja sold
69 std sold
72 sb sold
54 std sold
74 sb-ongoing
88 westy-ongoing

[chefpeon]

OK, I'm gonna take a little holiday break and get back to it on Saturday I think. The guy that sold me the new washer bottle stuff guessed that a hose popped off when I overfilled the tire (I'm pretty sure I did that-oops), and that's when I found all the washer fluid on my garage floor. I'm gonna put it up on ramps to get underneath and try to reconnect the hose (if it's still OK).

Thanks for being so darn helpful!!!

Cheers....Annie

[VWCOOL]

[bikelash]

I will try to find some pics but Joel did a write up on it. When you pull the washer stalk out some have a black wire that is attached to nothing.

If there is no black wire just look for the connection point at the same place as in the pic. It is simpler than it appears. When you pull the lever back it will energize that wire. Then use that to energize your pump. Been using a new for a couple of years now and it works great
BTW this pic is from Joel's write up.
_________________
Ace

64 baja sold
72 sb wrecked
69 baja sold
69 std sold
72 sb sold
54 std sold
74 sb-ongoing
88 westy-ongoing

[VWCOOL]

Ripper, thanks for that, I will go looking for Joel's info

[chefpeon]

Welp, it looks like I may have fixed my washer system problem. I pinpointed a leak where the bottle hooks to the spare tire valve stem, and I found someone here on The Samba classifieds who was selling the whole set (bottle and both connector hoses and valve caps) for $15, so I went for it. I stuck the "new" valve cap on the spare, and voila! No more flat spare and I still have adequate pressure to activate the washer after a couple days, so I'm gonna call it fixed.

However, I did find that you can't fill the reservoir full or even halfway full with washer fluid, because when I do, the next morning I find it has all been "spat out" and the fluid is under the car on both sides, just under the front tires. I'm going to make an educated guess that the reservoir bottle needs a certain amount of air space in it for pressure purposes and too much washer fluid messes with that pressure balance. Is this a correct assumption? I find it funny that there is no "fill line" on the bottle, and also, not one mention about the washer fluid in my original owners manual. I've found that if I fill the bottle under halfway, I'm good with no leakage. Is this normal?

UPDATE: Well, shoot. Went out to the garage today and found the remainder of my washer fluid on the garage floor under both front tires. Bottle empty, no pressure in the bottle, spare down from 35 psi to 20 psi. Day before yesterday, I filled the bottle and filled the spare to 35 psi. Yesterday, the washer worked fine and the spare was still at 35 ish....there was no fluid on the floor. But today, different story. I did the soapy water test on the spare tire valve and the valve at the top of the reservoir bottle and at the cap, like the arrows in the pictures show. I didn't see any bubbling or leakage at either point.

I'm kinda stumped now. What do I check next?

[chefpeon]

@Tim Donahoe, OK, new and important clue! Last night, I refilled the washer bottle with just a little bit of washer fluid (cause I don't want to waste it). I refilled the spare to 42 psi. I put paper towels around the nozzle on the hood to catch any potential leakage. Let it sit overnight. Checked it this morning. Everything the same......fluid in bottle, psi the same, no moisture on the paper towels at all. Pulled the washer lever and got a good spray. BUT! Once I pulled
the lever, I noticed that a puddle started forming around the nozzle, and kept reappearing as quickly as I could wipe it up! So it seems that once I pull that lever it starts the process of emptying the bottle out and also the air in the spare........so what do you think? Bad switch?

[Tim Donahoe]

Annie, I suspect the switch is bad. If you're not getting water, leaking down onto the floor (at the column) then you have good contact between the hoses and the male ends of the switch. And, if none of the other hoses or end connections seem to be leaking except where you get that continual water leak at the nozzle--after operating the switch--it seems you've found your issue.

Time for a new switch. And by new, I mean new--not an old one.

They aren't cheap (WW sells them, I believe).

To be honest, I gave up on the OG system and went with an electric pump. But installing an OG switch is probably easier.

Good luck,

Tim
_________________
Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien