Jack Hartshorn Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Would I be able to convert the windscreen washer pump to electrical from manual? I’m not sure if it’s my pump and pipes that are bad, but it’s a real effort to get any fluid out to the point where I would have to pull over to do it because I have to do it that hard. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve AKA vitessesteve Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Short answer you can convert to electric pump. Long answer I think later cars used a variation of the switch which includes electric pump. Check out Spitfire 1500. Also you can convert a push activated switch by taking the push pump out and using the plunger to act on a switch. Bear in mind an electric pump will move more water so you may want to fit a bigger reservoir. Have you got a no return valve in your existing system. It is a good idea to include a valve the ensures that the water does not drop back to the reservoir. Put one on the reservoir end of the pickup and another after the pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPearce Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 23 minutes ago, Steve AKA vitessesteve said: I think later cars used a variation of the switch which includes electric pump. The later cars (Toledo, late 1500 Spitfire) had a variant of the combined twist-and-push one that featured on 13/60 Heralds. However, I'm pretty sure the 1200 Herald has a separate pull switch for the wipers and a big plunger for the washer, like on the Mk3 Spitfire. What I've done was to fit a push button (bought from Rapid or Farnell or some such) into the recessed mount for the original pump. I was intending to machine up a block of something to allow the original plunger button to operate the switch but for now it's just a slightly recessed black button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Sharp Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Hi Jack, yep you can fit an electric pump no problem. Buy a good quality pump from ANG or Canley Classics and wire a switch to your dashboard. You need to find a live source in your loom and the best one will probably be on the same in car socket . You will need a ‘chop block’ which is just a plastic electricians joining block (available on line cheap or from Halfords ) cut the red wire to the USB socket and rejoin it with the chop block adding in another wire which will be Ignition live . You can add an inline fuse (5Amp) for extra safety if you wish . Mount your new pump and take your new wire to a switch which you can mount on the dashboard or below it using a switch bracket and then take a wire from the other switch terminal through the bulkhead (there are a couple of useful holes like the choke cable one that you can squeeze a wire through ) to the new pump and then the other terminal need to go direct to earth either via the battery earth terminal or anywhere on the body (under a screw head on the bulkhead is fine even on the new pump itself if it mounted direct . Hey presto electric pump ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Hartshorn Posted October 11, 2022 Author Share Posted October 11, 2022 1 hour ago, Steve AKA vitessesteve said: Short answer you can convert to electric pump. Long answer I think later cars used a variation of the switch which includes electric pump. Check out Spitfire 1500. Also you can convert a push activated switch by taking the push pump out and using the plunger to act on a switch. Bear in mind an electric pump will move more water so you may want to fit a bigger reservoir. Have you got a no return valve in your existing system. It is a good idea to include a valve the ensures that the water does not drop back to the reservoir. Put one on the reservoir end of the pickup and another after the pump. I’m not sure if I have the no return valve in mine, is it easy to pump with a brand new pump with a not return valve or would it be worth just converting to and electric one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Hartshorn Posted October 11, 2022 Author Share Posted October 11, 2022 1 hour ago, Darren Sharp said: Hi Jack, yep you can fit an electric pump no problem. Buy a good quality pump from ANG or Canley Classics and wire a switch to your dashboard. You need to find a live source in your loom and the best one will probably be on the same in car socket . You will need a ‘chop block’ which is just a plastic electricians joining block (available on line cheap or from Halfords ) cut the red wire to the USB socket and rejoin it with the chop block adding in another wire which will be Ignition live . You can add an inline fuse (5Amp) for extra safety if you wish . Mount your new pump and take your new wire to a switch which you can mount on the dashboard or below it using a switch bracket and then take a wire from the other switch terminal through the bulkhead (there are a couple of useful holes like the choke cable one that you can squeeze a wire through ) to the new pump and then the other terminal need to go direct to earth either via the battery earth terminal or anywhere on the body (under a screw head on the bulkhead is fine even on the new pump itself if it mounted direct . Hey presto electric pump ! Sounds like a pretty lengthy process, that will probably one of my last jobs I think I might get an electric one just for easiness, do you know how much they cost roughly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glang Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 48 minutes ago, Jack Hartshorn said: I’m not sure if I have the no return valve in mine, is it easy to pump with a brand new pump with a not return valve or would it be worth just converting to and electric one? I restored my non return valve with a disc cut from plastic sheet which goes into a cage assembly on the end of the hose in the water reservoir. It needs to be the right thickness/flexibility of plastic to allow water to be sucked up into the pump chamber when you release the plunger but then seal when the plunger is next pressed. Obviously over time when not in use water will tend to drain out of the chamber and it will take a couple of strokes to refill it but although nothing like a modern electric pump system I find it quite useable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobPearce Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 10 hours ago, Jack Hartshorn said: is it easy to pump with a brand new pump with a not return valve When the plunger system is working right, it's a fairly decent shove with a finger, but probably needs two strokes to get a good squirt. When the non-return valves are missing, it's less pressure on the plunger but nothing happens. Your symptoms of needing to push hard would suggest blocked pipes, although the most likely cause of this is organic scum covering the filter on the pick-up in the washer bottle. Giving that a good clean would be a sensible first step, as you'll have no luck with an electric pump if that pickup is blocked. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 11 hours ago, Jack Hartshorn said: Sounds like a pretty lengthy process, that will probably one of my last jobs I think I might get an electric one just for easiness, do you know how much they cost roughly? It isn't a big job. Washer pumps are about a tenner. I used a complete pump/resevoir which was the same sort of price, but obvioiusly not original looking. Baut as others have said, the resevoirs get full of green gunge, which causes havoc. Give everything a goot clean, I have found hot water and a teaspoon of washing powder, chuck in a scourer and give the resevoir a goood shake helps (after an initial rinse) and then carefull check teh pipes, valves/filters etc. The wiring is straightforward when you fit an electric pump. Honest. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standardthread Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 As everyone has suggested, it's probably green slim that is the problem. When you get it sorted put an egg cup full of meths in the water each time you fill the reservoir up , it should keep the gunge away, act as an anti-freeze, and, is an excellent glass cleaner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin R Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 ......and clean the nozzle outlets with a piece of fine wire or a pin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Hartshorn Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 5 hours ago, RobPearce said: When the plunger system is working right, it's a fairly decent shove with a finger, but probably needs two strokes to get a good squirt. When the non-return valves are missing, it's less pressure on the plunger but nothing happens. Your symptoms of needing to push hard would suggest blocked pipes, although the most likely cause of this is organic scum covering the filter on the pick-up in the washer bottle. Giving that a good clean would be a sensible first step, as you'll have no luck with an electric pump if that pickup is blocked. yes i'll try cleaning the pipes first, i dont know if the pump is broken because even after about 10 pretty hard pushes it'll kind overflow out of the nozzle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Hartshorn Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 5 hours ago, Clive said: It isn't a big job. Washer pumps are about a tenner. I used a complete pump/resevoir which was the same sort of price, but obvioiusly not original looking. Baut as others have said, the resevoirs get full of green gunge, which causes havoc. Give everything a goot clean, I have found hot water and a teaspoon of washing powder, chuck in a scourer and give the resevoir a goood shake helps (after an initial rinse) and then carefull check teh pipes, valves/filters etc. The wiring is straightforward when you fit an electric pump. Honest. i'll give that a try as well, thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Hartshorn Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 3 hours ago, Kevin R said: ......and clean the nozzle outlets with a piece of fine wire or a pin. thats the first thing i tried when i tried to pump it because i know they can get dirty pretty easily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standardthread Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 Jack, It could also be a build up of limescale in the system, especially the filter (that should be in the reservoir on the end of the pipe) if your car has lived in hard water areas. To solve this take the non metal parts out of the system and soak them in vinegar (or acetic acid if you can get it) then flush them through. To take a pump problem out of the equation connect a length of pipe to the screen nozzle side of it and a length of pipe to a jar of water from the other connection and operate it, If you get a good jet of water the problem is between the pump and windscreen, if not then it is your pump. But beware, before you go down the electric route, if the problem is with the rest of the system you will burn your electric pump out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standardthread Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 Just had a look at one of my Herald washer bottles. Unless your system has been changed the non return valve is a stainless steel ball bearing inside the tube that goes inside the washer bottle, you should hear it rattle if you take the tube out of the reservoir and shake it. As in a post above, it may not be seating properly, if so, stick the end of the tube in vinegar overnight and flush it out. My filter is external in the pipe to the pump, it's a kind of closed funnel with a tube either side of it. If your pump is OK the rest of the system is simple, just a single tube to a 'T' piece that then feeds each nozzle jet. So check for splits around the 'T' piece or a tube not correctly seated on the nozzles (but then you would have wet patches inside the car). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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