Open the gas door on our 1985 Porsche 911 and you'll see two fillers: one for gasoline and another for windshield washer fluid.
As far as I can tell, the windshield washers have never worked since we bought the car, though few staffers I asked could remember if they ever tried to use them or not. Whatever the case, a recent inspection on our Rotary Lift revealed the reason why. Turns out you can see a lot more with the wheels off at eye level, even if you're not looking for it.
As you can see, the fill hose is worn clean through before it ever gets to the tank. It looks like the previous owner's autocross wheel alignment and its low ride height setting brought tire and hose into close proximity. And the tires he fitted were 215 mm wide instead of 205 mm wide.
Also, it appears this car's front end crash damage (yes, that's what those wrinkles are) wasn't quite pulled out all the way in this area, so the fill hose might be running a bit farther outboard than it did when everything was new and straight.
At least the suspension pickup points appear to have escaped crash damage.
I should be able to fix this now that our car's front tire size is back at the OE spec and its ride height (24.5 inches at the fender lip) is much closer to the 25.0-inch factory setting than it was before we brought it to our alignment wizard.
Of course that's just the hose. I still need to check and see if the pump still works.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing
bankerdanny says:
10:30 AM, 01/31/12
This post reminds me that I need to order a replacement reservoir and pump for my MG, which for some reason the prior owner removed and didn't include in the boxes of spare parts that came with the car when I bought it last month.
I suppose this is not a big deal in LA, but in the land of snow and salt not having the ability to clean the windshield on the fly is a major pain in the ass and something of a safety issue.
esoterica says:
11:13 AM, 01/31/12
Seems to be mesmerizingly bad design to run a hose through the wheel well in the first place. Why not just run some wiring harnesses through there too?
stovt001 says:
12:21 PM, 01/31/12
I discovered the rear washer hose on our Taurus wagon needed repair when I hit the button and it washed the *inside* of the cargo area.
church123 says:
01:05 PM, 01/31/12
Heh stovt001, at least you knew where the leak was.
We bought a used 03 Tahoe last year and the rear washer never sprayed. Couldn't figure out where the problem was until I replaced the wipers this weekend. Somone had slid one of the clamps holding the washer hose further down the wiper arm than it was supposed to be. This kinked up the hose inside the wiper arm enough to block it. Slid the clamp 1" over and voila, it worked. Sad part is how long it took me to figure it out.....
gslippy says:
03:33 PM, 01/31/12
Were fender liners fitted to this car, which may have been removed when it was lowered? I'm just thinking about a reasonable answer to the question posed by "esoterica".
Perhaps the car was lowered, the tires rubbed on the fender liners, and the owner thought removal of the liners was sufficient to solve the problem, without ever looking for other interferences.
heidis says:
04:00 PM, 01/31/12
I'd bet some washers and gaskets along the system may be shot as well. If not plugged. That Southern California ozone is murder on rubber and other soft bits.
actualsize says:
04:42 PM, 01/31/12
@heidis: Sure, but actual fluid in the tank is a baseline prerequisite. I fully expect additional hurdles after I jump over this one.
noburgers says:
05:40 PM, 01/31/12
The rotary lift is paying back! You didn't have to hire your Porsche expert to fix this problem (yet). Let Tak fix it. He's good at these little projects.
stuntman_mike says:
05:54 PM, 01/31/12
When I clicked and zoomed in on the second photo, it looks like the reservoir bottle is punctured as well. (Not that it can't be fixed instead of replaced, but it would be easier to do when it's dry.)
fordson1 says:
06:46 AM, 02/ 1/12
stuntman_mike is right - it looks like the tire rubbed against the reservoir, too - and maybe a stone caught in the tread punctured it.
You may have more crash damage than you thought - I can see a lowered suspension eating away that fill hose, but the reservoir is mostly forward of the wheel/tire ass'y, with the car at static height - if it's hitting that, the structure the reservoir is attached to my be rearward of where it should be, too.
That looks like a can of worms...
prefcustomer says:
09:56 AM, 02/ 1/12
@esoterica:
You think that's bad? Check the front wheel well of a water cooled Porsche. The *coolant hoses* run through the wheel well, and they are completely exposed (i.e., not behind a liner), at least for a short run. And, yes, I've seen tires abrade those, as well, with consequences slightly more serious than not being able to wash the windows.
88carrera says:
10:02 AM, 02/14/12
The factory ride height on the 911 would measure more like 26.5 - 27" at the front fender, unless the widebody has different fender openings in the side view. But the correct way to measure ride height is the difference between the wheel center and the torsion bar center (measure both to ground & subtract - spec is 108mm).
And after 1983, there was no "euro" height per any of the literature. Though entries in diverse internet forums will differ...