Windshield washer reservoir R&R

UrScubed · 01-09-2007, 05:46 PM

As part of getting the WW working on the 92, I replaced the WW reservoir and ran all new tubing. The reservoir wasn't leaking, but it appeared to have been getting a Pentosin bath for the last few years and I had to pull it to replace the tubing anyway. Quick R&R writeup with some pictures below.

This is a pretty easy job with the exception of the inner/lower nuts securing the reservoir- they're difficult to R&R without dropping them a few times. Note that most of the pictures were taken during reassembly- it was too cruddy for much detail to show up during removal.

1) (Optional) Start by jacking the car up and pulling the sound deadener/undertray- you're likely to drop something, and it will save you some aggravation if it's already off. I find it easier to see what I'm doing with it off, and it will also be easier to clean the area.

2) Siphon out as much fluid as possible- otherwise it will end up on your shoes.

3) Disconnect the fluid level wiring, and then pull the PS reservoir out of it's bracket, and pull the lines out of the clips. You don't need to disconnect the lines- just get it out of the way so you can pull the bracket it sits in and the WW reservoir. The bracket is held with 3 10mm bolts.

4) Pull the one bolt (shown against the fender) and 2 nuts (inside corners) that secure the WW reservoir. Try not to drop the nuts anywhere you can't find them again- I just loosened them and used a magnetic pickup tool to pull them out.

5)Once the reservoir is loose, tip it towards the firewall and remove the headlight washer pump by first pulling it straight up and then angling it out. This will save you trying to R&R the headlight washer lines, which are very hard to work with.

6) Once the headlight washer pump is out, disconnect the wiring for the WW pump and pull the WW reservoir up and out. This will expose untold amounts of crud if your PS lines were leaking like mine. Take this opportunity to clean up your intercooler and the general vicinity- you hopefully won't see this area again any time soon.

7) Crusty reservoir out of the car. You need to pull the WW pump and swap everything over to the new tank- there are 3 grommets (one for the HL pump, 2 for the WW pump), the strainer, and the cap. Replace the WW hose while you're in here if it hasn't been replaced- it seems to work harden and get extremely brittle where it curves over to the fender. The curved section shattered while I was removing it, but most of the rest of the line was in good shape.

8) Replacement is the reverse of removal. Be sure to do some testing before putting everything back together, or your family is likely to learn some new vocabulary. The only difficult part is getting the nuts back on the studs to secure the reservoir- they're very difficult to access. Again, I used a magnetic pickup tool to get them started, but you can also use masking or electrical tape to temporarily fasten them to the socket until you can get them started.

repeater · 01-09-2007, 07:44 PM

quattro20v · 01-09-2007, 09:00 PM

UrScubed · 01-10-2007, 07:31 AM

UrScubed · 01-10-2007, 01:22 PM

01-09-2007, 05:46 PM	#1
UrScubed AudiWorld Senior Member Garage is empty, add now Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,492	Windshield washer reservoir R&R As part of getting the WW working on the 92, I replaced the WW reservoir and ran all new tubing. The reservoir wasn't leaking, but it appeared to have been getting a Pentosin bath for the last few years and I had to pull it to replace the tubing anyway. Quick R&R writeup with some pictures below. This is a pretty easy job with the exception of the inner/lower nuts securing the reservoir- they're difficult to R&R without dropping them a few times. Note that most of the pictures were taken during reassembly- it was too cruddy for much detail to show up during removal. 1) (Optional) Start by jacking the car up and pulling the sound deadener/undertray- you're likely to drop something, and it will save you some aggravation if it's already off. I find it easier to see what I'm doing with it off, and it will also be easier to clean the area. 2) Siphon out as much fluid as possible- otherwise it will end up on your shoes. 3) Disconnect the fluid level wiring, and then pull the PS reservoir out of it's bracket, and pull the lines out of the clips. You don't need to disconnect the lines- just get it out of the way so you can pull the bracket it sits in and the WW reservoir. The bracket is held with 3 10mm bolts. 4) Pull the one bolt (shown against the fender) and 2 nuts (inside corners) that secure the WW reservoir. Try not to drop the nuts anywhere you can't find them again- I just loosened them and used a magnetic pickup tool to pull them out. 5)Once the reservoir is loose, tip it towards the firewall and remove the headlight washer pump by first pulling it straight up and then angling it out. This will save you trying to R&R the headlight washer lines, which are very hard to work with. 6) Once the headlight washer pump is out, disconnect the wiring for the WW pump and pull the WW reservoir up and out. This will expose untold amounts of crud if your PS lines were leaking like mine. Take this opportunity to clean up your intercooler and the general vicinity- you hopefully won't see this area again any time soon. 7) Crusty reservoir out of the car. You need to pull the WW pump and swap everything over to the new tank- there are 3 grommets (one for the HL pump, 2 for the WW pump), the strainer, and the cap. Replace the WW hose while you're in here if it hasn't been replaced- it seems to work harden and get extremely brittle where it curves over to the fender. The curved section shattered while I was removing it, but most of the rest of the line was in good shape. 8) Replacement is the reverse of removal. Be sure to do some testing before putting everything back together, or your family is likely to learn some new vocabulary. The only difficult part is getting the nuts back on the studs to secure the reservoir- they're very difficult to access. Again, I used a magnetic pickup tool to get them started, but you can also use masking or electrical tape to temporarily fasten them to the socket until you can get them started. __________________ 85 UrQ, 89 Rallye Golf, 95.5 S6 Sedan & Avant Too many cars, too little time.

01-09-2007, 07:44 PM	#2
repeater AudiWorld Super User Garage is empty, add now Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 13,845	I did one on my 99 A6. Serious pain in the ass. __________________ Tim - Holland, MI I don't own an Audi no more...Why am I here? I don't know. 06.Honda Ridgeline - my anti-Audi 04.Mini Cooper (hers) 94.UrS4 - with stuff (sold..sniff) 99.A6Aq - (sold) 88.80 - The Duke (sold)

01-09-2007, 09:00 PM	#3
quattro20v AudiWorld Super User Garage is empty, add now Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 3,289	nice write-up, Looks like a good candidate for the FAQs. __________________ 1997 Audi S6 - Tornado Red on Ecru ---------------------------------- RS2 with MTM Chipset Porsche 928 GTS "big blacks" with 2 piece 993tt rotors S6+ euro sport springs and Boge shocks e-code xenons with range control motors The Rest ------------- 1990 Audi 90q 20V - The Back-up 1991 Alpina B10 BiTurbo - The Hobby Car 1992 VW Passat Wagon Syncro - The Wife's

01-10-2007, 07:31 AM	#4
UrScubed AudiWorld Senior Member Garage is empty, add now Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,492	Thx- added it and my full size RH mirror writeup. __________________ 85 UrQ, 89 Rallye Golf, 95.5 S6 Sedan & Avant Too many cars, too little time.

01-10-2007, 01:22 PM	#5
UrScubed AudiWorld Senior Member Garage is empty, add now Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,492	Oops. Where's a spell check when you need one? Fixed- sorry about that, Chief. __________________ 85 UrQ, 89 Rallye Golf, 95.5 S6 Sedan & Avant Too many cars, too little time.


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