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Vauxhall Astra smelly screenwash

Hello,

You may remember I asked about smelly screen wash in Astras a couple of months ago. Since then I have spoken to half a dozen other Astra owners who say they experience the same problem. I wonder why Astras are more prone to this than other cars? I did flush the reservoir out and that fixed the problem for a couple of months but the smell has come back again. Last time I crawled underneath to remove the hoses as per the Haynes book.

Another Astra owner has said I was making work for myself and that I should press and hold the wash button on the stalk until the reservoir runs dry. Is it safe to do this or is the pump only designed for momentary use? Could it be damaged (overheat?) if used continuously to drain the reservoir? I'm sure I had a battery water pistol when I was young and I was told not to press and hold the trigger for this reason, but may be my parents said this because they didn't want to get too wet ;)

TIA

Reply to
Stephen
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What did you refill it with? A good quality additive used at the highest concentration might help avoid the problem.

Every car handbook I've read says to avoid running the pump for long periods. Rallycross cars need the screenwash to run pretty much constantly; they use things like boat bilge pumps to cope with continuous operation.

I personally wouldn't risk what has been suggested to you...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

What did you refill it with? A good quality additive used at the highest concentration might help avoid the problem.

Every car handbook I've read says to avoid running the pump for long periods. Rallycross cars need the screenwash to run pretty much constantly; they use things like boat bilge pumps to cope with continuous operation.

I personally wouldn't risk what has been suggested to you...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

What did you refill it with? A good quality additive used at the highest concentration might help avoid the problem.

Every car handbook I've read says to avoid running the pump for long periods. Rallycross cars need the screenwash to run pretty much constantly; they use things like boat bilge pumps to cope with continuous operation.

I personally wouldn't risk what has been suggested to you...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

try dropping some steriliser fluid such as milton into it for a few days

Reply to
steve robinson

You are better off using the screenwash sold by Vauxhall dealers. The cheap stuff from supermarkets is just that - cheap and without the required additives to prevent bacterial growth. You were told last time to flush the resevoir and put in fresh water with a squirt of bleach and leave it for a day. Rinse again and then use vauxhall approved screenwash. The problem will be solved.

You seem genuinely thick and unable to listen to advice.

Yes, it will set fire to your car after 1min 38sec. be sure to do it by a Fire Station.

You really are thick! What a complete idiot, I doubt you can drive or even have a car. A certain amount of intelligence is required.

Reply to
Roger

On Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:17:51 +0000, Roger proclaimed:

Ignore Roger, he's a trolling, unintelligent, moron.

Mike P

Reply to
Mike P

That's a bit unfair on unintelligent trolls.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

Yea - even I could do better than that. Huh.

Reply to
Roger Hunt

In message , Stephen writes

I very much doubt they are, it'll be cheap screenwash. Buy some decent stuff with a good alcohol content.

Best way, then flush it through with a hosepipe to clean the sludge out, refit the pipe, refill, drop a couple of sterilising tablets in, flush through the pipes after they've dissolved, drain again and rinse out..

On the last few cars I've had, the washer pump turns off after a short while to prevent damage including the current heap o s**te Astra, make of that what you will.

Reply to
Clint Sharp

Thus spake Stephen ( snipped-for-privacy@invalid.org) unto the assembled multitudes:

It's never happened to me and I've had a Mk4 Astra since April 2002, and had a Mk2 Astra for the 10 years before that.

I would not risk running the pump continuously. Surely best to syphon or pump out the tank contents by other means, and sterilise as advised elsewhere in this thread.

Reply to
A.Clews

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