wiper fluid leak

My wiper fluid bottle leaks whenever it gets bumped. If left alone it does not leak. Feeling around under the bottle, the hoses don't get wet so I think it must be a very small crack highere up that could be sealed easily. Any recommendations on what to use to seal it?

My wiper fluid bottle leaks whenever it gets bumped. If left alone it does not leak. Feeling around under the bottle, the hoses don't get wet so I think it must be a very small crack highere up that could be sealed easily. Any recommendations on what to use to seal it?

So leave it alone.... ;-)

I know of no glues that will hold on that type of plastic.

That type of plastic, if cracked, will leak all the fluid out down to the crack, bumps or no bumps which kinda implies something else is causing the leak.

I would remove the bottle for a closer inspection.

Mike

Thanks Mike. I thought about leaving it alone but it just bothers me when something is not right. I noticed the leaking while replacing the steering shaft. I'll remove it and take a look.

You may be able to use some kind of adhesive or sealant because that washer tank is not under pressure like the overflow tank is.....

It might be worth a try before replacement.

Do we know what type of plastic it is? Polyethylene perhaps?

LOL! That's how it is on my '43 GPW. Also, no computers, no power steering, no AC, no top, no heater, no power brakes, everything skid plated, steel seats ...

As I see it, you have 3 options:

1. Replace the bottle

1. Replace the bottle with something that fits in that space like a milk jug or WWAF jug.

2. Or you could remove the bottle, find the crack and repair it with plastic epoxy. I did this on my leaky reservoir for the cooling system. The local parts store didn't think they had anything that would fix it. I picked up some plastic epoxy at CTC and followed the instructions. It still doesn't leak a drop after 2 years. If you want to give it a try, the product is made by Permatex and it is named Permapoxy 5minute plastic weld. I don't want to get your hopes up. I certainly won't guarantee the results, but if you want to gamble about it might be worth a try. If you decide to try it, let me know and I will give you detailed instructions on how I used it to solve my problem. I was truly amazed by the results!

Merrill

The epoxy idea sounds good to me, got nothing to lose. Please send me the instructions. Thanks.

Please post them to the group, I am more than interested also.

Mike

Most washer bottles are HDPE (high density polyethylene) and that type of plastic is problematic to repair at home.

The best method would be with heat to fuse the crack but 99&44/100% of the time that would result in spectacular failure when attempted at home.

A "sealer" might do better than an epoxy, as I am told, because many adhesives don't stick very well to it.

You may want to practice on an old milk jug (if you are in the States.)

Rubber patch on the inside. Same type that's used for blow-up rafts. If it's a crack your toast. There just isn't any good (at-home) repair for HDPE. I have used a bit of plastic jug and some silicone caulk to make an inside repair. One of my friends used some real sticky metal sticker thingies used on engines. That glue stuck to anything.

Instructions for plastic bottle repair.

I don't guarantee this because I wasn't convinced it would work until I tried it.

The product I used was named Permapoxy 5 min plastic weld.

I used it to fix my overflow reservoir in 2005 and it hasn't leaked a drop since. But your WWAF bottle may be a totally different plastic.

I removed the reservoir and rinsed it out. The crack was about 3 inches long and easy to find on the bottom flat surface. When it was dry, I roughed up the area for about 3/4 inch (2cm) around the crack with very coarse sandpaper, then finer sandpaper (60-120). I did not drill at the ends of the crack to prevent it from spreading. I squeezed out the 2 part epoxy onto waxy paper and mixed it thoroughly with a wooden coffee stir stick. Then I slathered it over the crack as thick as possible for about 1/2 inch on each side of the crack and past the ends. I left it to dry as long as possible before reinstalling it. I removed it about 7pm and reinstalled it about 6am and drove to work. I topped it up there and it has been fine since.

I only bought one package and used about 3/4 of it for this fix.

If this doesn't work, I think I might have a good bottle on my 89 XJ partsmobile I could send you if the postage is less than a new bottle. I'll check in the morning.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Merrill

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Thanks a lot. I'll try to find this product and give it a try. It may take me a while but I'll report the results once done. Thanks to everyone who replied.