Hi everyone

Having a bit of trouble with the window washers on my MK3 Fabia, which have stopped working recently. Hoping someone could maybe point me in the right direction?

• Front and Rear window washers are not working. Window wipers both work fine normally, just not the washer function
• When engaging either washer the wipers will come on but nothing else happens - no noise from the pump either
• The washer reservoir is full of fluid. Admittedly this was a very poor mix of concentrate and water, and temperatures have recently been -5c
• I topped the reservoir up with roasting hot water in the hope it would thaw out any frozen water in the system, I could then clear it out and fill it up with proper screenwash. This didn't work
• Sprayed hot water on the washer jets in the hope it would thaw them. Still didn't work
• Checked 10amp fuse for Front & Rear washer system which hasn't blown

The car has been booked into Skoda on Monday morning for a diagnosis, but I suppose I am really just looking to save myself the embarrassment if it has been caused by something I have done.

 

Can anyone confirm that the pump on their MK3 does indeed make noise when either A - the system is frozen, or B - the system is completely out of water?

Any other advise offered would be gratefully appreciated

Thanks in advance

Steven

You should be able to hear the pump running, if the nozzles had frozen the worse that should happen is that a pipe might pop off, then you would see water on the floor, but you would still hear the pump running.

I'm sure that you will not be the first person to end up allowing the washer fluid to freeze up in winter. Hopefully now you have learned from that lesson, personally I tend to keep "winter" strength fluid all year round - buy concentrate and mix in bulk! 

Your dealer will also know what has probably happened so should be able to resolve it quickly - sorry I have not studied the fuse usage of these cars, but I'd hope by today that your system should have thawed out - I opened the bonnet of my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza yesterday now that the thaw had started, and the entire underside of it was laden with water from thawing frost! Took it for a run so that should have dried things up a bit.

 

As said already, the failure mode at least on previous models has been :- blown pump fuse or pipes getting forced off at couplings.  Sometimes, it seems that at winter with new model, fuses get uprated??  In extreme case, I could guess that the pump could fail.

Edited 27 November, 20169 yr by rum4mo

Thanks for the replies. Turns out it was a dodgy fuse. Strange as I checked the fuse in the handbook and it was fine. Never asked which one it was, I was just happy it was fixed - oh and free wash and hoover too

I am having similar issue with a Fabia III, no noise from the pump, fuse appears OK, any ideas ?

 

On 5/2/2018 at 11:07, Panther_uk said:

fuse appears OK, any ideas ?

 

Check fuses 22, 27, 31 and 46.

 

Thanks AG Falco

Will do thanks

There seems to be quite a few* electrical things not working on the front of that "pranged" Fabia - is the loom damaged? or a connector popped?

 

I have no idea where the loom runs, or if there is a connector down there somewhere, sorry.

 

 

 

* indicator, front assist, screen washer.

Edited 4 May, 20188 yr by johnh510
itemising issues

Don't know what's going on with it as the front radar nor the washer pump worked before the 'prang'

 

It's off to get the front end repaired in the next week or so and then off to Webuyanycar !!

On 03/05/2018 at 21:52, AGFalco said:

 

 

Check fuses 22, 27, 31 and 46.

 

 Thanks AG Falco

that's a great tip. I checked the obvious fuse (46) and it was ok so I was then worried that it might be something more serious ... but it was fuse 22 !! Many thanks for that.

On 28/11/2016 at 21:07, stevende85 said:

Thanks for the replies. Turns out it was a dodgy fuse. Strange as I checked the fuse in the handbook and it was fine. Never asked which one it was, I was just happy it was fixed - oh and free wash and hoover too

You may have done what I did: checked the obviously labelled fuse 46. But it turned out it was fuse 22 (thanks to AC Falco) .. they probably found fuse 22 but the free wash was worth it!

Well, My washers front and rear just stopped working during this cold snap. Unfortunately today, despite the mild weather there was still no life. I had researched and found fuse 46 to be the culprit. Swapped that out but still no joy. On finding this thread I tried fuse 2. Bingo, it worked - thanks very much

On 03/05/2018 at 21:52, AGFalco said:

 

 

Check fuses 22, 27, 31 and 46.

 

Thanks AG Falco

 

Mine in a 2016 (Mk III) 1.2 were working OK until the cold snap. 

 

Thought it was just the jets frozen but still nothing after the thaw. 

 

Handbook suggests fuse 46 is washers but that was complete. 

 

Was about to book it into the garage when I read the above. Fuse 22, a tiny little 7.5amp jobby - Bingo!! 

 

No 7.5 amp in my spares kit but there was a 10amp of the same profile. Fitted that and normal service resumed. 

 

Will get a 7.5amp and fit it asap as I'm well aware of the maxim about not solving problems with a bigger fuse... 

Meant to add thanks to A G Falco for the steer here. 

Thanks Falco, was all set to head to the garage.

Just bought a 2017 Skoda Fabia Mark 3 and the only issue was that the screen washers were not working. Pulled out fuse 22 and saw it was blown. Swapped it with the radar fuse below it (for now) and the washers now work! Thanks for the tip, AG Falco!

Not sure if anyone can help so having the same issue pump not working tested pump and it’s functioning direct from 12v supply 

checked voltage drop across the 2 pins while the wiper stalk is being pressed and I’m running at 4v instead of 12v I have continuity  between + and - on the block connector to the pump anyone seen this on a 2016 fabia 

Hi, welcome.

 

@Breezy_Pete would probably be able to help you, he may be along from this contact.

 

Good luck.

 

The control stalks on this model of Polo/Ibiza/Fabia and even maybe A1 tend to be "not very good" - I've yet to discover that personally but it sounds like maybe you have! 

 

Maybe attempt to take the relevant section of the stalk apart and see if it looks like it has failed/burnt contacts, then see if a good clean up gets it back working.

So when I press the wiper stalk to activate washers only the rear one activates 

 

What exactly do you mean by that because that sounds different to your previous post.

 

Do you mean when you operate the stalk to activate the windscreen washer it doesn't work but when you operate for the rear window the washer does work, two different operations?

 

Below is from my wife's 2015 Owner's Manual. -

 

Edited 3 June, 20242 yr by nta16

+1 for fuse 22 , thanks for this everyone. Recent cold weather in Scotland seems to have broken it, I’m not sure why, I’m not an idiot, I know not to use the washers once you quickly know it’s frozen. Maybe this car is a bit more fussy than those I’ve had before. 
 

anyway, all fixed for the price of £1.50! 

Hi, I have a 2022 Mk3 Skoda Fabia estate with the exact symptoms described in this post: front and rear washers not operating via stalk on steering column. I cannot hear washer pump motor running. Wipers do operate. Washer bottle is full. I have checked all 5 of the fuses mentioned here (2, 22, 27, 31 & 46) and all are good. We have not had any wintry weather since washers were last working, and in any case I always put the car in the garage overnight. Ideas anyone?

Unless it has a common fix, if you cannot hear the washer motor then either the washer motor isn't getting good, or any, power (or earth), or the washer motor is kaput, as the car manufacturer might say. Or the wiring, connection(s), switch need attention. Even I doubt it would be the interfering computer systems (tho' you never know with such a recent car).

If you've had anyone working or messing around the bottle or wing or steering column they might have disturbed or bugger'd something up, or left something unconnected.

I'm not sure what a scan tool can do for this but after checking fuses possibly the next slightly not such PITA and awkward thing might be to check the electric connector to the washer bottle, visual check for corrasion and clean and protect anyway, a meter to see if power gets to the washer connector and go from there.

Thanks nta16, I reached the same conclusion myself.

I looked up on Youtube the procedure for changing the washer pump. The pump and washer bottle are behind the front bumper, and to access it (and its electrical and water connections) the first step is to remove the front wheel and then remove the wheel arch liner, which is held in place by several T25 screws. After that, the rest is easy.

If that's how it is, I only want to do the dismantling step once. So I have ordered an aftermarket pump for £10.48 on Amazon (it was the same price on eBay, but on Amazon I can get it next day). We'll see how I get on.