My son has a 2017 facelifted Octavia S.  Yesterday we finally got round to looking at why the rear washer doesn't spray onto the rear screen (the rear wiper works fine).  Following advice on this forum we removed the front nearside wheel and liner to expose the fluid bottle and pump.  We disconnected the pipe from the pump to the rear washer and tested that the pump was working OK.  It sprayed fluid from the pump fine so we reconnected the pipe.  We then removed the nozzle from the rear washer/wiper and tested again but nothing came out although we could hear the pump working.  There is clearly an obstruction somewhere in the pipework.  We had a good look inside and underneath the car and in the boot to check for leaks but everything was dry.  My questions are:

 

Is there anything between the pump and the rear nozzle which could be broken e.g. a secondary pump or some kind of valve?  If so where is it and how easy is it to get at?

How is the pipework routed from the front to the back of the car and again how easy is it to get at?

Is there a common spot where blockages could build up in the pipework and, if so, where is it?

Has anybody any suggestions where we go from here as this may be an MOT failure (but not sure).  Many thanks.

 

My rear washer didn't work for many years and never failed the MOT, not even an advisory note.

On 31/03/2024 at 11:29, nbramwel said:

My son has a 2017 facelifted Octavia S.  Yesterday we finally got round to looking at why the rear washer doesn't spray onto the rear screen (the rear wiper works fine).  Following advice on this forum we removed the front nearside wheel and liner to expose the fluid bottle and pump.  We disconnected the pipe from the pump to the rear washer and tested that the pump was working OK.  It sprayed fluid from the pump fine so we reconnected the pipe.  We then removed the nozzle from the rear washer/wiper and tested again but nothing came out although we could hear the pump working.  There is clearly an obstruction somewhere in the pipework.  We had a good look inside and underneath the car and in the boot to check for leaks but everything was dry.  My questions are:

 

Is there anything between the pump and the rear nozzle which could be broken e.g. a secondary pump or some kind of valve?  If so where is it and how easy is it to get at?

How is the pipework routed from the front to the back of the car and again how easy is it to get at?

Is there a common spot where blockages could build up in the pipework and, if so, where is it?

Has anybody any suggestions where we go from here as this may be an MOT failure (but not sure).  Many thanks.

I have had this problem with my Octavia 3 since acquiring it in 2018.  I have discovered that the blockage occurs in the tube supplying water to the jet nozzle assembly.  It is cause by corrosion in the steel tube, I find it unbelievable that stainless steel has not been used.  It will become blocked after a very short time.

On 31/03/2024 at 11:29, nbramwel said:

 

 

My post above on the cause of the blockage in my car should, I think, have been put into the box below.

Edited 23 September, 20241 yr by aston50uk
Grammar error

Bump!

 

Aston50uk - where is this ‘steel tube’, please?  The pump is working fine on mine, washer bottle full, but the rear washer doesn’t.  Wash, that is.

 

I’m assuming the tube is near the wiper motor, rather than at the top of the tailgate, but perhaps someone could advise, please. Thanks

The tube feeds the jet assembly, so it is directly underneath the jet assembly.

Thanks, thought it had to be, but I wanted to know which part of the tailgate lining to attack, as I’ve had trouble in the past getting the top fastenings to release.

There is no need to do anything to any lining.  The only things to remove are the cap covering the jet assembly and the jet assembly itself.

On 27/11/2024 at 19:12, aston50uk said:

There is no need to do anything to any lining.  The only things to remove are the cap covering the jet assembly and the jet assembly itself.

Apologies for coming back to you, but I’ve had the cover and jet off, and poked soft wire down the tube - went down 2.5” or so, but still no go.  But it did come out coated with some black water though.   The pump is definitely working, and the tank full.  My ‘hub’ puller won’t fit, so I’ve not been able to remove the wiper arm, which seems to be seized on the spline.  Having said that though, I don’t think that would help, as it seems the pipe runs through the motor.anyway.  Am I barking up the right tree?  Any help or other observations, please?  Hope it’s not a complete new motor.

I used piano wire, which is quite stiff, and after working this around inside the tube, it dislodged what was obvious corrosion, after which I got water flowing through the pipe.  Obviously there should be no way anything should be subject to corrosion inside the mechanism that supplies water to the jets, it is ridiculous.

48 minutes ago, aston50uk said:

I used piano wire, which is quite stiff, and after working this around inside the tube, it dislodged what was obvious corrosion, after which I got water flowing through the pipe.  Obviously there should be no way anything should be subject to corrosion inside the mechanism that supplies water to the jets, it is ridiculous.

Thanks again, I’ll persevere!  🤞

On 29/11/2024 at 11:03, aston50uk said:

I used piano wire, which is quite stiff, and after working this around inside the tube, it dislodged what was obvious corrosion, after which I got water flowing through the pipe.  Obviously there should be no way anything should be subject to corrosion inside the mechanism that supplies water to the jets, it is ridiculous.

Regular use and a good concentration of screen wash will help keep it clear, but it's ridiculous to have components that rust in a screen wash system.

At every attempt that I made to get to bottom of this issue with the local Skoda dealer, over five years, was there any sign that they understood the cause of the problem.  Or perhaps they didn’t want to admit what it was.

On 29/11/2024 at 11:03, aston50uk said:

I used piano wire, which is quite stiff, and after working this around inside the tube, it dislodged what was obvious corrosion, after which I got water flowing through the pipe.  Obviously there should be no way anything should be subject to corrosion inside the mechanism that supplies water to the jets, it is ridiculous.

Hi mate, how far did you manage to get the wire down?

 

 

It bottomed out on something and I just worked the wire up and down until I got water to flow and then operated the pump to flush it out.  I have just had to remove the jet assembly again today though, after it blocked again, and found some crud in the head of the assembly behind the two jets.  It really is a terrible set up.  It is the same jet assembly on Audis, it would seem.  I don’t know about VW.

Edited 29 December, 20241 yr by aston50uk

On 29/12/2024 at 17:10, aston50uk said:

I don’t know about VW.

It's the same....

On 29/12/2024 at 15:13, dmniel said:

Hi mate, how far did you manage to get the wire down?

I use a pin with the end snipped off and some nano-tape on the head of the pin to form a "handle" of sorts to allow me to clean and position the rear washer jets.

It works reasonably well.