I have a 2013 Fabia Mk2 estate, the rear washer was working but if the stalk switch was held in the rear wash position the pump would slow down and stop within 5 seconds, the wiper would do the usual few sweeps and then stop normally.

Now pushing the stalk switch forwards to use the rear wash doesn't work at all or do the few constant wiper sweeps, however the intermittent rear wipe does work, and the front windscreen wash also works.

As far as I know the same pump is used for front and rear screens so that must be okay, so does this mean the stalk switch is broken?

If the stalk switch requires replacement is it a big job and would it be easier to fit a small momentary push switch to use the rear washers?

Thanks

Sounds like the stalk switch is failing, it does happen, dirt and debris build up causing the malfunctions.

I replaced my wiper and indicator stalk (along with the clockspring) this year (sourced from Ebay), probably 40 minute job but I'm familiar with this type of disassembly etc

An auto electrician should take circa 30 minutes

Edited 23 November, 202523 Nov by Crucian

Thanks Crucian, that's what I thought but I didn't want to change the stalk so was hoping for an easier fix, however, if it's only a 40 minute job I don't mind having a go.

Do you have a link to some instructions?

4 minutes ago, montecarlo said:

Thanks Crucian, that's what I thought but I didn't want to change the stalk so was hoping for an easier fix, however, if it's only a 40 minute job I don't mind having a go.

Do you have a link to some instructions?

Mine is a fabia mk2 2014

No links, but in broad strokes.

I used the haynes manual,

remove steering wheel air bag

Remove steering wheel

Disassemble the cowl around steering column

Remove stalks

fit new stalks

re assemble steering wheel and airbag

No coding etc required

Edited 23 November, 202523 Nov by Crucian

Is there a way to test that the rear washer will definitely work without actually fitting a new stalk first?

I’m not really a fan of secondhand parts because they might have a different fault or not last long so I will probably buy a new one and they’re quite expensive.

If I could connect a live wire somewhere to test it that would be great.

Thanks

After doing a few checks of wiring, fuses and the washer outlet which were all okay, I decided to try squirting WD40 into the wash wipe switch while moving it around and this seems to have worked so it is probably burnt or contaminated contacts causing the issue.

However the washer pump starts at full pressure for a second and then quickly diminishes to nothing just like it did before it completely stopped working, there are no blockages in the pipes and the pump works well on the front screen, so I’m not sure if that means the pump has a fault or not.

If the pump is working for the front then its ok but it may be the unit that splits between rear and front The pumps are not expensive and on my sons MK1 someone had had a go with silcone sealant to stop it leaking. His rear was similar and didnt work at all but when I replaced pump it was ok. As far as I know the pump works by changing direction depending on which screen is selected. I assume the motor is supplied with reverse polarity for the rear. I think there are flaps in the splitter unit that stop the flow to the screen you dont want to wash which may be stuck. You could try a +v/-v 12v feed direct to the pump and then reverse polarity it and see if both work.

Alasdair

Thanks Alasdair I am going to leave it for now and if it completely stops working I will consider testing or changing the pump, according to Haynes it’s a bumper off job and I don’t fancy doing that in the current climatic conditions. So it sounds like you think the flaps aren’t working properly and that’s why the washer starts to spray then stops?

On our mk 1 it wasn't a bumper off job to change the pump as it can be accessed from the wheel arch by removing the wheel arch liner, so I'd be surprised if a MK2 was any different given they are largely similar in terms of chassis and arrangement of parts.

The pump spins in opposite directions for front and back washers and has a valve on the outlet to direct the flow. That valve can get clogged up with muck and gunk if screen wash jellies up over time but can be cleaned up. It can also leak.

As a starting point if its working I'd trying refilling the washer bottle with very hot water and running that through it to see if it will clear in case it is gummed up.

Just signed up to the forum to make a post about this issue (though our car is a Mk3) as I spent hours and hours trying to find someone else in the world with the problem, and then I've immediately seen this thread. 🤣 Everyone else seems to have had both washers not working (and/or the wiper motors not working); on ours the front washer works fine but there's no sound from the pump when trying to operate the rear. Fuse 22 was found to be blown so I thought replacing that might resolve it, but no joy. The other symptom we have is that the rear wiper runs constantly when the stalk is pushed back to the on position, whereas it seems it should be an intermittent sweep unless cleaning.

So irrespective of the model, sounds like it's the stalk to blame.

Edited 30 November, 202530 Nov by whitedot
Added info

Just tried firing some GT85 in as per the reply above, didn't make any difference but I noticed that if I press the stalk back with the ignition off the airbag lights on the dash come on and there's a warning beep and 'Starter system faulty! Workshop'. The car starts up perfectly fine, so no idea what that's about.

Apologies for hijacking your thread but the wiper being on constantly instead of intermittent, along with the fuse being blown and that weird error message, all seems to confirm the stalk isn't doing what it should. I'll make a thread in the right place if/when I get it sorted, because at this time of year you definitely need the rear washer.

Reply to Whitedot

Firstly, thanks for reading my post and welcome to Briskoda, I’m sure you’ll find it very helpful, just as I have done for several years.

Next, your problems might not be caused by the stalk, when the stalk is pushed to the the “on” position for the rear wiper it sends a signal to the body control module (BCM) which then tells the wiper what to do, so the BCM might be faulty instead. The stalk is less expensive to replace though so it’s a better starting point. When the rear wiper switch is in the on position (intermittent) the BCM appears to be getting the signal to put the wiper into “wash wipe mode” (constant) but not to start the washer pump. Unfortunately I don’t know how to determine which part is causing the problem apart from a process of elimination, you could try the method I used to get mine working, it’s worth a go for the price of a can of WD40 (with the straw attachment) and ten minutes of your time.

Good luck with it and don’t forget to let us all know when you’ve fixed it.

Thanks! I made another post after that one, the penetrant didn't seem to work. Your comment about the BCM makes me think the error message might be related now...

Good morning Whitedot, it looks as though we were both writing at the same time. I hope you get it sorted as well, it certainly does help to have a rear washer this time of year. I had considered fitting a second washer pump for the rear washer and a push button switch to power it, especially if it was going to be a time consuming, complicated or expensive job to fix, the parts are cheap and it could be quite a satisfying little project. Good luck with yours.

On my sons MK1 I got to the tank through the wheel arch. The valve/pump is at the bottom so managed to remove it fairly easy without removing bumper. I think haynes did mention you have to remove bumper if replacing tank but I found I could get to pump and replace wihout removing . Haynes tend to give you full dismantling info but quite often you can work around it and remove less. From memory I think a new pump with valve was £12 from amazon.

Alasdair

On 01/12/2025 at 07:35, montecarlo said:

Good morning Whitedot, it looks as though we were both writing at the same time. I hope you get it sorted as well, it certainly does help to have a rear washer this time of year. I had considered fitting a second washer pump for the rear washer and a push button switch to power it, especially if it was going to be a time consuming, complicated or expensive job to fix, the parts are cheap and it could be quite a satisfying little project. Good luck with yours.

After doing some more research I've decided to just replace the pump (and car battery, which is the original from 2016) and see what happens. I'm relatively convinced the pump is faulty but not fully broken, which may explain why the fuse was blown but replacing it has had no effect. Would also suggest the BCM is getting an unexpected response hence the incorrect wiping pattern and starter error message. If no joy, my next idea is to buy an OBD2 scanner with bidirectional control so I can try and activate the pump without using the stalk at all. This should help determine if it's the stalk, BCM or wiring somewhere is to blame.

Pretty sure it will be the pump thats failed or failing. A new one isnt too bad price plus at least you know if its the pump or not.

If battery is failing or low on charge it can cause all manner of weird electronic problems. When mine failed my MK2 Octavia dash lit up like a christmas tree with random things happening in car. Had no real warning before hand but had a few random faults/anomalies but just put it down to it being an old car. Fitted a new battery and so far so good .

plus at 9 year old i reckon your battery has done its job

Hope its a simple fix

Alasdair

Just to confirm for anyone who may come across this in future, I sorted my issue and it was due to a prior dodgy wiring job, presumably done to pass an MOT. More details in a thread I made in the Mk3 forum, but needless to say, what they'd done with the wiring is why I couldn't find anyone else with the exact same problem. 🤣