2011 E350 W/S washer pump R/R
07-17-2019, 03:39 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
2011 E350 W/S washer pump R/R
I know there are probably more threads on this one but this might save some trouble for future repairs.
First of all if you have a leak unless you see something very obvious around the filler cap area...crack etc.... pretty much plan on it being the pump. I have four different vehicles with washer fluid leaks in the last couple of years. All four were a cracked pump and all four were just over 100K
Second resign yourself to the worst case scenario of replacing the pump...…..My instinct paid off based on previous experience.
Third: If you resign yourself to the worst case scenario it still isn't that bad. Fortunately in my case for all four the pumps were fairly easy to replace. Mercedes (E350 at least) and Audi A6 work their windshield washer reservoirs around the mold of the front left fender well. Audi to the rear and E350 to the front. This comes into play because unless you have the hands and arms of a three year old the tire is most likely going to have to be removed. That also is important because the inner fender well splash shield is going to have to be removed or at least peeled back to expose the pump.
Keep in mind the pump is at the lowest part of the reservoir which for the E350 and A6 case that allows a little better use of what would normally be empty space so kudos to the lab coats in Inglestadt and Stuttgart.
Also keep in mind that if you get a "Check Washer Fluid" message this is almost a dead giveaway to the pump. The Low Level sensor which triggers that caution is usually about halfway up but not too far from the pump some maybe lower or higher but lest say 1/3 of the way up to make it simple. When the fluid drops below the level of the sensor the message will trigger until topped off.
The pump is also a good starting point because if you look at the reservoir they for the most part are built fairly sturdy. My E350 even had some sort of protective coating on the outside, I am guessing sound deadening or possibly extra rust proofing but since it is usually plastic I say sound deadening. Short of deliberate damage to the reservoir (Impact, accident....flings wife/husband comes home early...etc....) the reservoir should last pretty much the life of the vehicle.
The pump however, s at a low point, and even though protected by splash shield, subject to stress, speed, road conditions......Pennsylvania Pot Holes anyone?....you get the idea.
Mine was not quite so obvious but the crack was on the housing and ironically about the same point as the other three. Pump had a hairline fracture at the housing seam right about there the impeller and the feed tube meet. Call it bad sealant, bad design whatever but that's my story. I suspected the pump all along so I started there. Filled the reservoir FULL with plain water. Watched the leak which wasn't so obvious the first time. I removed the pump from the reservoir and waited for Niagara Falls to stop spewing and tried again. Reinstalled the pump and filled about halfway this time. As I got back to the pump I saw the slow leak at the seam I was talking about earlier. With the clear water and a black pump housing the leak will be tough to spot. I used a flashlight with the beam concentrated on the suspected area. Dried off with a towel and watch the water come right back.
With the pump isolated as the primary suspect I did one more test of the feed lines to the wiper nozzles to hopefully eliminate the feed lines as a cause. A sedan like this might not be too bad but figure a Rear Wiper setup with the reservoir in the front and lines running hopefully under the chassis but possibly through the trim panels. Some older Rear Wiper set ups had a separate reservoir for the rear but most modern day systems use one larger reservoir and two separate pumps.
I know a kind of long explanation and information but if you get a leak save a lot of trouble and be ready for it to be a pump. If you see the leak near the bottom of the splash shield or have the "Check Washer Fluid" message pretty much a dead giveaway. Also fortunate for me I did the troubleshooting at the perfect time. I ordered a new pump from Amazon for $10....FCP Euro normally primary supplier was $35. The pump itself is very easy to install. Literally NO Tools Required...NOTE I said Pump itself I didn't say splash shield or tire/wheel. The pump just take a photo of it before removal for a reference, the pump has two connections.....Electrical and the feed tube. The feed tube has a pinch clip but I was able to remove that by just sliding back. Let all fluid drain there will be a slight amount of fluid at the impeller shaft housing, That is the grommet and fluid will drain to that level. If you want to drain a touch more remove the grommet but again you have to remember to re install. My pump comes with a new grommet so I will probably replace that....because I can.
NOTE: There is no retaining clamp, bolt, nut for the pump itself. When you line up the pump and two connectors and the impeller shaft into the grommet the pump should press in and the mold of the reservoir will hold in place.
University of YouTube videos will show you removing the reservoir but pretty much not necessary. The only time I used the top part of the reservoir was to top off water for troubleshooting...….NOTE I used regular water for the troubleshooting rather than waste W/S Fluid at almost $2.00/Gallon...and that's the cheap stuff.
10mm socket for the splash shield bolts
8mm socket for the splash shield-fender mounting bolts.
Push pin Clip removal tool
Tire Tree: This is essentially a lifesaver for European Vehicles. This is a threaded stud that is threaded for the OEM spec lug studs but is threaded on one side but knurled and flat on the other. Simple as it sounds, use two of these per tire to align the tire on the hub surface and insert the other three OEM Lug Studs. As they tighten up and the tire gets flush with the hub surface you can remove the tire tree and install the remaining two OEM lug Studs. Optional but highly recommended especially since they are only about $7.00 us per pair. I ordered four pair and could theoretically work four tires at once. For Brakes this practice is highly discouraged since it is recommended that the other side can be used as a reference incase you get stuck on your current side.
Lug stud socket and wrench...
NOTE: Lug Stud not Lug Wrench. Most of you that have changed even one European vehicle tire in the last few years have probably noticed that the Europeans do things a bit different. They use Lug Studs not lug wrenches, This is important because the nut is attached to the stud and you pretty much have to lift the stud through the tire not tire through the stud. Remember these tires fully inflated can be over 30-40 pounds. My 20" SUV wheels weighted in at 58 lbs. recently.
Jack Stand...….You didn't think I would let a major project like this end without the required safety warning did you......I raised the vehicle high enough to slip the jack on the lower control arm and as you lower the vehicle the control arm will raise. Lower slowly and eventually the control arm will stop as it gets to the point where the suspension would normally be for weight on wheels. If you want to be extra sure you could set one jack stand on the front of the control arm and one on the back but the control arms appear to be a fairly sturdy pieces of cast metal.
My inspection took about 30-45 minutes. that is from first turn of the wheel lug studs to the final torque of the tire replacement. Since the new pump is scheduled to be in Friday I installed the tire without the splash shield for now. I should have been more trusting of my instincts and ordered the pump first and could have taken care of both problems at once. If I had the pump ordered I could have had the tire, splash shield removed, area inspected source of leak isolated, pump replaced, leak checked and splash shield/tire back on in about an hour. Also note that high 90s temperature.....for pretty much everywhere in the US for the next few days so factor that in and stay hydrated. I had my Dog and Sirius/XM Road Trip Radio/Bluetooth streaming to help things along.
Good luck but moral of the story short of a accident on the left fender or something deliberate I would say that in about 99% of the cases involving washer fluid leaks the problem is most likely the pump. Knowing that you can pre purchase and be ready to take the tire/splash shield apart Once or take a gamble and possibly have to go back in a second time.
Remember check for two key signs,,,,and this could be almost any vehicle. 1. "Check washer Fluid" message and 2. Water pooling or dripping at the lower base of the splash shield.
First of all if you have a leak unless you see something very obvious around the filler cap area...crack etc.... pretty much plan on it being the pump. I have four different vehicles with washer fluid leaks in the last couple of years. All four were a cracked pump and all four were just over 100K
Second resign yourself to the worst case scenario of replacing the pump...…..My instinct paid off based on previous experience.
Third: If you resign yourself to the worst case scenario it still isn't that bad. Fortunately in my case for all four the pumps were fairly easy to replace. Mercedes (E350 at least) and Audi A6 work their windshield washer reservoirs around the mold of the front left fender well. Audi to the rear and E350 to the front. This comes into play because unless you have the hands and arms of a three year old the tire is most likely going to have to be removed. That also is important because the inner fender well splash shield is going to have to be removed or at least peeled back to expose the pump.
Keep in mind the pump is at the lowest part of the reservoir which for the E350 and A6 case that allows a little better use of what would normally be empty space so kudos to the lab coats in Inglestadt and Stuttgart.
Also keep in mind that if you get a "Check Washer Fluid" message this is almost a dead giveaway to the pump. The Low Level sensor which triggers that caution is usually about halfway up but not too far from the pump some maybe lower or higher but lest say 1/3 of the way up to make it simple. When the fluid drops below the level of the sensor the message will trigger until topped off.
The pump is also a good starting point because if you look at the reservoir they for the most part are built fairly sturdy. My E350 even had some sort of protective coating on the outside, I am guessing sound deadening or possibly extra rust proofing but since it is usually plastic I say sound deadening. Short of deliberate damage to the reservoir (Impact, accident....flings wife/husband comes home early...etc....) the reservoir should last pretty much the life of the vehicle.
The pump however, s at a low point, and even though protected by splash shield, subject to stress, speed, road conditions......Pennsylvania Pot Holes anyone?....you get the idea.
Mine was not quite so obvious but the crack was on the housing and ironically about the same point as the other three. Pump had a hairline fracture at the housing seam right about there the impeller and the feed tube meet. Call it bad sealant, bad design whatever but that's my story. I suspected the pump all along so I started there. Filled the reservoir FULL with plain water. Watched the leak which wasn't so obvious the first time. I removed the pump from the reservoir and waited for Niagara Falls to stop spewing and tried again. Reinstalled the pump and filled about halfway this time. As I got back to the pump I saw the slow leak at the seam I was talking about earlier. With the clear water and a black pump housing the leak will be tough to spot. I used a flashlight with the beam concentrated on the suspected area. Dried off with a towel and watch the water come right back.
With the pump isolated as the primary suspect I did one more test of the feed lines to the wiper nozzles to hopefully eliminate the feed lines as a cause. A sedan like this might not be too bad but figure a Rear Wiper setup with the reservoir in the front and lines running hopefully under the chassis but possibly through the trim panels. Some older Rear Wiper set ups had a separate reservoir for the rear but most modern day systems use one larger reservoir and two separate pumps.
I know a kind of long explanation and information but if you get a leak save a lot of trouble and be ready for it to be a pump. If you see the leak near the bottom of the splash shield or have the "Check Washer Fluid" message pretty much a dead giveaway. Also fortunate for me I did the troubleshooting at the perfect time. I ordered a new pump from Amazon for $10....FCP Euro normally primary supplier was $35. The pump itself is very easy to install. Literally NO Tools Required...NOTE I said Pump itself I didn't say splash shield or tire/wheel. The pump just take a photo of it before removal for a reference, the pump has two connections.....Electrical and the feed tube. The feed tube has a pinch clip but I was able to remove that by just sliding back. Let all fluid drain there will be a slight amount of fluid at the impeller shaft housing, That is the grommet and fluid will drain to that level. If you want to drain a touch more remove the grommet but again you have to remember to re install. My pump comes with a new grommet so I will probably replace that....because I can.
NOTE: There is no retaining clamp, bolt, nut for the pump itself. When you line up the pump and two connectors and the impeller shaft into the grommet the pump should press in and the mold of the reservoir will hold in place.
University of YouTube videos will show you removing the reservoir but pretty much not necessary. The only time I used the top part of the reservoir was to top off water for troubleshooting...….NOTE I used regular water for the troubleshooting rather than waste W/S Fluid at almost $2.00/Gallon...and that's the cheap stuff.
10mm socket for the splash shield bolts
8mm socket for the splash shield-fender mounting bolts.
Push pin Clip removal tool
Tire Tree: This is essentially a lifesaver for European Vehicles. This is a threaded stud that is threaded for the OEM spec lug studs but is threaded on one side but knurled and flat on the other. Simple as it sounds, use two of these per tire to align the tire on the hub surface and insert the other three OEM Lug Studs. As they tighten up and the tire gets flush with the hub surface you can remove the tire tree and install the remaining two OEM lug Studs. Optional but highly recommended especially since they are only about $7.00 us per pair. I ordered four pair and could theoretically work four tires at once. For Brakes this practice is highly discouraged since it is recommended that the other side can be used as a reference incase you get stuck on your current side.
Lug stud socket and wrench...
NOTE: Lug Stud not Lug Wrench. Most of you that have changed even one European vehicle tire in the last few years have probably noticed that the Europeans do things a bit different. They use Lug Studs not lug wrenches, This is important because the nut is attached to the stud and you pretty much have to lift the stud through the tire not tire through the stud. Remember these tires fully inflated can be over 30-40 pounds. My 20" SUV wheels weighted in at 58 lbs. recently.
Jack Stand...….You didn't think I would let a major project like this end without the required safety warning did you......I raised the vehicle high enough to slip the jack on the lower control arm and as you lower the vehicle the control arm will raise. Lower slowly and eventually the control arm will stop as it gets to the point where the suspension would normally be for weight on wheels. If you want to be extra sure you could set one jack stand on the front of the control arm and one on the back but the control arms appear to be a fairly sturdy pieces of cast metal.
My inspection took about 30-45 minutes. that is from first turn of the wheel lug studs to the final torque of the tire replacement. Since the new pump is scheduled to be in Friday I installed the tire without the splash shield for now. I should have been more trusting of my instincts and ordered the pump first and could have taken care of both problems at once. If I had the pump ordered I could have had the tire, splash shield removed, area inspected source of leak isolated, pump replaced, leak checked and splash shield/tire back on in about an hour. Also note that high 90s temperature.....for pretty much everywhere in the US for the next few days so factor that in and stay hydrated. I had my Dog and Sirius/XM Road Trip Radio/Bluetooth streaming to help things along.
Good luck but moral of the story short of a accident on the left fender or something deliberate I would say that in about 99% of the cases involving washer fluid leaks the problem is most likely the pump. Knowing that you can pre purchase and be ready to take the tire/splash shield apart Once or take a gamble and possibly have to go back in a second time.
Remember check for two key signs,,,,and this could be almost any vehicle. 1. "Check washer Fluid" message and 2. Water pooling or dripping at the lower base of the splash shield.
The following users liked this post:
mercy-me (07-17-2019)
07-17-2019, 10:40 PM
#3
Member
Thread Starter
Based on where I have seen some of the presumably most simplest of parts in other vehicles......this is nothing.
Make a note everyone. The Tire Trees will do you and your back a real favor. Probably one of the best $7.00 you can spend on Amazon. I will admit that the first set of trees was a....”Filler” item to get me to the $35 FREE Shipping from Amazon but once I found out how good they work the rest were not far behind.
Make a note everyone. The Tire Trees will do you and your back a real favor. Probably one of the best $7.00 you can spend on Amazon. I will admit that the first set of trees was a....”Filler” item to get me to the $35 FREE Shipping from Amazon but once I found out how good they work the rest were not far behind.
Last edited by 2011E350; 07-17-2019 at 11:05 PM. Reason: editing grammar.
07-20-2019, 05:11 PM
#5
Member
Thread Starter
Update: Well the Amazon Prime $10 Pump didn't work but more on that later. I ordered the pump normally but when it arrived the feed tube shaft was slightly longer then the OEM pump. I didn't think much of it at first but when the feed tube retaining clip didn't fit over I though something was amiss. Tried a few more times but didn't want to push it and either break the shaft....making it non returnable. or worse yet break the clip. Called local O' Reilly's to check availability and clerk advised she had a few in stock. Asked her to pull one from stock and hold, I would be there about 20 minutes. Arrived on deck and grabbed from stock. First things first Wrong Pump. If she had asked one more question (Sedan or Wagon) instead of just going to the first one on the screen she would have gone to the next one down. Advised the other store a few minutes away had one. I asked her to call and keep trying I would be on my way. With a fairly reasonable instinct there happened to be a AutoZone right next door to the original O'Reilly's. Of course I went in and low and behold showing in stock. Usually for some reason unless it is in the front and plain sight most stuff seems to be in the warehouse. I grabbed from Stock verified fitment. Connector the same length, feed tube/impeller shaft the same length. The only difference was the upper housing cover was grey instead of black like the OEM. That's fine paid cash and on my way. Price $23 which was the middle priced one of the three that I looked at. I usually go with FCP Euro but that was $35 which the price wasn't to bad but was hoping I could get something quicker and or locally. Amazon was $10, AutoZone was $24 and FCP Euro was $35 I got totally lucky with the AutoZone about being in stock. Again price was the middle priced one and fit like a glove.
Retaining clip fit, I reinstalled the pump and filled reservoir with normal plain tap water. Left a clean dry bowl underneath the pump and with topping off the reservoir for a overnight leak check. Left wheel off and now almost 24 hours later bowl and surrounding area is dry as a bone. I removed the pump to expedite the draining of the water and with that done I can reinstall the splash shield, tire and on my way.
Note I also took the advantage of the wheel being off to upgrade my OEM Low Beam headlight to a 5000K H7...…...Plug and play Halogen about the highest level of brightness you can go without switching to LED.
Going back in work to put splash shield, tire on and then also remove the passengers tire for the passengers side headlight.
Good project and as long as the proper parts are in stock this can be probably about a 30 minute project.
Hint Sirius/XM Road trip Radio and Bluetooth make the time go by quicker. My dog is laying down near a nice bowl of ice water keeping me company.
Retaining clip fit, I reinstalled the pump and filled reservoir with normal plain tap water. Left a clean dry bowl underneath the pump and with topping off the reservoir for a overnight leak check. Left wheel off and now almost 24 hours later bowl and surrounding area is dry as a bone. I removed the pump to expedite the draining of the water and with that done I can reinstall the splash shield, tire and on my way.
Note I also took the advantage of the wheel being off to upgrade my OEM Low Beam headlight to a 5000K H7...…...Plug and play Halogen about the highest level of brightness you can go without switching to LED.
Going back in work to put splash shield, tire on and then also remove the passengers tire for the passengers side headlight.
Good project and as long as the proper parts are in stock this can be probably about a 30 minute project.
Hint Sirius/XM Road trip Radio and Bluetooth make the time go by quicker. My dog is laying down near a nice bowl of ice water keeping me company.
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