I bought a used 2002 ML500 and for some reason the front & rear windshield washers won't squirt. The wipers work, there's water in the reservoir but I'm not getting any washer solution out of the nozzles (three in front and one in back). Has anyone experienced this? How can all 3 squirters go bad? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

they go bad or get clogged from people using non-diluted cheap blue washer from Walmart..

or it could be that the pumps are working, but all the nozzles are plugged up..

 

How do I try to unclog the nozzles? Poke a big needle in there? Wash them with CLR?

 

usually when i find a nozzle that needs to be unclogged, i find a very small tipped needle and poke around until it sprays out like normal again.. Just make sure that if you start moving the tip around, to move it back.. you can adjust where it sprays by checking the spray pattern when it starts squirting again so its not shooting over the roof like some I have seen...

 

I have a 2000 plate ML320 and had a similar problem. I traced the hose from the pumps up to the firewall, pulled back the rubber strip, levered up the metal clips and pulled back the plastic top grill. There I found an inline return valve assembly, which I stripped, cleaned and reassembled. The washers burst into life when I flicked the lever.

Hope this helps

 

Fuse? I replaced my washer pumps on my old ML before finding out all i really neede was to repalce a fuse - DOH!!!

 

Thanks everybody for your help. Had to replace two of the washer pumps. Got a good deal from an online supplier - www.AutohausAZ.com