Windshield Washer/Wiper Fluid Leak
 

Hi Guys,

I have a 2010 Honda Fit DX, A problem just arose with my windshield wiper fluid. Here go...

-I get home last night, have a fresh bottle of wiper fluid, top it off, I only ever use -40C fluid, were in Canada and its frozen half the year up here.

-I get into the Fit this morning to goto work and I spray my front wipers in the driveway, fluid is coming out high pressure everything looks good.

-I then try spray the rear, nothing comes out. On my 20min drive to work I try spraying again and again, thought I would try to re-prime it or whatever. Still nothing. Tried the front their still working.

-I get to work in parking lot, try to spray once more, still nothing. I'm thinking a hose is off or something.

-Get back in my car 20min later to do a service call and I notice, my washer fluid light is on, I'm thinking "I just filled this up last night". Tried to spray the fronts again which was just working, now I'm getting nothing out of them too.

-Stop at a gas station have a look at the hoses, they all seem to be connected, check the rear hatch hose, it looks fine. The reservoir is completely empty.

Any input on this would be great, I don't think the reservoir is cracked as there was no puddle under the car in the garage. The fronts were working, my thinking is it has something to do with that rear line, is there an overflow if a line is plugged?

Thanks in advance! looking forward to hearing from you guys.

Update
 

Just wanted to update you guys on this, I came home last night decided to throw some more wiper fluid in to test. I ran the rear wiper "nothing came out as expected", so I look under the car to see if there is any leaks. Nothing leaking under the car, so I said forget it I will worry about this in the morning. Wake up this morning and bingo, a huge puddle of wiper fluid in the back passenger side seat. I would really like to know why that line would sever in the door channel? nothing is moving in there. The only thing I can think of is a fitting that may have cracked, or a clamp that was not put on. I've owned 5 cars and this is defiantly a first. I'm going to my mechanic on Thursday to see what he finds. Unbelievable!

How did wiper fluid get inside the rear passenger compartment? Are you sure its wiper fluid and not rain water...I haven't look, but I would assume that the hose would run under the vehicle. Opps...you said "seat", not the floor. So the fluid is coming from the interior ceiling area?

Be glad it is not the reservoir. We just replaced one in my daughter's 2011 Sport due to a crack in the bottom of it. What a pain that job was. The front bumper had to be removed to get it out. I do not know the routing of the hose going to the rear. I know where it starts under the hood on the firewall. I assume that it goes over head down the passenger side. I also do not know what it is made of, but if it is hard plastic there is a good possibility that is once froze and broke. I have seen that happen on other vehicles where someone put water in the reservoir.

The Wiper fluid was in a puddle on the floor in back on the passenger side., I was told it runs through the channel along the passenger side doors, its not rain water because its as blue as can be, any it hasnt rained here for a while.

I'm the only one who puts fluids in the cars, so it can't be that because all I put is -40c, thanks for replying though. All I know is something broke!

We understand...so help us out...let us know exactly what you find. What/where/and why was the problem. Maybe nothing broke, but rather became disconnected.

The Fix
 

Hey guys so my mechanic had look and found the problem in 2 minutes. He pulled off the molding right by the rear passenger door on the floor there was a channel with cables and wiper fluid hose in it. Where ever the hose turned there was a connector or a fitting, the hose came off the fitting. They don't use gear clamps at these junctions, my mechanic said it probably can off from the expanding and contracting from the extreme heat of the summer to the cold of the winter. Funny thing is the hose connection lasted 4 years, then failed. He zipp tied that connector so it should never come off. Any other questions please feel free to ask.

Windshield fluid
 

Usually that is caused by freezing. Some idiot in the past probably filled it with water. When winter came it froze. The when freezing the elbows usually push apart rather than the hose splitting. That is a good thing. Just make sure that you have 100% winter mix in the washer reservoir and then pump a lot of it through the system to the rear window to wash out any possible water or weak mixed windshield solvent. After that you should be OK.

Who fills a washer reservoir with only water?

The last two cases of frozen ones both came on used cars sold by new car dealerships. One was a Ford dealership and the other was a Honda dealership. They figure if it is spring or summer, no one will notice and the car will be sold before winter. In the case of the Honda it was done in April but the car went through 3 different dealerships and was not sold until November. It was filled as part of their ?? point inspection and oil change. It was documented as such.
After all they might have saved $.50 worth of windshield solvent.