Went to change mine out on my 88. Pump will not move. Any ideas on getting it to free up?

 

Is it frozen? Its just sitting in there with a rubber grommet shouldn't be too hard to break loose.

 

I see no rubber grommet. There was a metal ring around the front. I got that off figured it should come right out after that. I though maybe I t was frozen so I filled the tank with hot water for an hour. Still won't move

 

Yeah, been there, done that.


I removed the reservoir from the truck, set it so the pump was facing upward, and filled the pump well to the top with PBblaster (penetrating fluid). Let it soak for a couple of hours, then start twisting, pushing, and pulling to break loose, being careful not to twist off everything that the pliers can grab ahold of. Patience and perseverance was the winning ticket here.


The pump had corroded through and swelled a bit, wedging itself firmly in the plastic well. Just keep twisting to break the corrosion up and it does come out, eventually.

 

I'll try your route. I don't have any pb blaster unfortunately. But I've got it soaking in wd40 now. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

 

Finally got the pump out! But in the process made a couple holes in the reservoir. How can I go about patching a plastic reservoir?

 

If the holes are small - would think a good-quality RTV silicone sealant or Permatex liquid gasket would do it. If the holes are larger - thinking epoxy putty ribbon should gitter dun...

 

So patched up the reservoir, doesn't leak. I can hear the pump running but it doesn't push any fluid out of the hose?

 

This is exactly correct. Had several of these trucks during that era, and this is about the best way to accomplish this task. And as a deterrent to the replacement pump dying the same death, I always cleaned the pump cavity with a light scrubbing with a small piece of scotch-brite, then smeared a light coating of electrical lubricant on the outside body of the pump, and the pump cavity of the washer tank. A little preparation and protection to resist the effect of the constant moisture and onset of corrosion on the thin, tin pump casing.

By chance, did you check the orifice before you put it back together? Sometimes, some crud fills it and blocks the washer fluid. Sometimes, it just takes a while to prime the line. It's best to give it several short bursts, instead of one steady button-pressing. And it's always possible it's sucking a little air, and may never pump until you get that resolved. All just basic fundamentals of pumps. You sound like you've figured out everything up to this point, so I'm sure that if you poke around a little bit more, you'll see the obvious problem. Often too, the rubber hose gets a little brittle, cracks, and compromises suction.

 

Yeah I'm feeling quite dumb here lol. I figured maybe there was just some air in the line. Still couldnt get it to do anything. I'll check it out tomorrow when I can see and isn't as cold outside