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prelude1980 - 23/4/10 at 05:51 PM

My mate at work has a BMW e36 1.8 coupe. He's driving down the road goes to squirt water on the windscreen and the car suddenly looses power. Any ideas what might cause this?

I can't see any relationship between engine and washer pump

Paul TigerB6 - 23/4/10 at 05:52 PM

A short circuit on the washer pump circuit?? Coincidence??

Guinness - 23/4/10 at 05:53 PM

Leak from a hose onto something electrical?

Electric short from pump motor to something engine critical (fuel pump, EFI)?

Or electric short on wiper motor?

Mike

prelude1980 - 23/4/10 at 05:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Paul TigerB6
A short circuit on the washer pump circuit?? Coincidence??



no he done it a couple of times and the engine lost power everytime, tried turning on and off all lights radio etc with no change.

David Jenkins - 23/4/10 at 05:58 PM

Possibilities:
1. a faulty pump taking far more current than it should (e.g. a bearing is dry, or it's partially blocked). I'd expect a fuse to blow though.
2. It's squirting water over something in the engine.

In other words - what they said above!

prelude1980 - 23/4/10 at 06:08 PM

well i think i'll have to have a look and see what i can find.

belgian2b - 23/4/10 at 06:23 PM

Same engine is used to move the car and pump the water

So , it is normal ( for a BMW)


Gerardo

AndyW - 23/4/10 at 06:24 PM

drain the washer bottle and then try it..........

David Jenkins - 23/4/10 at 06:31 PM

Good plan... except most washer pumps don't like to run dry.

Might be worth trying for a very short time, e.g. 10 seconds.

[Edited on 23/4/10 by David Jenkins]

Paul TigerB6 - 23/4/10 at 06:43 PM

Can a bulb be connected into the circuit in place of the washer pump - just to form a circuit and see if the car still loses power. Might be safer than running the pump dry during testing

Mark Allanson - 23/4/10 at 06:46 PM

The pumps earth has corroded and the pump is finding an alternative route through something important like the ECU, fuel pump, sensors etc

Cousin Cleotis - 23/4/10 at 07:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Allanson
The pumps earth has corroded and the pump is finding an alternative route through something important like the ECU, fuel pump, sensors etc


Sounds the most likely cause to me, if the pump is earthed to the same place as something engine related, if you cant find the earth point, run another earth just for the washer point, not really solving the problem though.

Paul

balidey - 23/4/10 at 07:38 PM

its much more simple than that.
The guy drives a BMW. They can't do more than one thing at once, such as push the accelerator pedal and also squirt the washers. Same reason why they can't do the steering and indicating at the same time

rusty nuts - 23/4/10 at 08:18 PM

Someone has plumbed the washer hose into the inlet manifold thinking it was a vacuum pipe. Seen it done !

LBMEFM - 23/4/10 at 08:39 PM

I think it's a German car thing "balidey", same applies to Jerks in Merc's

prelude1980 - 23/4/10 at 09:18 PM

quote:
Originally posted by balidey
its much more simple than that.
The guy drives a BMW. They can't do more than one thing at once, such as push the accelerator pedal and also squirt the washers. Same reason why they can't do the steering and indicating at the same time


I do like that reason I'll have to remember that for when I see him