I've read a bunch of threads on these washer pumps failing, but i'm not sure what next to do.

My pump stopped turning on when I sprayed the front windshield. Tested the pump with a battery and it turned on. Tested the connector and I'm only getting a reading of 3.50. It should be closer to 13. So i'm not getting enough power to operate the pump. Whats my next step?

Thanks for the help.
S

 

Check the ETM to see if there's a relay between the switch and the pump.

 

Thanks ahab. I tested the fuse under the steering column and i get full power(11.5). I tested the yellow relay under the hood, follower(11.5). Tested the fuse under the hood next to the relay(F4), and I didn't get a reading. Am I on the right path?

Using my multimeter with DC and 20. For anyone else reading this.
Thx

 

Sort of. Your meter is set correctly. so that's good. Fuse 4 under the hood should be hot on both sides whenever the battery is connected (and the fuse isn't blown). If it's not hot on at least one side then you may not be testing correctly because there would be lots of other things not working either. If it's only hot on one side then it needs to be replaced. Assuming Fuse 4 is good, it sends power to Pin30 of the washer pump(s) relay, which should also be always hot but there are some conditions that have to be met for the pumps to run. When you activate the switch on the stalk it tells the BCU to send power to Pin86 of that same relay. When that happens the relay itself sends power from Pin30 through to Pin87 and from there it goes to the pumps.

 

I've read some threads suggesting replace the stalk. But would that do anything? My wipers work fine.

(I bought a new pump for 15 bucks, tested and it works. But it doesnt work when installed, fyi)
Thanks
S

 

You could try that, it has lots of switches in it so if you already had a spare it would be a cheap thrill and you might get lucky. Personally I would sort out the electrical part first. See if Pin30 of the relay base is always hot, that might take some investigating for you to figure out which it is Pin 30 but you could do trial and error without the risk of damaging anything. Pull the relay and put the black wire from your meter on the Neg terminal of the battery. Stick the red probe into the relay socket and see if you can find 12v. Once you get that sorted out, put the relay back in and with a helper see if you get 12v at Pin87 when the pump is activated by the stalk. This will be harder with the relay in there but testing it at the Green/Red wire at the pump will also work. If there's no power at the pump at that point you should first verify that circuit by setting your meter to Ohms and testing for continuity between Pin87 of the relay base and the Green/Red wire at the pump.

Easier than all this would be to swap Relay 3 for 4 and see if you pump starts working. If the relay is bad you can confirm this by turning on the AC and seeing if the condenser fan works. If it doesn't come on with the washer pump relay in place and the washer pump does come on with the fan relay, you've found your problem.

 

Swapped relay 3 for 4 and the AC came on. So the relays appear good.
S

 

I saw an old video where a guy removed the stalk and opened it up to clean the contacts. Reading the service manual, it says the stalk sends the signal for the fuse 19 to activate the pump. Maybe I can get a cheap stalk to test this.
S

 

Removed and cleaned the wiper stalk. Did not fix the low voltage. I’ll get this solved and share soon.

 

Do you have the ETM? You're going to have to start tracing circuits to find the culprit if the fuse, relay, stalk and pump are all good.