Washer Fluid Low

[so2315]

I have a 2000 SEL and the low washer fluid warning has failed to show up when it is out. When I run the system check, it say's the fluid is OK. Is there a float arm in the tank or anything else to look for?

[road_rascal]

According to my 2001 Ford Service CD there is a sensor at the bottom of the tank. This is what the CD says to do to check it:

Measure the resistance between the low washer fluid level switch C117 pin 2, circuit 1303 (GY), component side and the low washer fluid level switch C117 pin 1, circuit 1205 (BK), component side, while the reservoir is empty and with washer fluid in the reservoir. (pins on the sensor switch)

Is the resistance less than 5 ohms with the reservoir empty and greater than 10,000 ohms with the reservoir filled?

If no:
INSTALL a new low washer fluid level switch. TEST the system for normal operation. (I would guess this would be the answer)

If yes:
1 Disconnect all instrument cluster connectors.
2 Check for:corrosion, pushed-out pins
3 Connect all instrument cluster connectors and make sure they seat correctly.
4 Operate the system and verify the concern is still present.

Is the concern still present?

Yes:
INSTALL a new instrument cluster. REFER to «Instrument Cluster» in this section. CLEAR the DTCs. REPEAT the instrument cluster self-test.

No:
The system is operating correctly at this time. Concern may have been caused by a loose or corroded connector. CLEAR the DTCs. REPEAT the self-test.

[so2315]

Thanks for the tip, now I just have to figure out where the pin and other techie stuff listed is at under the hood! Do you have any ideas?

[road_rascal]

If you can find the windshield washer resevoir, look towards the bottom of it- the sensor is near the bottom (I'm not sure which corner). You use a multimeter to check the resistance of the sensor (probe the two pins) with the resevoir filled and empty. If it doesn't match the above specs, the sensor is probably bad. I would also check connections for corrosion too.

[Pot Hole]

Originally Posted by road_rascal

If you can find the windshield washer resevoir, look towards the bottom of it- the sensor is near the bottom (I'm not sure which corner). You use a multimeter to check the resistance of the sensor (probe the two pins) with the resevoir filled and empty. If it doesn't match the above specs, the sensor is probably bad. I would also check connections for corrosion too.

I have the opposite problem as the fellow who started this thread - my sensor is telling me that the reservoir is low, when in actuality it is full.

Could this also be a bad sensor or corrosion problem?

[lapin_windstar]

At the risk of ranting: this is a perfect example of feature bloat. Just because you can put a sensor into the washer tank to check the level, it doesn't mean you ought to! It's just one more thing to go wrong, and it's preventing a problem that is minor in impact (no washer fluid) and easily fixed by anyone (fill up with washer fluid).

WTF>!>!>!>!>!

[lewisnc100]

Had the same problem as Pot Hole, started getting the message that the washer fluid was low when it is full. Unfortunately the reservoir is a pain to access, you have to remove the wheel well to access the bottom of the reservoir. Once I got access I confirmed my sensor was bad, thanks road_rascal for the service manual details.

So from here it should be simple, buy a replacement sensor and replace. Unfortunately the sensor is not sold individually, only comes with a new washer fluid reservoir with a MSRP of $118 or $90 on some internet sites. Add to that the time to remove a perfectly good reservoir, removing the corner light to get room, swapping the washer pumps etc. And for me the fact that I never let the washer fluid get low enough to trigger the message in all the years that I've owned the van makes the message pretty worthless for me.

Based on road_rascal's detailed post the fix was easy. Just install a 10k ohm resistor to fool the ECU into thinking the tank is full at all times. So $1.00 for a package of 5 10k ohm 1/2 watt resistors (http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ntPage=search), install one inline and no more message.

[tripletdaddy]

You're a funny man.
And a great idea!
That'll fix it.

[Pot Hole]

Originally Posted by lewisnc100

...Based on road_rascal's detailed post the fix was easy. Just install a 10k ohm resistor to fool the ECU into thinking the tank is full at all times. So $1.00 for a package of 5 10k ohm 1/2 watt resistors (http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ntPage=search), install one inline and no more message.

Perhaps I'm missing something here, but exactly how and where do you install this 10k ohm resistor? The price of the resistor is certainly reasonable, but somewhere I missed the part about where and how you go about installing one? I feel like I am perfectly capable of putting one in, I just need to know how to do it. Any help would be appreciated.

[lewisnc100]

At the bottom of the reservoir you'll see the level sensor with an electrical connection. This connection consists of 2 wires, one coming from the ECU and one going back. You will need to install the resistor inline between these two wires. The ECU then picks up the resistance measurement that would normally be coming from the level sensor and thinks the tank is full.

[Pot Hole]

Originally Posted by lewisnc100

At the bottom of the reservoir you'll see the level sensor with an electrical connection. This connection consists of 2 wires, one coming from the ECU and one going back. You will need to install the resistor inline between these two wires. The ECU then picks up the resistance measurement that would normally be coming from the level sensor and thinks the tank is full.

Thank you very much!

One minor question, is it possible to remove (unhook) the electrical connection without removing the reservoir or will I need to take it out to get to the two wires?

[lewisnc100]

Originally Posted by Pot Hole

One minor question, is it possible to remove (unhook) the electrical connection without removing the reservoir

Once you remove the wheel and the wheel well, you'll see the bottom of the reservoir with easy access to the electrical connection. You won't need to remove anything further.