From: jjt@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (john.j.tabone)
Subject: Re: Washers running off from the presure in the spare tire - Joke?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 18:04:50 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.131909.15143@linus.mitre.org> rajiv@hilltop.mitre.org (Rajiv Kohli) writes:
>
>I got mail from a friend of mine who read this on the net. Could this be
>true or is this a bad joke. Sounds like a joke to me
>
>--------------------- Joke or not ------------------
> I am the happy (if occasionally agravated) owner of a VW Beetle - a
>  convertable actually. Recently, while driving, I noticed the
>   disgusting amount of gunk on my wind-screen, and I tried to get rid of
>   it with the windscreen washers (you know, those little squirty things
>    that put water on your windscreen).  I turned them on, but the water
>     came out in a little dribble, and did little use. I shrugged my
>      shoulders and put up with the dirt. 
>       
>	Later, my curiosity brought be back to the car, in an effort to
>	 discover why my windscreen washers failed. A little snooping
>	 around
>	  under the bonnet, and in the appropriate manuals revealed the
>	  answer: My spare tyre was flat. 
>	    
>	     Yes, you guessed it, the windscreen washers run on the
>	     pressure in the spare tyre. 
>--------------------- Joke or not ------------------

This is no joke! The windshield washers are run by pressurizing the washer
bottle from the air in the spare tire. An air line screws on to the air stem of
the spare tire. There are many drawbacks with this system because the air pressure
will go down after a short amount of time (say 1-2 days) such that the washer
fluid will dribble out like the story above.

Let me share my experience with this GREAT washer system. This past Spring I
was despairately trying to sell my wife's 1975 VW Super Beetle. I had painted
the wheels (stock slotted sport wheels) and tried to make it look real nice.
It had a factory sunroof, valour(sp?) interior, real sharp. I won't go into the
gory details of trying to sell it for 3 months, broken appointments, waiting
for no shows, etc. Well one hot May evening I went to wait for another prospect
outside my wife's place of employment (It was parked there with a FOR SALE sign
on it). It was sitting there for a week so I opened the car up, cranked opened 
the sunroof, started it up and (you guessed it) washed the windows with the 
wingshield washers. I had the spare disconnected all week so not to drain it.
Again, a no show (what is it with these people) so I proceeded to close the car
up. As I approached the car I say a large puddle of water under the car. It
wasn't antifreeze this thing is air cooled! I opened the door to find
two to three inches of washer fluid on the driver's side floor. What must have
happened is the hose broke close to the nozzle and the pressurized washer 
bottle proceeded to happily pump washer fluid into the car until it was empty.
The fluid on the ground came from the holes in the floorpans.
The very next day I took it to a local retiree who buys and sells old bugs
and sold it for $300. I took a killing on it, but I was glad to see it go.

Moral of the story: If you have a bug rig an electric washer pump in there
ASAP!!!!!

Regards,

John Tabone
Newsgroups: rec.autos,rec.autos.tech