Help - washer pump not working

Technical Area Electrics & ICE
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  1. My model of MX-5 is: 1992 1.6 SE
  2. I’m based near: Basingstoke
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: washer pump

Since collecting the car, the washer jets haven’t worked. I thought it was the pump as I couldn’t hear it operating so ordered a replacement.

Today I was able to get to the pump located inside the front wing and found the pump. The connector on the one I bought was different, so while it was out I hooked it up to the battery just to make sure it was dead. Damn thing worked, so it’s not the pump.

Water poured out of the tank, so that wasn’t blocked either. Checked the fuses, even though I know the wipers and pump are on the same one, all good

So now I’m at a loss, any suggestions for what’s next? I guess it could be the switch on the stalk, but no idea how to test that, or it could be a wiring issue, although all that looks standard and not been played around with.

My next stop is to get it to an auto electrician - anything else I can check?

Thanks in advance

2

Rig up any spare 12v bulb you have across the car side of the pump connector and use to check power is coming when the switch is operated. Is it a 2 pin connector? If so more likely the ground side is faulty than the power.

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3

Been googling all afternoon and some posts suggest a bad ground point could cause issues, athough the pump is the only thing not working, it’s worth a try

4

With flexing and/or vibration, wires can break inside their insulation and connectors can need a wiggle to restore connectivity lost due to light corrosion.
Try and trace the wiring back from the pump and use a test lamp to find how far along you have power.
Halfords sell test lamps in the form of a screwdriver that has a sharp probe at its tip and a crocodile clip on the end of a wire to attach to an earth. Really useful.

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