Ford Focus II (2004 - 2007) - 07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment

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Tue 24 Nov 2009 21:48
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Pete Mansell
I was surprised when both back and front windscreen washers stopped working on my 2 year old Focus. The problem was sediment and gunge in the reservoir which had blocked the filter. Unfortunately this is quite hard to get to, located under the wheel arch and behind the arch liner. The odd shape also made it tricky to clean the stuff out.

I've been playing with cars for over 40 years, and never had this problem before. I admit that over the years I have rarely added any washer additive, but why should I suddenly get this problem with a 2 year old car? In future I will try to remember to use an additive that will hopefully keep the system clean.
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Wed 25 Nov 2009 22:48
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Dave_TD
On the MkI Mondeo the trick was to stir the washer reservoir with a piece of garden cane. Or you could try aiming a jetwash lance down the filler neck to swirl all the gunge around? The only other answer would be to keep the reservoir reasonably topped up all the time, rather than filling it 2 or 3 times a year.
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Wed 25 Nov 2009 23:02
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - bell boy
i wonder if i put some plankton in the water this would eat the gunge
i know a bio chemist out of a job
this time next year he might be a millionaire
and wave to me as he drives by :-(
so im not going to tell him
that"ll learn him
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Wed 25 Nov 2009 23:53
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Pete Mansell
In the good old days the washer bottle was a simple container under the bonnet. In the Focus, and I suspect most modern cars, it is a complicated plastic container, a very weird shape about 2 foot long designed to fit under the wing. In position, you can't get into it to mechanically clean it. Even when taken out, internal access is pretty hard, poking through 2 very small holes.
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Thu 26 Nov 2009 00:07
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Ben 10
Have had a number of Mk1 and Mk2 focuses and never had this problem.
Are you in a hard water area? Have you been using tap water? If so use HFs ready mix or dilute screenwash with distilled water. Should cure your gunge problem.
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Thu 26 Nov 2009 09:33
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Pete Mansell
No, live in Manchester which has super-soft water. Have used tap water for 40 years with no problem until now!
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Thu 26 Nov 2009 10:39
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - andyp
Try flushing out by pushing a hose pipe to the bottom and leave running for several minutes and until the water runs clear and without any bits floating in it. Then add some sterilising fluid such as Milton and leave for a couple of day, then flush again and add a good quality screenwash additive.

Edited by andyp on 26/11/2009 at 10:40

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Thu 26 Nov 2009 12:59
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Pete Mansell
On the Focus11 you can't do this. The filler is quite small and there are two 90 degree bends into the main reservoir. The only real way to clean it is to remove the whole thing. I used lots of bleach and managed to clean most of it out with a long bottle brush. There is also a filter in the outlet of the reservoir, which was blocked with slimy gunge, but again isn't accessible in position. Ford wanted £45 to do this - it took me about 2 hours, but at least I know it is now pretty clean.
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Thu 21 Mar 2013 15:44
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - amyamandaallen

Had to do this the other day so thought I'd stick the 'how to' on you tube. Couldnt find a step by step on the web.

Took me about an hour to do and not that difficult in the end......and alot cheaper than a visit to ford!

Hope this helps someone......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRfc-u5INxY

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 20:16
07 1.6 Windscreen washer sediment - Simon

In my experience the sediment/gunge seems to form when either poor quality screenwash has been used or a mixture of different screenwash brands have reacted with each other.

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