Joy, Karl W raises a good point about speed. I use a safety pin to direct the spray at or just below a piece of tape on the inside of the windshield. sit at the wheel and stick the tape at eye level. forward speed wil counter gravity a bit ; even a bit more with `Rain-X'. it's not rocket surgery but a major pain in the hair to keep adjusting the spray pattern to an unmarked point. my best with the elecs ...���������� mike

 

________________________________
 From: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM 
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 1:03 PM
Subject: intermittent electrical problem in dashboard and wiper fluid              problem
 
Hi folks,

Now that Matilda is running properly, figures that other stuff would
surface...

First problem - I seem to have an intermittent electrical problem in the
dashboard.� Sometimes the light behind the speedometer doesn't go on, and
with it several other things - the blowers to defrost the windshield, in
particular.� Wipers work, the light on the clock works.� I don't know if
the light on the tach works because it has been disconnected for ages.

I couldn't find the fuse chart, to figure out which fuse(s) control these
things.� Is it in the Bentley somewhere?� Or elsewhere?� Could this be a
fuse problem?� Or more likely a loose connection somewhere in the dash?

Matilda's an '89 - that might affect which fuses are relevant, I suppose.

Second problem - the pump that should put out wiper fluid makes noises but
no fluid comes out.� (I just poured a bunch in, so the tank isn't empty.
Unless it has a leak, but I didn't notice one.� And since there's a noise,
this isn't part of the aforementioned electrical problem.)� Could something
be blocked in the system?� I haven't tried to use wiper fluid since last
winter - and for a LONG time I have had major problems trying to get fluid
to spray in the right place on the windshield.� Endless application of a
pin to move the jets this way and that, but the fluid is always too high or
too low.� Might these two problems even be related, if things are clogged?
Or does it sound like I need a new wiper fluid pump?� Do others have major
trouble trying to get the fluid to go in the right places to actually clear
the windshield?

Both of these are major issues if I want to drive in the very messy
Newfoundland winter!

Joy