So, the other day after the snow I pushed the rear window washer and noticed that the washer fluid was dripping down the inside of the window. Upon further inspection involving removing the high brake light, I found that GM uses plastic tubing for the washer fluid which had exploded (evidently caused by freezing) near the 90 degree coupling. I did manage to insert the broken end into the rubber coupling and used a tiewrap to secure it, the original had a barb molded into the end. The fluid had managed to short out one of the brake light bulbs.

Has anybody tried to figure out how to replace the rear washer fluid tube the right way?

 

One thing: You can switch to Cold weather wash fluid. It can go well below freezing & no problem..

my .02

 

If there is enough slack in the tube to cut off the cracked part and reattach you should be ok without buying anything new. Put some boiling water in a mug (be careful of course) and dip the newly cut end of the hose into it so it softens "slightly", then put it on the barbed ends. I used to do that to Fuel Injection hard tubing when I had to replace ends that went bad.

After the washer tube cools down it will shrink onto the barbed end.

 

I have a friend that had this happen on his HHR. Like sleeper said, you have to use winter washer fluid...

 

A. the car is a 2008 all but 6 months in VA, and this has not been all that cold
B. I rarely use the Winter stuff, as it happens there should have been a little left in the mix at this point because the time before I did use it
C. the barb part is what broke off, so I am trusting the cable tie to hold the smooth end in the rubber adapter. the tube has molded barb on the end, I just did not feel up to going to HomeDepot to match up a 2 inch length of hose for a patch

D. is the tube one piece all the way to the engine compartment, and if so can it just be pulled thru with the new one attached to the end? anybody know?

 

Well, there's the problem.

 

I'll pile on here too!

You wouldn't use coolant that can freeze, why use washer fluid that does?

Auto supply stores sell the barbed connectors for hoses. you could connect it to the plastic tube with a short hose held on with heat shrink tubing.

 

Donbrew......

You might want to look in Home Depot, Lowes.....for the barb in the "lawn sprinkler" section. In that area, they also have the drip line (used a lot in the west, to conserve water) parts. You will find straight and 90 degree barbs that will fit the drip tubing, which is, I think, 1/4 inch.

I used one to remedy a broken washer fluid line in a Chevy truck and an Aurora.

Seems those OEM's are quite susceptible to breakage and the OEM replacement part is ridiculously high priced.

Repaired for about 30 cents....barb and a little tubing. OEM replacement was somewhere around $58.00.

 

If you can't make it work using my way posted above-go to some larger auto stores and look in the Motormite/Help section for "emissions" tubing and ends. They used to be in the purple motormite/help packages/section of the spinning racks. You will still have to soften up the tubing with boiling water.

 

It is fixed for now, I just wonder if there is a "right way".

I am really amazed that it chose this year to be a problem, we have only had a couple of nights down to the mid-high 20's and that was a week or 2 ago.