Windshield washer fluid leak

[E Showell]

'07 S80 3.2 FWD, auto. 145k miles. When the reservoir gets filled, the washer fluid immediately leaks out

I've heard a common failure is the hard plastic lines going to the high pressure headlight washers. FCP stocks replacement lines, but there is a chassis break that cuts off before ours and FCP doesn't list a part for the higher VIN numbers.

Any suggestions? P.S. not sure the problem is the headlight washer lines.

[StickyPocket]

Does it all drain out, or only if you fill it all the way? I have a leak that lets me fill about 3/4 of the way up i'd say. I think it was clipped while parallel parked, cracking the top of the reservoir slightly. Figure i just won't fill it all the way from now on.

[E Showell]

I think it's a pretty complete drain, but if memory serves, only when you activate the washer. That suggests to me the reservoir itself is OK.

[Georgeandkira]

There's a combined sieve/grommet/coupling which can pop out of the reservoir's side.
I popped mine back in and all was well. Recently it seems a sealant is needed.

[E Showell]

Accessible how?

[- Pete -]

If you take the air dam’s off (some had small triangular dam’s under the fog light/washer reservoir) you can possibly get a glimpse of what may be going on. Most of the P2’s only had 1 pump, regardless of if they had headlight washers or tailgate glass washers. This pump is press fit into the reservoir & sealed with a grommet. Possibly the grommet, as mentioned above, is leaking. To fully access it you will need to remove your front bumper skin. Only then will you truly be able to assess where the leak is coming from. The pumps had 2 barbs on them for the various squirting ports. With rear glass squirters and/or headlight squirters there may be some “Y” fittings also.

Have someone watch while you activate your squirters and see if both headlight squirters squirt.

A lot of the cars also had 2-piece reservoirs that had a neck that separated from the rest of the tank. There is a seal between the neck and tank that fails & if so, you’ll find 1/2-3/4 of a qt on the ground after filling to the top of the neck. If this is the case, I’d just get accustomed to not filling it to the tippy top.

The other alternative is put a drain pan under where it leaks. Fill the reservoir to the brim and measure how much comes out in the pan. If it’s a full gallon, the hole is likely near or at the pumps entry point into the tank or one of the hoses down low. If it’s .5ish qt, it’s probably the seal between the neck & tank.