Washer Pump Trico/Lucas

[svenedin]

My washer pump packed up. I had been meaning to do something about it for decades as it was at a silly angle and only held on by one screw even though there were two screw holes.

I found that the old pump is an original Trico. To my delight, the mounting holes of a modern Lucas WSB100 are exactly the same distance apart as the old Trico. It's rare that jobs are so easy! No drilling, just a 5 minute job.

The only thing that is not quite right is that I have discovered that the washer pump is permanently live which I am assuming it should not be? The windscreen wipers cannot be operated without turning on the ignition so it makes no sense that the washer pump should run without the ignition on. I will have to investigate behind the dashboard.......The other thing is, the new pump is rather more powerful than the elderly Trico and the jets need adjusting. They are firing over the top of the screen which in a convertible, top down means a wet head!

One thing worth mentioning is that the Lucas pump (like the old Trico) is polarity sensitive. It will not work at all connected with reverse polarity. It would help is the terminals were marked + and - but they are not! The old pump is marked of course.

Stephen

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[geoberni]

Well since all Minors factory fitted with any washers were manually operated, the fact they your electric one is always live is down entirely to how it was installed.
I assume it doesn't run continually, I therefore also deduce that the installer must've switched the earth, just as the Horn does....

[svenedin]

Well since all Minors factory fitted with any washers were manually operated, the fact they your electric one is always live is down entirely to how it was installed.
I assume it doesn't run continually, I therefore also deduce that the installer must've switched the earth, just as the Horn does....

Yes I think it was a badly done DIY installation many decades ago possibly it was a kit. What I should have said is that the dashboard switch must be fed by a permanent live rather than an ignition switched live. When I have another reason to take the gloveboxes out (which is a horrible job on the driver’s side) I will investigate. I would like to replace the switched live wire to the pump with the correct colour. It should not be green but black/green and the wire is too long and clumsily routed. Also I would change so that the switch is only live with the ignition on.

The earth is not switched. The earth runs from pump to a convenient earth (the stud that the flasher can relay is mounted on). It was just a very amateur bit of stripped wire wrapped around the stud and squashed by the nut. I have fitted a ring terminal now.

Stephen

[geoberni]

I have discovered that the washer pump is permanently live which I am assuming it should not be?

Sorry, I took your remark to mean it was permanently live at the Pump, rather then the feed to the switch...