Mine is reading ~7.5K ohms resistance and does not operate when power is applied. I suspect an internal seal is leaking and allowed washer fluid into the motor assembly, corroding the armature. I have been quoted way too much money for a brand new one and no local wreckers have any S4's in stock, and the local dealer can't tell me what else the S4 washer pump crosses over into.

I was thinking of opening it up and trying to clean up / repair the motor myself. Of course if I am correct I will have to replace the seal to prevent the problem from recurring in the future.

Has anybody tried doing this?

 

Nope.


I suggest you put a WTB in the WTB forum. You'll probably get 20 responses.

 

I had to remove my Bottle for the FMIC,so I got a small jug with motor at Princess Auto for like 20 bucks and hooked it up.
I put the button on the Gauge surround and Voila..Spritz!

 

Since nobody posted back confirming that it had been done and my only other option was to replace the pump I tried to repair it tonight. I removed the pump and bent back the 3 tabs to remove the cap to the impeller, inside I found 2 gears. I tried my best to rotate one or the other without any success, they were both completely stuck. As I pried back and forth on them I could see the resistance jumping from ~7K ohms to ~500K ohms so I knew I was correct about there being corrosion on the armature.

Next I checked the armature end and found a single pin securing the brushes, unfortunately I am not terribly skilled at electric motor repair and I did not work out the correct way to remove this pin. I figured I could cut the head off and pull the brushes out, however despite cutting the head off (and punching the remainder slightly inside the housing to generate some clearance) the brushes would not move by hand. I grabbed them with a pair of pliers to move them but the plastic shattered as soon as I tried.

Knowing the motor was hosed at this point regardless I cut the back end off the motor to expose the internals and found the entire thing was JAMMED with rust flakes, completely filled around the magnets and most of the way up the armature.

It looks like the only way to get this thing apart safely would be to have one that wasn't completely rusted together in the first place, it would appear that removing that pin will release the brushes, but then you need to find a way to remove the white plastic cap from the impeller end and pull the innards out that end to clean up the rotating assembly. I blame the failure on the small weep hole located on the back end of the motor assembly. The rust is worst right around that hole so I suspect water (and salt) entered through that hole and rusted the internals to bits.

I'll be checking around locally to see if any dealerships can get me a new one for a reasonable price, but it looks like I am probably going to be buying a used one, which means I'll be driving without a washer reservoir until it arrives (as I need the car for an auto-x on saturday).

Not an uplifting story but I thought I'd share my results with you guys. I'm headed over to the canadian forum to see if anybody local has one for sale.

 

Most auto parts stores carry a universal pump that'll fit into a grommet hole on the side of the washer reservoir.

Alternatively, try other Mazda vehicles. I swapped the ones in my old B2600 pickup truck and the one in my FB because the truck one was smaller and I wanted more fluid capacity in a truck that gets covered in mud. They swapped right out, no mods needed.

 

It looks like similar year miata and 626 pumps will swap right in. Unfortunately I don't have time to hit the wrecker and get home to install it before I am going auto-x'ing saturday morning so it looks like I am putting it together without a washer reservoir for now and I'll have to take it back apart next week.

Given the method of failure I don't really want to go with a locally used pump, so I'll probably check out what universal ones local stores have and decide from there.

Fortunately I made it a full 4 months before I even tried to use it so I am pretty sure I can go another week without a washer pump

 

Wow, I have never actually had any luck at all buying universal replacement parts before, but it looks like canadian tire has a pump that will work and the price is just right too:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows...r%252BPump.jsp

I'll stop in tonight and grab one, also rock auto lists the following as replacements:
Anco 6708 (6701?)
Trico 11604
AC Delco 86722

Looks like they all require some minor electrical work (cut and splice) but they seem to have the right dimensions and orientation. I'll let you guys know what worked if I get one going.

 

AutoZone has 'em all day for eleven bucks. The motor that is.

 

Unfortunately there is no AutoZone in Canada, and driving that far for a washer pump would probably negate the cost savings.

I hit up Canadian Tire, and after over 45 minutes of the guy behind the counter searching he finally turned up the pump I linked above. Despite the picture being an exact match the pump itself was not, it was a COMPLETELY different pump, nice job Canadian Tire picture taking division....

They didn't have one in stock but wanted to send me to another store for a Trico 11-604, but at a price of $34 I decided to pass. I hit up Auto Value and found the Anco 6708 in stock there for $10 less. I cut the wires to the old pump, soldered them onto the leads for the new one and I now have a working washer. Unfortunately 3 of the bolts that hold the brake air duct in place snapped off removing them so I need to track down replacement clips and bolts, but other than that everything is as it should be.

For anybody else who attempts this: The kit contains a short length of hose and a small straight through size adapter, you MUST use this or you will have leaks. The factory line appears to fit snugly on the outlet of the Anco pump, however when you apply pressure it will leak badly then slip off, providing a handy location for all of your washer fluid to exit onto the garage floor (since it will pour through the impeller). Attach the short length of hose then either tuck the excess up behind the headlight or cut the factory hose shorter to accommodate.

The wires protrude out slightly more due to the positioning of the terminals. You could replace the wires and connectors they provide you with by using right angle female spade terminals, or you can just make the final connection once the reservoir is mounted (which is what I did)

 

Try a Parts Source (store) In Canada.they should have clips.