How to vac to electric windscreen washer

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 · 18 Aug 2012, 11:07 pm

#918183

So i though I'd just put up some photo's of how I've used a microswitch to make a vac operated 78 T2's windscreen washer into an electric washer.

Two wires to solder to the common terminal of the switch and to the NO (normally open) terminal and heatshrink the NC terminal.

Run one to a switched live fuse in the fusebox and the other to the positive term of the electric pump you've bought to plumb into the reservoir down by the pedals. Negative pump term goes to chassis ground (zero volts).

Maybe use bullet connectors in the steering column so you can remove the switchgear easily in the future.

Hey presto, you now have electric washer jets 🙂

madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

Shuffs Commited Dubber

50 posts · joined Aug 2010 · 19 Aug 2012, 6:24 am

#918192

Don't you love it when something works!Is the miicroswitch rated to carry the load of the pump?If not,you could get the m/switch to activate a relay and run the pump through the relay(fused of course)

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 · 20 Aug 2012, 12:00 am

#918387

Shuffs wrote:Don't you love it when something works!Is the miicroswitch rated to carry the load of the pump?If not,you could get the m/switch to activate a relay and run the pump through the relay(fused of course)

10amp microswitch but yes you could use a relay if you wanted too 🙂

madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

Shuffs Commited Dubber

50 posts · joined Aug 2010 · 20 Aug 2012, 8:02 am

#918409

psimitar wrote:10amp microswitch but yes you could use a relay if you wanted too 🙂

Wow 10amps,normally those small microswitches have piddly little points in them,and are only used for switching,but you won't have a problem if it can carry a 10amp load.

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 · 21 Aug 2012, 12:15 am

#918590

Shuffs wrote:
psimitar wrote:10amp microswitch but yes you could use a relay if you wanted too 🙂
Wow 10amps,normally those small microswitches have piddly little points in them,and are only used for switching,but you won't have a problem if it can carry a 10amp load.

Yea I was prepared to have to use a relay but there were a few that had 16amp contacts. Seriously reduces electrical life to 10,000 switches but fairly easy to replace in a few years or more 🙂

madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 21 Aug 2012, 7:45 am

#918605

Nice job. I did a simiilar job on my '74 Kombi years ago. I used an electric washer pump from a Mk1 Golf (just to keep it all VW).

Leigh Harris wrote two articles on converting old VWs to electric washers in the Club VW magazine back in '05. Read them here (scroll down to the bottom):

http://www.clubvw.org.au/oldart014

psimitar Son of Jim - Creator of Good

2,506 posts · joined Jan 2009 · 21 Aug 2012, 10:04 pm

#918740

that article is pretty good. I had to make the bracket as a previous owner had managed to lose one of the pressed in brass inserts that the vac valve screwed onto. Otherwise those inserts woulda made my life a bit easier 🙂

madness is in the eye of the beholder 👍