The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 54 Windshield Washer Set-up

I just bought two NOS windshield washer "jars" and pumps, plus a NOS dash button and jets for a 54 Chevy 3100. It is a vacum unit with four connectors on the pump (top of jar). One connector is 3/16" and called vacum (I can guess where that goes); another is about 3/16" and is labeled water, and then there are two 1/8" lines coming out of the top of the vacum and these are not labled. I'm guessing that these go to the jets, but I'm not sure. On the dash push-button activator there are two lines about 3/16".

I'm guessing the vacum lines come off my carb vacum line to the push button switch, then from the switch to the jar. But which side is which on the switch? Does it matter? And what is the water line on the pump for? And am I right in that there are two lines from the pump, one for each side? And someone said I was missing the foot valve on the bottom of the pump assembly. What's that?

H E L P !!!!

I need some help, or a plumber, or both.

Thanks!!

Bruce,

In 1954, the truck windshield washer changed to a foot-operated unit (986983). It looks like the passenger car could either use the foot-operated unit or a push-button operated unit (986650).

The second unit (986650 for the automobile) had a vacuum line from the intake manifold that ran to the car's wiper control knob on the instrument panel. The vacuum line ran to a valve push rod/button that came with the washer unit replaced a dummy button/knob in the wiper control knob). Do you want to see a few diagrams for this assembly?

This is a photo of the 1954 truck windshield washer assembly (no manifold vacuum line and a foot-operated pump-pedal):
[img]http://ares.cs.siena.edu/~lederman/truck/Photos/54truckwindshieldwasher.JPG[/img]

Tim

Looks similar to what I have, except that that I have two smaller lines coming from the device on top of the jar "lid", and then under the jar lid I have a pretty substantial pump looking device. Also, it looks like there is a foot valve on the water intake in your diagram and I do not have that. Also, I do not have the floor board foot pump apparatus either, so since I have a push button looks like I bought a car set-up when it was advertised as a truck set-up. Rats! Oh well, it will still work (I think).

Looking at your diagram,it looks like my vacuum line should run from the wiper motor then into the dash push button and then into the pump/jar assembly. But again, I have a vacuum, water, and then two small tubes coming from my jar. I guess I'll try and hook it up from a vacum stand point and just see where the water comes out. If you have more pics, please attach or send them.

Thanks!

Bruce,

The photos below come from the 1954 Chevrolet Accessories Installation Manual.

This is a diagram of the installed 1954 passenger car windshield washer assembly. [img]http://ares.cs.siena.edu/~lederman/truck/Photos/54carwindwashassembly.JPG[/img]
Diagram of the hoses from the manifold to the control button.
Things get more interesting if you have the wiper-washer coordinator.

Tim

I'm wondering if my windshield washer jar is not a 54, since my washer has the four hose nozzles and everything I've seen so far for a 54 has two. I have the vacum and water nozzles, but the two 1/16 nozzles on top of the assembly confuse me. There is a screw at the base of one of the nozzles labled "coord" so maybe the coordinator aparatus is combined with the washer assembly and the two smaller lines go to the jets...

I'll play with it all this week end hopefully.

Hey gang, connected one end of the vacum line to the vacuum line going to the wipers and connected the other end to the push button vacuum switch on the dash. A second line then went from a nipple on the push-button to the nipple on the windshield washer jar/pump labled "vacumm". I then connected the jets to two smaller 1/16th inch nipples and fired it up. I did not know what to do with the 3/16 inch nipple on the pump labeld "water" so I let it go. I fired him up and it ran great. I pressed the button on the vacuum line and water flowed back towards (and eventually into) the carb, causing a misfire.

Any idea what is plumbed wrong or where the problem might be? I have two pumps and got the same result with each.

HELP!!