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Windshield wiper fluid draining by the side wheels?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by EHG, Jun 6, 2012.

  1. EHG

    EHG Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2012
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    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    My 5 month old 2011 Prius Two ran out of windshield wiper fluid yesterday. This was somewhat surprising, since I haven't used the cleaner that much - and I would assume that the dealer filled it up when I bought the car. So I added some more (even used the "windshield wiper dipstick" to make sure that I didn't overfill). I also used a funnel, so no fluid spilled anywhere. I then turned the car on, and made sure that the front and rear wiper/cleaners worked - everything was fine.

    But when I got out of the car, I noticed a small amount of liquid on the ground, near the front passenger wheel. I saw small amounts of liquid dripping off the car. So I called my dealer, said I thought the plastic wiper cleaner container had a leak, and they said bring the car in. When I got to the dealer, the attendant said:
    "Is it the front right of the car?" (i.e. where the liquid was coming out, I hadn't even mentioned where I had seen the leak).
    I said yes.
    He then asked me to run my front wipers with the cleaner coming out for abouyt 15 seconds (longer than one would usually do that). I then got out the car, and he showed me lots of liquid that "appeared" to be leaking out the container; however, the attendant said that was just runoff of the excess cleaner. He said if there is extra cleaner it gets diverted mostly to the front right, and a little to the front left. He said he had a 2010 Pruis, and it does the same thing. He said if you're driving on the highway, you'd obviously never noticed it. So you only see it when you use the wiper/cleaners when parked (not usually the case). I mentioned that I had never noticed this in my previous cars (all Saturns). He said he thought the Saturn might have diverted the fluid more towards the middle underneath. But since the Saturn actually required a key to turn on, I don't recall ever testing the wiper/cleaners, after refilling with more fluid (it's just that it's so easy to turn on a Prius ;-)

    So does anyone know if the attendant told me the truth? Should I be seeing "runoff"?

    thanks
     
  2. PriusInParadise

    Joined:
    May 24, 2012
    180
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    Location:
    Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Two

    After using the windshield washer, the water will drain behind the front wheels, just ahead of the front doors. If you think you may have a leak, park your car in a dry area overnight and check if you have a puddle in the morning. It is also possible to have a rodent partially gnaw through a washer fluid hose in a manner that only leaks when the washer pump is activated and pressurizes the fluid. In that case, there would usually be a noticeable reduction in the spray delivered by the nozzles.
    The washer reservoir appears to hold about 1 gallon. In my own experience, I would certainly go through that in less than 5 months.