Last Saturday was sudden winter weather driving in So Colo. I used the wipers washers for the first time in months and months and only the passenger side of the windshield got wet. Ugh.

When I checked it on Monday, I found that the headlights weren't getting any juice either, but a puddle formed under the reservoir whenever the pump ran. It's not very inviting to work on, so it waited until tonight for further attention.

A thinner wire poked further into the driver's side windshield nozzles seemed to solve that issue -- with the hood up I'd noticed a tiny dribble from the nozzle. But I was curious and concerned about the puddle-making, so I kept going. After removing the passenger (U.S.) side hood latch and unlatching the ECU jumpers+button+LED assembly it wasn't so crowded. Haynes said the filler neck of the reservoir is just a snap-in-place funnel, so I yanked that, too.

Then I set to looking for the "T" (and check-)valve up front. Possibly the easiest way to locate it is to follow the thin hose from the driver's side headlight wiper arm to the passenger side of the radiator. I pulled the passenger side wiper and panel below the headlight and fed slack(+) from that wiper arm and the supply hose to bring the "T" out by the front of the radiator. It's clogged. I haven't cracked it open yet; it's still soaking in very hot water as a form of prayer before its likely replacement tomorrow.

In trying to locate the source of the puddle/leak I pulled the reservoir. I also pulled the pump/motor from the reservoir. Everything seems happy/fine: I hooked the motor/pump to the clogged "T" fitting. The clog held -- the motor bogged down and nothing leaked. Pretty good pressure test. So the reservoir went back into place (without too much difficulty, but don't try this without raising the car at least a few inches), knowing that the former-mystery bits I couldn't see are behaving themselves.

So I'm still clueless what's leaking. The chamber between the pump and the 1st "T" fitting seems OK. I'm not sure what function its 3rd hose + sliding ball check-valve serves, but that is the other to-atmosphere hose along the passenger fender (the 1st is to let air in the reservoir as it's emptied). Maybe once the fluid has the proper escape routes it will stop being so creative in finding another.

Words of advice if you pull the pump from the reservoir: mine had pieces of Pikes Peak (gravel + dirt) in there between them. Wedged in there. That's bad because the pump's mounting is meant to provide some freedom of vibration, and also because removing the pump can allow that dirt/gravel into the reservoir, from which you will probably never remove it (until it finds its way into the check-valves or maybe nozzles). So try to blow/pry/rinse out any dirt first and then hold the reservoir upside down when pulling the pump straight out (formerly up).

Last, my passenger side headlight wiper blade is coming apart (what a cheap piece of junk -- it only lasted 9.5 years). Does anyone buy these from Volvo, or is it better to just cut down the old ones from the windshield or otherwise improvise?

- Dave; '95 854T, 153K mi, WOW DID THOSE GOODYEAR EAGLE GS-D3s SUCK!!!