Ventilation - fans working but no air!

Mr Benevolent

My brother bought a '99 TDI Bora recently and it's going fine. The only issue is the ventilation. We can hear the fans working, but even at max there's barely a breeze from the vents. It's not ac.

The other thing is that the window washer doesn't spray at all. The wipers work fine, the water reserve is topped up, but nary a drop comes out of the jets.

Any ideas?

colm_mcm

you need a pollen filter by the sounds of it.

can you hear the washer motor whirring when you activate the windscreen washers?

Mr Benevolent

can you hear the washer motor whirring when you activate the windscreen washers?

Now that I come to think of it, nope! Fuse or washer motor maybe?

crosstownk

I agree with colm - you need a pollen filter. When you get one, be sure that the filter and housing is replaced correctly or you could end up with serious water ingress.

Washer motor failure is common on most VWs but you should check the pipework first in case something is disconnected. There is also the possibility that the jets are blocked.

EDIT - Try locating the fuse - open the drivers door and remove the panel on the side of the dash - fuses can blow, especially if the washer motor was activated when frozen water was in the pipes.

kluivert

+1 on the Pollen Filter, in the Astra take out the glove box, there is a panel cover behind the controls which houses the pollen filter, pull out the old one, quick hoover and put in the new one. Go for a drive and see how it is.