Washer fluid warning!

Hi, i have this small and annoying issue on my Cayman S 2007. The refill washer fluid keeps on coming up on the dashborad eventhough I refill the water tank! I have headlight cleaning system and the tank is 6 liters instead of 2, but the weird thing about it is that once I fill the tank with some water, the warning light goes off and goes on again the second day or so. I checked the car for leaks, but nothing appearent. Also, the headlight cleaning stopped from spraying despite the pressure pump sound when I press the small button. this happened to anybody?? any Ideas?? Thanx. Mark

You are putting the washer fluid in the correct reservoir? The one in the front luggage compartment with a blue screw cap ? Porsche also recommends a specific cleaner. And if I remember correctly the lights need to be on for the washer to work.

Yes, there is only one reservoir in the front luggage compartment marked by a blue cap . the winsdshield spray is working ok, but the headlight spray is making the pump noise (when lights on) without any water coming out. It was working last week! I am not sure if there is a relation between the "refill washer fluid" warning light and the fact that the headlight cleaning is not working.

Sounds like you have a leak. Time to take her in for a check up.

Either you have a leak or the sensor has gone bad, telling the system there isn't enough fluid in the tank to spray the headlights - either way, it sounds like you need to take it in to a dealer and have it looked at. brad

well, there isnt one single water drop. Am taking it to the dealer tomorrow. Thanx!

I am having this exact same issue. What was the problem or does anyone have a clue?

If its anything like my bmw 's. the bottom of the tank will be full of gunk and the motors clogged. It was easy to get to in the BMW can't help with the Porsche but a clean out solved the problem.

I had the same thing with my Z4 . Wierd gunk - almost a jell. Must of been caused by mixing incompatible washer fluids. I removed the pump and flushed it with warm water out of the tap, and then flushed the tank with warm water, letting it overflow until the water looked clean. Then re-installled the pump and ran the washer to flush out the system with the warm water. Finally refilled with a name-brand washer fluid. But that was easily done on the Z4 because it was all accessible. I don't know how you get to it on a 987. The tank (where the pump is likely found) is down inside the fender.

I just replaced my tank after finding washer fluid on the floor in the garage. Yes, you have to pull off the back part of the LF fender liner to get to it. You need to release the filler neck on top, there is a tab you pull back on, and slip it out. Then there are a couple of very obvious bolts you have to remove, and you simple pull the tank out (it has 2 round "tabs" that slip into rubber grommets) - it takes some wiggling to get it, and then it will release and your hand will get crunched againt the brake caliper when it finally comes loose . All the rubber grommets are individiual pieces, as well as the tank itself. I think the culprit may be the grommet that the pump goes into. I would suggest you go to a dealer and order the tank and all the grommets, then pull the tank out. When you see the new tank, it will be more intuitive how to get it out. Also, BEWARE - I ordered the tank, and the inventory sticker was the proper part number, but the molded part number was for a Panamera . Make sure you get the right tank!

For what it's worth, there may be a sensor in the cap and if so, they sometimes get gunked up and electrical connectors get corroded. Check this out and if you have a sensor in the cap , clean up everything up and clean any electrical connections. Regards, Will

Thanks for all the advice guys! We are going to get a blizzard this week and I am busy with work so I probably won't be able to tackle this for a couple weeks but I will update with this thread when the problem is solved. The one thing that confuses me is that the fluid still comes out perfectly fine for the windshield just not the lights. I am guessing this means the gunk has built up in that tubing possibly. :cheers:

When you try to refill, can you actually fill it up completely (i.e., more that just a little bit)? Then, the fluid is definitely going somewhere (leak). If not, then sensor/motor/etc. ed

I had this, the solution was so simple even I couldn't believe it! I had made up some dilute Porsche washer fluid and stored it for a while. When I got the warning saying I needed to fill the reservoir, I poured in the diluted fluid and the reservoir appeared to fill almost immediately. The warning message went out but came back within hours. I assumed that the device triggering the warning was faulty and determined to fix it. First step was to flush out the reservoir with clean water. I held a hose over the filler and was surprised that in spite of the washer fluid appearing to have filled the reservoir, several litres of water then went in. Strange, I thought! So I took out the little plastic filter from the filler neck and tried to pour the dilute Porsche washer fluid through it - it wouldn't go through the mesh! Amazing! Somehow although it looked like water, storing the diluted fluid had somehow changed its viscosity so the very fine mesh seemed to generate such surface tension that it would not run through. I threw away the stored stuff, made some new and bingo, problem solved!!

This post was very useful in fixing a washer fluid leak in my 2009 Cayman S . Added information: There was an electrical box below the lower edge of the tank on my car, which can be removed by unscrewing two plastic nuts. This gives better access to the rear of the tank for leverage in removing it--you can reach up and touch the lower grommet. There was only one bolt holding in my tank, and two grommets which engage horizontal posts on the tank which extend rearward from the tank. My car has two pumps (has the headlight washers) and the leak was in the seal (grommet) around the neck of the inner pump (toward the center of the car). The replacement grommet was of a different material (red (probably silicone) vice black rubber of some sort in the original), indicating this may be a systematic problem. I would have replaced the other pump grommet as a precaution but the mail-order grommet set I had did not include the correct part. Wires and tubes have been dressed rather carefully by Porsche in this area--it is a good idea to take a picture or two as you remove the tank to help you get everything back in the same place. It was possible to do the repair without disconnecting anything, but I did have to unclip wiring harnesses and tubes from various retainers.

I filled the washer fluid to max and the warning came back without using any fluid. I went through the entire manual and can't determine what is causing this issue. Is there any simple fix rather than a trip to the dealer? I appreciate your help.

I have this same issue of the "Fill Washer with Fluid" warning when starting the engine, and when you attempt to fill it, only a small amount is required, but the warning goes away until you use the washer one time. I brought this up today at the Porsche Dealer while having an oil change on my 2007 Cayman S . The Porsche Brand Ambassador explained that the sensors in this system are small (tiny) optical sensors and the washer fluid I was using (RainX) has waxes in it and this interferes with this sensor. Also I have an issue with the passenger side headlight washer head leaking slightly during driving, The Ambassador assured me that this happens often and that I should go to the BMW Parts Department and purchase their concentrated washer fluid (Vaico) and flush the system out with that product. Also, he indicated it is an ammonia based fluid and does have a terrible odor, but will clean out those waxes and return the sealing functionality to that headlight washer seal that is leaking, along with returning that optical level sensor to functional. Does this make sense?

This is an old thread. How should the sensor read with a volt meter? I'm assuming with the sensors submerged in liquid the circuit should be closed? TIA dlb

My car is all tucked away for winter so I can't pull the connector and measure. I just took a quick look at the schematic and it shows a 2-pin connector. One side is ground and the other side is the signal. Unfortunately the schematic shows the sensor as a black box with no indication of normally open or normally closed.

Thank you for the reply. I pulled the old sensor and checked for continuity between the two external pins with the two internal pins submerged in water and the circuit didn't complete. I ordered a new sensor, cleaned all the connections with e/cleaner and got the same reading. All I can do is put the sucker back together and HOPEFULLY the warning light will be gone.

i bought nextzett 94252015 Anti-Frost Winter Windshield Washer Fluid Concentrate - 33.8 oz on amazon for $17.97 so will see if it solves the warning light problem. to be continued......

I rec'd the juice today. it's the same color as the cheap $hit I get for $1 at Dollar General. Will teardown and replace the fluid this weekend. TBC

the ingrefdients alcohol, glycol, and water plus anionic tensides " Anionic surfactants are organic substances. When these surfactants are dissolved in water, negatively charged particles, i.e. anions , are created. These are the active washing component." perhaps(?) the negative charged particles are what the washer tank sensor reads. I guess I will find out. TBC

Well, the expensive washer fluid did not solve the problem. Does anyone out there have a plan B to shut off the low washer warning light.

Did you end up replacing the sensor?

I replaced sensor and the washer fluid with nextzett "approved" porsche fluid and the light still comes on.

I guess next step is electrical debug. I wonder if you can see the signal from the sensor real time via a Durametric? Do you have one? My car is on a lift with no battery at the moment so I can't test that out for you. It would also be interesting to figure out exactly how the sensor works. Can you try searching the part number to see if you can find anything out? We verified via the schematic that one of the two pins is GND, but the second talks to the system somehow. I assume the computer needs to send a signal/voltage/current down that line and then listen back for some kind or response (you can't do anything without some kind of power). Maybe it is measuring a current and the resistance of the sensor changes depending on fluid level?

I'm getting the same problem too, leaky washer fluid tank. I went to go examine the tank and found the wheel liner needs to be removed. I removed all the lug nuts on my lobster claw wheel and the wheel still does not come off. Is there something else holding these wheels on?

No. Sometimes it needs a little persuasion. Hit the tire (not the wheel) with a rubber mallet.

I removed all the lug nuts on my lobster claw wheel and the wheel still does not come off. Is there something else holding these wheels on? Yes, the brake disc carrier has raised centering tabs that mates with your wheel as a precision fit. It's not uncommon for rust to form on the surface of the tabs. The rust buildup makes for a tighter fit to the road wheel... Put one of the wheel bolts back on but leave it loose so it catches the wheel when you break it loose.. Then use a combination of kicking the tire or grabbing the wheel with a few quick jerks and it will pop loose. Wire brush the tabs to remove the rust buildup. A very light coating of anti-seize will help the next time you want to remove the wheel.

Ah man thanks, I thought it was something like this. I was half tempted to take the big bolt off but my spidey senses told me that was wrong.