Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[oldtimer]

Hi ,I am a newbie (oldtimer)
Much as I admire my old Volvo 120,the thing which bugged me greatly was the set up on the wiper/washer switch.
First pull;normal wiper speed
Second pull;fast speed.
Third;screen washer activated.
Obviously this means sitting there while the wipers drag and screech across a dry /muddy screen and do damage to screen andblades. The solution was pretty simple when it came to it
On the nearside of the dashboard,just above the parcel shelf,there is a small switch for a light to illuminate the shelf.At the drivers end of the dash there is an identical hole(presumably for left hand drive cars)
Ihad an identical switch,spare,so allIhad to do was scotchlok a suitable
cable to the feed for the washer pump at the washer bottle in the engine
bay andconnect it to the switch Ihad installed.Inow activate the washer
before the wipers as Volvo should have done in the first place!
Shortly after doing this my mechanical fuel pump failed.Iwas a bit away from home and trying tothink how Icould rig some kind of fuel supply from the petrol can I keep in the car.
I emptied the screen washer bottle,put petrol in that,andthen a plastic tube
from the bottle to the carbs. I was then able to use the switch Ihad rigged
for the screen washer pump,to prime the carbs as required.
Icould not have done this with the original set up since the wipers would have activated first and probably self destructed.

Regards

John (oldtimer)