I drove a 1964 Volvo 122 for almost 10 years and bought a 63 just a few months ago. Neither of them has had the windshield washer bottle, motor or tubing. I went to get it safety inspected and they failed me. Said I need the washer working. I said you are very thorough or the other inspectors were terrible because I have never needed it before.

In any case, I would like to get a washer system going. Was the washer system just an option back in the day? Or maybe previous owners just through it all away when it failed.

Where can I find the basket, reservoir, motor and tubing? (The jets are on the car.) Is the system compatible across all years of Amazons? A friend says he may have some of the stuff on a 1967.

Bottom line is: I want the washer system but at a reasonable cost. I could always take the jets out, put carraige bolts in the holes an claim to the inspector, this old of a car never had washers. If it is there, the inspectors say, it needs to work.

Is everyone sure that this was a standard feature? I bought my '62 from the original owner - a 95 year old WWI vet. He kept it stock and got none of the optional features - seat belts, radio, over drive. Still had the original plastic covering on all four doors from the factory in 1984. Somewhere I have the original owners manual and more importantly the booklet that has all the "extras". tonight (tues) I will go home and see if the system was a stock item. If not I will scan it for you. If the item was not a stock item then you should be grandfatherd.

Beltless in Los Angeles

je

My accessory book shows the seat belts as an accessory. The Instruction Book (IB) picture of the engine compartment shows the location for the washer and washer motor. It is near the battery. I checked my vehicle again last night and from the original owner there is no washer bottle nor motor. Looking at the area where they would be mounted there are tucked wires for the motor. There are no holes drilled for where they would be mounted. As for the washers the nozzles are installed and the tubing is intalled up to where both sides form a "t". The IB shows how to put on a seat belt, even though the vehicle does not have them. The IB also talks about the washer system although my vehicle does not have it. Get where I am going? How original do you want to keep it? Finally page 65 of my IB states "The specification and design details given in this book are not binding. We reserve the right to carry out modifications without previous notice. AB Volvo Gothenburg Sweden"

I have 11 pics from the Instruction Book and Accessory Book about 5Meg but do not have the brains on how to reduce them in size to fit this forums (60Kb) gallery requirements.

drop me a line & I will email them to you

je

The early ones had a plastic/rubber bag, like a hot water bottle, that hung from hooks on the passenger side inner fender. If I remember correctly, the pump was mounted on the firewall. Later models had the squarish bottle like you see in the 140s, with the pump mounted on it. Those can often be found in junkyards, and if you live where it doesn't freeze, chances are pretty good they are still functional. The people that specialize in used Volvo parts usually have them too. Check in the back of "Rolling". If you can find the bottle and its basket, and the pump doesn't work, there are aftermarket, generic pumps available that can easily be adapted. Other possibilities have already been mentioned in this thread.
Bob S.

I think that it's VERY unlikely that any Amazon ever left the factory without washers. The early ones, up to about '60 had a rather unreliable vacumn set up.If you can't find a scrap 120/140 or maybe early 240 in your local yard you might want to have a look at the small self-contained units fitted for the rear washers on small hatchbacks and wagons. Usually hidden behind a clipped in panel so tend not to be ripped out by casual scrapyard vandals. If you're trying to fit in the proper place under the hood, keep it clear of the hinge mechanism.
Derek UK

The washer was an option. If you already have the jets, you have already solved the trickiest part (check to see if the little "T" is attached to some tubing underneath). If you want to have genuine a Volvo washer, it will be an expensive proposition, but the parts are available. But you can buy a universal washer from your local parts store for $10-20. Any washer will do (you may have to adapt the tubing to fit your jets). What I did, was buy a used washer from Ebay. There are hundreds for sale on ebay, but they are all from different cars. I didn't care if mine was Volvo or not. I ended up with a Suburu washer that I paid $1 for plus $5 for shipping. I picked this model because the tank was the right shape for the place I wanted to hang it.

Skandix sells the washer pump for 60 dollars, but that doesn't sound cheap or fast. I would say that if you have the washer jets on your car then it must of had the washer system at some time and you should go with your friends parts. The pump is operated by pulling the wiper control all the way out, your car is probably already set up to do this. ( I found a new old stock motor on ebay for 35. It was a snap to install.) Even if you just borrowed your friends parts to pass inspection that may solve your problem. Up here in the Northeast the washer is essential.

I think it was a dealer installed option back in the 60's, at least I've seen several different types on old Volvos. Some manually operated with a little hand lever pump under the dash!

For my PV I just got a 140 series washer motor/reservoir with a little bracket and mounted it under the hood. My PV's switch was just on/off so I snagged the 140's switch too. A little hose and a t-junction and I was in business.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.