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How to Install Washer Bottle 2003-08 Honda Pilot

Created on: 2017-08-10

How to repair, install, fix, change or replace a broken, damaged, split or leaking windshield washer bottle / reservoir on 06, 07, 08 Honda Pilot.

  1. step 1 :Removing the Bumper Cover
    • Open the hood
    • Remove the thirteen clips from the radiator cover
    • Remove the radiator cover
    • Remove the push clip from the grille on either side
    • Remove the Phillips head screw at the corner of the bumper in each wheel well
    • Remove the two 10mm bolts from the bottom of the bumper on either side
    • Release the clips from the splash shield
    • If needed remove the eleven push clips and Phillips screws from the mud guard
    • Pry out the side of the bumper from the bracket
    • Unclip the bumper from its brackets
    • Lift the bumper up and off
    • Disconnect the fog light connectors
    • Pry the fog light harness from its bracket
    • Remove the bumper
  2. step 2 :Removing the Washer Bottle
    • Have a drain pan ready
    • Pry the motor out
    • Let the fluid drain
    • Remove the two 10mm bolts from the bottom of the bottle
    • Remove the 10mm bolt atop the bottle
    • Pull the washer bottle down and out
  3. step 3 :Installing the Washer Bottle
    • Insert the washer bottle up into place
    • Tighten the 10mm bolts to the bottom of the bottle
    • Tighten the 10mm bolt to the top of the bottle
    • Press in the washer motor
    • Press the hoses onto the bottle
    • Open the cover
    • Refill the fluid
  4. step 4 :Installing the Bumper Cover
    • Lift the bumper into place
    • Connect the fog light wiring harness
    • Align the bumper with the brackets
    • Press the bumper into the bracket
    • Press in the push clips to the top of the grille
    • Lift the splash shield underneath the bumper
    • Connect the clips to the splash shield
    • Tighten the 10mm bolts to the splash shield
    • Align the mud guards and press in the 11 clips if needed and Phillips screws
    • Tighten the Phillips screw to the corner of each wheel well
    • Press on the radiator cover
    • Press on the thirteen clips to the radiator cover

Tools needed

  • Socket Extensions

    Flat Blade Screwdriver

    Phillips Head Screwdriver

    Drain Pan

    10mm Socket

    Ratchet

    Assistant

Release the hood. Open your hood. Remove the 13 clips holding this radiator cover on. There's one here, here, here, all the way down, and this one's broken, and there's one there. So this one will be real easy. It's just going to pop right out—it's broken. The rest of them, I'm going to take a flat bladed screwdriver and gently pry up on it. After the last one is removed, can lift off this plastic cover from the radiator.

Remove these push clips here. There's one in each side. This one's a bit stuck in there. I'm going to need a trim clip tool, it's a nice U shape, so I can pry under it. I see it was rusty, that's why it was stuck in there. Release it. Get underneath it. Pry it up. Now our grille and the top of our bumper is loose. There is a Phillip's head screw on each side of the car at the corner of the bumper, right up in here. Remove that with a Phillip's head screwdriver. And you see it. Repeat this for the other side.

On each side of the bumper, there are two bolts: 10 millimeter—one here, and one here. You'll have to remove these to detach your bumper from the vehicle. On our car, this one has actually broken off from the plastic, and it's rusted. It's not going to come apart, but it seems like it's going to come with the bumper. So I'm going to leave it in there. And this one here, it's a steel bolt into a steel clip behind it that is also rusted together, and as I'm spinning it, it's just ripping the splash shield. So I'm going to leave it, and we're going to do something a little different.

When we go to take this bumper off, I'm actually going to un-clip these entire splash shields on both sides from the fender liners. Some people call them splash shields or fender liners. I'm going to un-clip them all because it's just push clips and then some screws at the mud guard, and we will pull the whole bumper off with these splash shields, and then deal with this nut with the bumper off the car that's seized together.

Unclip this push clip. That will loosen this front part of the splash shield. This plastic here is going to stay with the vehicle when we take the bumper off. There is a push clip that's supposed to be here. You'll have to remove that. It's missing on our vehicle. It looks just like these, the same ones we've been removing. So I'm going to remove this one. There's another one here. And now the front of our bumper is loose.

I will repeat what we did over here on the other side. So the same thing has happened here. This 10 millimeter bolt has seized to the nut that's behind it. I can't get it loose. It's just tearing the fender liner. Again, well this clip is missing here. So this part will actually come down because it is not connected to this 10 millimeter bolt that has also torn the plastic. So this fender liner is loose in the front. So the entire bumper is loose. It's really only held on by the splash shields that go up and over the wheels. I'm going to un-clip those next. I'm going to take the whole bumper with those.

We need to access these screws that are on the mud guard. There's three of them. One is behind the tire. I'm going to turn the wheel so that I can get to it. Move the three Phillip's head screws holding the mud guard on. There's actually a fourth screw up here. It's hard to see. Move the Phillip's head screw with the back of the mud guard. So remove the 11 push clips that are under here. Use my trim tool clip removal tool.

Now you can see the fender liner starting to come loose. All the road debris that gets stuck inside there, now's a good time if you want to take a vacuum and just clean it out of there. Now our fender liner is real loose. Let that sit on the tire for now. Repeat the same for the other side. There's a bracket that the bumper is clipped into under here. Reach your hand around, pull it out. Repeat for the other side. Remove the bumper from the vehicle now that it's loose.

The bumper clips in under the headlights. Flip these splash shields down. Pull the splash shield out of the way. Un-clip the bumper from under the headlamp. There it is. I'm going to reach in so I can support it and lift it off the bumper beam. And then, un-clip the fog light connector. I'm going to remove this harness off of this bracket with my clip prying tool. I can get it. It's got a couple push connectors, push tabs on the other side. Maybe I can push it out. This is all because this won't come apart here. But now that I can access that, I will with it once the bumper's off the car.

Repeat this for the other side. Un-clip the fog lamp harness. Pull the harness off the bracket. Have to lift up the bumper a little bit to release some pressure. Use your clip prying tool. With those final clips and harnesses disconnected, I can pick the bumper up and bring it over to our bench.

To remove the washer bottle, I'm going to start by pulling the pump out of the reservoir and all of the fluid in here is going to pour out. So if you're changing the pump, you're going to need a bucket to catch any fluid that's in the reservoir. If you're replacing the reservoir because it's cracked, it might be empty, but you might still need a bucket to catch anything that's in there, residual.

I'll start by unplugging this. The tab is on the inside here. It's really dirty, can squeeze it and pull it off. Disconnect the motor. Just work it out of the grommet it's sitting in. And there we go. So if you were just going to replace the motor, you can pull the washer hoses off of here. If it's difficult to get the hose off, take a small pick and work it around the hose to try to break it free. Loosen it up. I'm going to pull this bucket out of the way so that we don't knock it over and spill all this washer fluid. There's a 10 millimeter bolt here, and a 10 millimeter bolt here, towards the tire. And then there is a 10 millimeter bolt up in the engine compartment here. This is one of your washer hose lines running down. Using a 10 millimeter socket, remove the upper bolts. Place that bolt aside. So that's loose, get it from the other side of this bracket. Remove these two lower bolts.

Washer bottle is loose now. There are some hoses that are clipped into it. Unclip them. This one is up this way. There's another one that ... it's inside here, it loops around, clipped on. Feed the bottle down from the top. Just maneuver it out. There's our washer fluid bottle.

Take our washer fluid reservoir and slide it up through the hole in the body. Maneuver it around til you get it into place. I'll install one of the bolts to hold it in place. The top of it goes behind this bracket. Reinstall the bolt. Install the last bolt that's holding it. Tighten them. Stop when it gets tight. Tighten the bolt in the engine compartment. Push your washer fluid hoses back into the roofs of the tank. Take the new washer fluid pump, or your old one, if you're replacing the tank, push it into the grommet til it seats.

Reinstall your washer hoses, so this one will clips in the tank or grooves where they go. And they're relatively in the right place. This one's on. I'll move it so it's tight. Take the other side one, so this is a T fitting, because one goes to windshield washers in the front, one goes to the washer in the rear. Put it in place.

To fill the washer fluid tank, open the cover. Gently pour it in. Fill the washer fluid bottle up to capacity.

You may need an assistant to help you with this bumper cover. It's a little unwieldy, especially since we have the fender liners still attached. So what we're going to do before we get the bumper totally seated on there, bring it in, we're going to reach up and connect the fog lights back on. Pushing this harness back into the fog light bracket, connecting the fog light electrical socket back on to the light. Lifting the bumper up, placing it on the crash beam. There are these brackets here. The bumper is going to have to fit up into those. And we're good over there.

So I'm going to take this one, get up into position. Repeat this for the other side. We're pushing the bumper into the bracket that is under the headlamp. And then the fender bracket. To hold the top of the bumper, push these clips in first. You might have to move the bumper. Holes are slotted, just flex the bumper so the fit. Take the center section out, sometimes it's easier to get it started. The same for this side.

I'm going to lift this splash shield back up. It's going to go under the bumper. Lined up. Place this clip here. Our splash shield is broken here. The bolt is supposed to go through it, but since it's ripped, I'm just going to place it back up where it was. Replace the clip that was in here. It's easier to remove the center part. Squeeze these tabs together.

Time to reinstall the splash shield, or fender liner. Just going to place it back in just like that. Doesn't really matter where you start with these clips. This one's a pretty good spot. And just going to go around, find all the open holes. Place the clips that we took out. Don't forget this one clip way under here. This one caught us up when we were removing the bumper.

Reinstall the mud guard. Get this screw caught here first. One final screw in the back. Replace the screw that goes up into the fender bracket that holds the bumper on. They'll repeat this procedure for the other side.

Reinstall the radiator cover. Going to lift up the hood release, feed it through, sit over these little rubber bumpers. Replace the 13 push clips on the top of the radiator cover. With those installed, you can close the hood. Job is complete.

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