Washer bottle question

[My70monaco]

Recently while I was checking the oil in my car I put my hand on the top of the washer bottle with a little too much weight and I heard a crack. When I took the bottle out I noticed a ton of plastic deterioration cracks beginning on the top and down the sides. There was also a crack on the bottom. The bottle is still in one piece so my question is has anyone ever salvaged their washer bottle and what did you do?
Frank

 

[Toolmanmike]

Buy an new one if they are available. They are not exactly like the originals but better than a broken one. You could start a wanted ad and find a good used one here.

 

[300L]

Hard to find part and if so, then very expensive.
Good luck!

 

[polara71]

Frank, they are not reproduced. NOS are elusive and expensive when they do show up( 500-600)$$.
Used ones pop up you may pay a few hundred.
I haven't had one in 6 years. Do you really use it?

 

[Big_John]

Not reproduced yet, although it is being worked on. @QQE may have some insight on it.

Used is hard to find in usable condition and expensive. NOS is always big $$$ and also very hard to find.

 

[Toolmanmike]

What does it look like? Another bottle may work. Some of the A body bottles are pretty simple.

 

[My70monaco]

Frank, they are not reproduced. NOS are elusive and expensive when they do show up( 500-600)$$.
Used ones pop up you may pay a few hundred.
I haven't had one in 6 years. Do you really use it?

Dave, you're right, I really don't use it. What I want to do is keep it in one piece so I can put it back in the car. I'm thinking of selling my car so the new owner can worry about it. I going to try and coat it with clear epoxy to see if that works. Just want to see if anyone else tried to salvage one.

 

[Big_John]

Dave, you're right, I really don't use it. What I want to do is keep it in one piece so I can put it back in the car. I'm thinking of selling my car so the new owner can worry about it. I going to try and coat it with clear epoxy to see if that works. Just want to see if anyone else tried to salvage one.

I wonder if it could be coated internally.

 

[polara71]

Dave, you're right, I really don't use it. What I want to do is keep it in one piece so I can put it back in the car. I'm thinking of selling my car so the new owner can worry about it. I going to try and coat it with clear epoxy to see if that works. Just want to see if anyone else tried to salvage one.

Someone here did, there's a thread on it but I forget who / when .

 

[CanCritter]

Dave, you're right, I really don't use it. What I want to do is keep it in one piece so I can put it back in the car. I'm thinking of selling my car so the new owner can worry about it. I going to try and coat it with clear epoxy to see if that works. Just want to see if anyone else tried to salvage one.

coat inside

 

[ayilar]

@My70monaco -- I would beware of even touching it. There are a couple of threads with cautionary takes -- to the point that I wonder if simply looking at one of these washer bottles is enough for it to shatter...

@BLIMP posted about what he did to his here. Here is another thread in which others have shared their own experiences, it may be the one to which @polara71 was referring.

I can't wait for @QQE to come up with the replacement bottles that @Big_John mentioned, as I need several.

 

[My70monaco]

@My70monaco -- I would beware of even touching it. There are a couple of threads with cautionary takes -- to the point that I wonder if simply looking at one of these washer bottles is enough for it to shatter...

@BLIMP posted about what he did to his here. Here is another thread in which others have shared their own experiences, it may be the one to which @polara71 was referring.

I can't wait for @QQE to come up with the replacement bottles that @Big_John mentioned, as I need several.

Michel, I already have the bottle out and it strong enough to handle. I tried some two part epoxy on a rough corner and the crack I put on the top and it helped a lot. But after seeing the guy who used fiberglass as well as the epoxy, it twigged my memory that I have some fiberglass somewhere in my workshop. I will try that later. I know it won't look great but it will be solid. Thanks.

 

[Samplingman]

LOL, I bought a whole car just for the bottle and ended up with two. One was stuffed in behind the back seat for some reason. Sold the spare but only got $75 for it. My black parts car has an excellent one, but you have to buy the whole car from me to get it, $3500......

I say mix up a decent amount of epoxy resin and slosh it around, should seal it up nice.

 

[71Polara383]

I usually spray fatigued washer tanks with a few coats of clear "flex seal" as seen on TV.

Works pretty good for the ones I've repaired.

 

[ayilar]

LOL, I bought a whole car just for the bottle and ended up with two. (...) Sold the spare but only got $75 for it.

That's because you only asked for $75 shipped! Kudos to you for being most reasonable with the price. The buyer is very lucky.

 

[bnz84]

I was just looking at the various fuel tank coatings to be used on the inside. They might work but a number of comments that it comes off of plastic. I think in our case the "plastic" is so old that its more like regular ABS now, So I might give it a try. Also the coating should be flexible as the plastic expands with heat cycles and that conflicts with a lot of epoxies. I was also looking into pipe linings, kind of a silicone looking coating. But I have not found consumer level stuff. I'm still looking. I'm sure it has been done before. Lawn mower fuels tanks, plastic motorcycle fuel tanks, etc

 

[Samplingman]

That's because you only asked for $75 shipped! Kudos to you for being most reasonable with the price. The buyer is very lucky.

Right you are, but I might have had it on ebay and it didn't sell, can't remember. Honestly, I think that's all they are worth used. NOS maybe more, but there are not many NOS. There was one for $495 but it was listed for years, IIRC.

 

[My70monaco]

I've done all I'm going to do to this washer bottle. I coated the weak parts and cracks with 2 part epoxy. Then when that cured, I added another coat with some fiberglass on the bad spots and let it cure. After reading that the epoxy and plastic expansion properties are different, I sprayed the inside and outside with clear Flex Seal. It's now solid and leak proof. (I hope!) It's not pretty but it's not falling apart either.

 

[Moparwilks]

Unfortunately, these fall into the same
category as our once beloved Thermoquads.
Your dealing with plastic, although much
Different plastic, it’s getting close to 50
years now.
Your very lucky to find good plastic these
days.

 

[Toolmanmike]

Although it's a simple A body tank, I lucked out and found a nice one for my Swinger at a friends shop. $10. The re-pops have backwards hinged caps and the wrong lettering.