My TJM bumper has a skid plate for the washer bottle, but it didn't last long, I came down hard on a rock while I was at Windrock off road park for East Coast Safari this year. It crumpled the skid plate, folding the windshield washer bottle, which pushed out the level sensor and all the fluid. This is the second time I've damaged the washer bottle. The first time was my first Hole-In-The-Rock trip in 2006 where a rock rode up the front of the right front wheel and took out the washer bottle.
There are a couple of how-to's for relocating the reservoir, written mostly by 3.7 owners. Unfortunately the spot that they choose to relocate the bottle to is crowded with the TCM and lots of wiring. I considered that spot, but making it work for a CRD meant creating a bracket to hang the bottle out in the air between components. I wasn't really happy with that option. Here is a picture of the spot on the passenger side in front of the firewall.
Today I take the old reservoir out and while I had the air cleaner out, I started looking for a more appropriate location. I think the spot in front of the air cleaner is big enough for a quart size bottle. This will fit right in front of the air cleaner where the stock fill tube is located.
First step is to clear out the space for a bottle. This big cable bundle is zip tied in two places to the inner fender. Cut the zip ties, pull the grommets that hold the ties and move the wire bundle forward. Don't want to leave it free, need to find a couple of points to zip tie the bundle too get it out of the way.
I drilled a hole in the duct for the stock air cleaner intake. I have updated my engine compartment with a 2002 air-box. This is the one that has a snorkel and moves the intake to the gap between the grill and hood. If you still have the stock intake, then you many need to find another point to add zip tie down.
There is an existing hole in the headlight bracket that held the other side of the bundle.
Here is the cable bundle zip tied out of the way
Now I needed to find a bottle that would fit the location, I searched my garage and found a bottle of Diesel 911 that looked to be about the right size and put it in place.
The bottle is a quart, 32 oz. Could stand to be about 1/4 inch shorter, but not a bad fit.
Its about 10" tall, 3.5" wide 2" deep.
So I'm on the lookout for a bottle that is about 9.5 inches tall, 3" deep and 4 to 7 inches wide. The 911 bottle has an offset neck, so If I can find a centered fill neck, the width could go to about 7 inches. The white Power Service bottle is the same size and would be less conspicuous than the red 911 bottle.
Once I find a suitable bottle I'll post it up with the pump install. The stock pump will be difficult to make work. In the stock installation it snaps into the stock bottle and picks up fluid at the bottom. To work with the new bottle, It would have to install horizontally at the bottom of the bottle which means I would need to fabricate a bracket. I'm thinking I want a side pickup pump so I can tape it to the side of the bottle.
I think I may have found a suitable cheap replacement pump from a Ford Expedition. I'm going to Autozone on Tuesday to take a look and determine if it will work.
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2005 CRD "
Ol' Blue"
Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.
My build page- RL Komodo Rear and TJM Front Bumper, armored, lifted, JBA Steel D30, 4.10s and ARB air lockers.