How to Replace the Windshield Washer Reservoir in a Hyundai Sonata

How to Replace the Windshield Washer Reservoir in a Hyundai Sonata. The Hyundai Sonata is a mid-size car, first produced in 1988. No matter what year your car is, keeping your windshield clean is vital. Using your windshield washer fluid helps you maintain your visibility. However, if you've just filled the windshield washer reservoir, but you still don't have any fluid, check for a leak. If you have a leak, save some money and fix it yourself.

Find the part number for your windshield washer reservoir. The part number depends on the year of your Hyundai Sonata. You can get the part by either ordering it from the dealer or online or getting it from a salvage yard.

Put the car in park and turn it off. Don't forget to remove the keys. While still in the driver's seat, reach under the instrument panel--on your left side--and pull the hood release.

Go to the front of your Hyundai Sonata and locate the auxiliary release, which is in the center of the hood. Pull on the latch to open the hood enough for you to raise it until the hydraulic lift kicks in and opens it fully.

Locate the windshield washer reservoir. In the Hyundai Sonata, it's the blue-capped reservoir in the bottom left corner of the engine compartment.

Remove the front bumper to get to the windshield washer reservoir by first taking off the inner clip pin using a pry tool and then the other clips running along the top of the bumper. Next, unscrew the screws that run along the bumper in front of the wheel opening and wheel well. Finally, use a wrench to free the shoulder bolts in the center of the bumper to gain complete access to the windshield washer reservoir.

Disconnect the negative cable on the battery. If your car comes with air bags, you need to wait at least 90 seconds after disconnecting the negative battery cable before continuing.

Undo all the leads to your reservoir, including any hoses, guide wires and mounting bolts. After that, simply lift the windshield washer reservoir out of your Hyundai Sonata. With a pair of pliers, remove the washer pump from the reservoir. Throw away the seals--you'll need to replace these when you install the new reservoir.

Reassemble your Hyundai Sonata by attaching the washer pump to the new windshield washer reservoir, replacing the seals and then putting the reservoir in your car by screwing it into place, replacing the mounting bolts and attaching the hoses and any other leads. After that, reconnect the battery.

Put the front bumper back together by reversing the order in Step 5. Make sure you put everything back exactly as you found it to ensure everything works properly in your Hyundai Sonata.