I have a 1987 4wd cargo on which the front windshield washers had not worked since I bought the van a few months ago. When the button was depressed you could hear the pump working but no juice to the windshield.

Today i decided to pull the access panel and figure out what the problem was. Once I had access, I pulled the whole reservoir out. There are two pumps at the bottom of the tank- one for the front washers and one for the rear. The pump for the rear washers appears to make an uninterrupted shot to the rear squirter. The front one, however, detours and goes through something that the van manual refers to as the washer change valve which sits on top of the tank along with a relay. The manual has inspection procedures for both of these items. My relay was working to spec, but the washer change valve was not opening properly which in turn does not allow fluid to get from the pump to the windshield.

I decided to try bypassing the valve since the pump works perfectly on it's own. It was as simple as unplugging both lines from the valve and then plugging those two lines together. The fittings are such that I didn't even need to add or remove any
bits. Presto! Front squirters firing!

The valve is still available new for something like $50. As far as I can tell, it's soul purpose is to keep fluid from draining out of the lines and back into the tank. I would guess this would make the response time a little quicker (although it doesn't take more than a a second or two for the fluid to travel the length of the van) and
would save a little wear and tear on the pump. Am I missing something? Unless there is a bigger reason for this valve, I am inclined to leave it the way it is and save myself $50.