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Washer Woes #1

Meaty

Meaty

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Messages
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1
Location
South Birmingham
Car
2004 2.2 i-CTDI Exec
Ever since I've owned my car, the drivers side winscreen washer has been a bit pants. It doesn't spray (like the N/S) but is a sort of jet that squirts just above the parked wiper. I finally got around to cleaning out the washer jet (which has been butchered and is why there is no 'misting' on that side) and tried swapping the jets over. Now I have two strong jets reaching the middle of the screen on the N/S and a weak mist to about the bottom third on the drivers side. It appears that the pressure is lower on the drivers side but I'm unsure why. Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
If you reckon the jets are clear, then it must be the plumbing blocked, try clearing by blowing through them, most likely at the junction "T"
 
thake the pipe off each washer jet in turn and spray. watch the water coming out of the pipe itself, if there is a big differance between the two i would suspect a blockage in that pipe. if the preasure is the same (good preasure) the problem is with the jets them selves. if it is weak then remove the pipe from the t piece and see what the preasure is like. if the preasure is low before the t-piece i would suspect a blocked washer pump filter. you need to remove the drivers arch lineing and pull the pump out. there is a mesh filter/rubber bung in which the washer pump sits inside. this will lift out and clean it. its not uncommon for the jets themselves to ****** up even after cleaning though.
 
I like the filter idea as the washer fluid in when I bought it smelled really musty and old (I think the car had been standing for a while) so there could be some contamination in there that would normally be held in suspension and squirted out when the washers were used. I'll have a look when I get chance.
 
Incidentally (and off topic) what happened to your Mondy? I've had a couple of them (both diesels) and they're a cracking car - I'm missing the heated screen already!
 
Intrestingly my drivers side washer is also pants. Look forward to hearing what you find. I'll have a nosey to see what i find
 
I remember someone saying the pipe can get crushed under the windscreen cowling? maybe worth a look, also a new jet from honda is £20iirc.
 
Mine was pretty lame, tried blowing it all through with an air line and it did improve but unforunately somehow killed the spray pattern!! Ended up buying a new one fom honda for around a 10er :)
 
+1 for drivers side. My problem seems to be that most of the jet seems to hit the wiper arm. Doesn't get all the way up the screen! My wife's civic's windscreen washers are excellent in contrast.
 
After my nosey this weekend, i've found nothing. The drivers side was slow to start with but after the second time both were equal. The warm temp today doesn't help. The jets look fine on both.

I could live with it as long as it gets no worse during winter.
 
I stripped mine down today and have blown it through from all ways and it all seems clear. What I did find, is that the 'T' piece is in fact a sort of 'Y' piece with a straight through flow to the N/S and a branch to squirt the drivers side. When the pipes are removed from the nozzles and the pump operated, it's quite obvious why the drivers sidei so poor. The straight through part (to the N/S) is quite powerful, but the flow from the branch part is not. As a temporary measure and until I can get some new nozzles, I've just swapped over the piping at the output end of the 'Y'. Now the N/S is slighlty worse than it was, but the drivers side is much better.

I also took the pump off but found no obvious filter from the washer bottle, so I just cleaned the muck off it and stuck it back in.
 
I have the same problem....however it is even weirder - the headlight washers wouldnt spray at all and the windscreen ones did but as above the drivers side was pathetic -no power at all just a trickle. So i topped up the water...and what a lot of water it took to fill the bottle! :eek: After that the lights get a serious blast of water but now the windscreen washers are both very weak!?
 
There are 2 pumps, one for headlights and one for windscreen, headlight one sits higher in the tank, thats why yours didn't work till you filled it. Hope that helps
 
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