Washer Jets (windscreen)

Yakuza

Gentlefolk of the forum, I come to you with something that's been annoying me for the last few weeks:

All *4* washer jets in my car have simultaneously ceased to function....well they function for about 0.1 of a second (putting a few ml of water on the window) and then nothing more comes out. If I let the washer stalk go, then pull it again, the same happens.

• I can hear the pump working, so I don't think that's the problem.
• The reservoir is almost full (and has been for weeks) so I don't think it's a leak.
• I doubt if all 4 jets could get blocked at pretty much the same time from the outside, so my conclusion is there's some sort of blockage internally between the reservoir and the jets.

Does this sound right? If so, any tips to unblock it (perhaps some solution of something or other)? Or could there be another explanation? The car is an e46 320i if that helps.

I await the benevolence of your collective wisdom!

Seperate

You can try ask on http://www.bmw-driver.net if no-one can help here. Those guys know their BM's!

Owen

I just cured the same problem on the same car yesterday. Remove the washer bottle and extract the pump, and the filter. Both will have gunge built up, similar to the stuff you'll get on a runny nose. Clean it off those two items, and power hose the inside of the washer bottle, and it'll be fine again.

milltown

^ What he said.

You'll need a 10mm spanner to remove the bolt holding the tank in place. Disconnect the pumps and the level switch and out she comes. The pumps are just pressed into rubber grommets and when you pull them out you'll see all the gunge on the filters. Give the pumps and tank a good clean and you're set.

Note Ned says pump and I say pumps. If it has xenons it will have an extra pump for the headlight washers.

Yakuza

Thanks for the suggestions lads, will give it a bash tomorrow morning. Just the one pump for me, no xenons here

pete4130

Had the same problem with my Focus. I could hear the pump and it would work for about 1 second befor nothing would come out. Had to take the filler tank and main tank out to see the problem (Haynes manual job to see what I needed to take off and how to access it). There was a huge amount of black tar gunge like substance in the water tank for the washers. Simply ran soapy hot water through it as much as I could to dislodge and flush out the gunge. Had to clean the filter out thats sits just before the pump (which was the main cause of no water reaching the pump of course). It sorted the problem straight away.
I'm guessing that someone that owned the car before might have lost or forgot to put the washer tank cap back on and grime from the road might have gotten in at some stage.

Yakuza

ned78 wrote: »

. Both will have gunge built up, similar to the stuff you'll get on a runny nose.

milltown wrote: »

.

You'll need a 10mm spanner to remove the bolt holding the tank in place. Disconnect the pumps and the level switch and out she comes. The pumps are just pressed into rubber grommets and when you pull them out you'll see all the gunge on the filters. Give the pumps and tank a good clean and you're set.

Thanks lads, I sorted it out this morning. It was uncanny; what was stuck on the filter was exactly like a big bogey

I cleaned the filter, flushed out the bottle, and all's flowing again:D

I knew my fellow boardsonians would come through