The yet again crappy weather has led me to once again discover the washer system in my 90 S4 is about as effective as that of a 1972 Subaru.

It has the spraying power of a 95 year man peeing.

I have replaced all hoses, check valves, pumps.

I have cleaned nozzles with needles, compressed air.

I have checked wiring and have 12v all through system

I have pulled switch from dash and flushed with electrical contact cleaner.

Only thing left I haven't done is replace nozzles with fluidic nozzles
(see this thread for that discussion: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ferrerid=75372)

Where can I go from here? I NEED washers that work because I drive in all weather.

Route around the switch and make the intensive washer switch my regular washer switch with new dedicated wiring running to the washer pump?

I am at my wits end here. How can I check how many amps are actually getting to the pump if perhaps that is the issue?

Help!

 

How are the contacts at the CE panel?

 

It sounds like you replaced everything in the fluid path except the nozzles. If you've had the usual rusty steel pipe issue, they are likely clogged inside.

Does the intensive washer squirt with the same lack of vigor? It is a separate path but same sized pump, I think.

 

That's what I don't get. I have blown the nozzles clear frontwards and backwards with compressed air. I have used a dental tool that goes all the way in the nozzle and bottoms out (like 1" long") while separately running compressed air through the lines and running fluid. They squirt sometimes, they don't squirt other times.


The CE connections were pulled out and put back in. My CE panel is clean and corrosion free. Everything looks as new on it.

I mean the only thing I haven't replaced is the nozzles and logic will say I need to replace them but If they come clean with dental tool, air and water shouldn't that remove that as a failure point?

Something tells me the pump isn't getting enough amperage but I can't figure out how to tell this.

I am going to order another new pump from Roger and two new nozzles. After that I am going to go postal and murder baby bunnies or something.

 

If you unhook the line to the hood, and hit the switch, how powerful is it? Is the motor new?

 

Uhmm, yes... Logic will say that.

Operative word here is "should", as in "probability or expectation". Yes, some have reported success with cleaning, so there is an expectation that it will probably clear them.
But not everything proposed here actually works
We went down this path and finally replaced the nozzles, problem solved. I think flakes of crap get caught in there and resist flushing, and periodically block the small passages.

You need to check the voltage at the pump-end of the wiring, with the pump connected and running. Check both wires, it could be a ground problem also.

Be sure the tank is clean, also, and get rid of the two steel sleeves, if not already gone. I replaced them with Delrin sleeves, stainless also works, or nothing and just go easy on the clamps.

Cheers, Jim

 

I removed the metal sleeves and took the tank out and flushed it when I replaced all of the hoses on the washer system.

I'll report back after the new nozzles are in.

 

I had a problem on my BMW with the washer not spraying with any real force. I also blew the nozzles with compressed air and used some fine wire to go backwards and forwards, but still did not get a really strong spray. I replaced the nozzles and it worked fine.
Out of curiosity I dissected the old nozzles and found that there was a lot of corrosion in there. Even though there was a path for the fluid to go through, there was still a lot of restriction due to the other corrosion around it.
On my 90 928, my intensive water tank would not hold any water. I checked the tank no leaks, I replaced the grommet where the pump goes it still it would not hold water. Finally removed the pump and examined it carefully, there was a pinhole leak at the side of the pump body which ends up being the low point as the pump sits sideways. There was rust stains from this pin hole and when I shook the pump it had some debris loose inside it. That leads me to believe that they rust inside and lose their pumping capabilities.
Hope that helps.

 

My washers dont work at all, haven't had time, or need to go there yet. I use RainX. and usually only need wiper delay at most. (I drive in all weather, year round)

 

Jeff, I have not checked this out, but the diameter of those nozzle holes is so small that repeated cleaning with any harder metal, (aren't they just alum or pot-metal?), could greatly reduce the venture effect of the orifice, especially if they are already corroded or eroded. New ones will solve the mystery, Ich glaube.
Kevin

 

I used thin paper clips to unclog my nozzles awhile back worked great.

 

++ 928 for RainX. Great stuff in the slop. Less than ideal at night on city freeways with overhead lights, there's some dazzle - but no worse than old wipers and streaky crud.

How's the pump? How well do the hoses squirt, when not attached to the nozzles? IIRC, they should shoot all the way over the driveway and onto the roof.

When I did mine years ago, I rubber-banded the stalk so the pump was always on and flushed with the garden hose squirting into the bottle to loosen all the brown crap. Took a looong time before it ran clear. Did the nozzles with various pins and tools, repeatedly, while the washers were on. Lotso little flecks, lotso start and stop.

 

Try it without the check valves; or in the words of Lauren Bacall "just put your lips together and blow" (through the check valve that is) and see how it flows. I bought new ones from Pelican once and very little would go through them.

 

I just replaced both my pumps today. And I removed the hose from before the hood. Left that open and sprayed two tanks full of water out. Still brown. The stuff that came out smelled like ****. I am going to do this more. And once in a while the pump clogs. when that happens I take compressed air and squirt back down in the hose until the air bubbles up out of the tank. I thinking of using the same stuff that you are supposed to use to flush cooling systems. I figure a couple more tanks full and a flush and the crap should be clean.

 

Use a multimeter that measures current (most good ones will measure up to 10 amps) and place it in series with the positive connection to the pump. when you activate the circuit you will be able to see what current the pump is drawing.