E60 windscreen washers are not !!
Discussion
Hi there, hoping that you can offer some advice as to how to sort out the windscreen washers on my E60 ?
When the washers are operated it only produces a very small squirt of water from each of the two bonnet jets, which stops after a split-second, and then there is just the sound of the pump whirring if I keep pressing the lever !
If I then stop and re-press the lever there is another tiny squirt of water, and then nothing again but the sound of the pump motor !!
The water bottle is full, and the system is not frozen, as it does the same whatever the temperature.
I've popped a fine wire down the actual jets to see if they are blocked, and this has done nothing.
My gut feeling is that there is an airlock, since water pumps for a bit then it seems as though the pump is trying to pump air, but this could be complete b@llocks (!)
Can't even find the actual pump, etc - it seems to be well hidden !!
Any advice greatly appreciated !!
I would normally say that any jokes about my "squirting problem" or any other crude remarks are not welcome, but in this instance they will at least cheer me up !!!!
Cheers,
Mike
When the washers are operated it only produces a very small squirt of water from each of the two bonnet jets, which stops after a split-second, and then there is just the sound of the pump whirring if I keep pressing the lever !
If I then stop and re-press the lever there is another tiny squirt of water, and then nothing again but the sound of the pump motor !!
The water bottle is full, and the system is not frozen, as it does the same whatever the temperature.
I've popped a fine wire down the actual jets to see if they are blocked, and this has done nothing.
My gut feeling is that there is an airlock, since water pumps for a bit then it seems as though the pump is trying to pump air, but this could be complete b@llocks (!)
Can't even find the actual pump, etc - it seems to be well hidden !!
Any advice greatly appreciated !!
I would normally say that any jokes about my "squirting problem" or any other crude remarks are not welcome, but in this instance they will at least cheer me up !!!!
Cheers,
Mike
Very common problem, it's the filter. For some reason they are prone to blocking.
Only solution is to change it. BMW blame not using their screenwash. Strangely I've never had this problem with any other car that has a filter in the line, yet it has happened to my 6 series and an X5 from an insurance co on loan that was only 3 months old.
Only solution is to change it. BMW blame not using their screenwash. Strangely I've never had this problem with any other car that has a filter in the line, yet it has happened to my 6 series and an X5 from an insurance co on loan that was only 3 months old.
This was very common on the previous E39 model and it sounds like exactly the same symptoms.
Have you checked under the sound insulation attached to the bonnet? On E39's the washer pipes get pushed off the jets in freezing temperatures and only a dribble of water can usually be seen, but the pump works fine.
If it is this problem, simply push the jets back until they click into place and problem solved (until next time)!
Have you checked under the sound insulation attached to the bonnet? On E39's the washer pipes get pushed off the jets in freezing temperatures and only a dribble of water can usually be seen, but the pump works fine.
If it is this problem, simply push the jets back until they click into place and problem solved (until next time)!
Gramrugby said:
Very common problem, it's the filter. For some reason they are prone to blocking.
Only solution is to change it. BMW blame not using their screenwash. Strangely I've never had this problem with any other car that has a filter in the line, yet it has happened to my 6 series and an X5 from an insurance co on loan that was only 3 months old.
If you use a low concentration screenwash it can sometimes freeze partially/go slushy in the bottle and then when it thaws out it separates out into a gel-like slush and water/liquid. You might find that something like this gel-like slush is blocking the mesh filter.Only solution is to change it. BMW blame not using their screenwash. Strangely I've never had this problem with any other car that has a filter in the line, yet it has happened to my 6 series and an X5 from an insurance co on loan that was only 3 months old.
This has just happened on a girl's Corsa I had a look at.
Cleaned it all out, put some new screenwash in and it's fine.
It has been pretty cold at times this year - down to -15/-20 deg C and most people are too tight to run a strong solution of screenwash. A lot of the cheap ones freeze at -10/-15 even at 50% strength
MikeyFZS1 said:
Thanks for your replies chaps.
Where is the filter located ? I've had a look around under the bonnet, tried to trace the pipework through but can't find a filter.
Would you be good enough to point me in the right direction / take a photo of the filter maybe ?
Many thanks,
Mike
I can't speak specifically for your car but generally it will be where the pump pickup draws the water from the water reservoir bottle for your washers. Most pumps are very close/clipped on to the washer bottleWhere is the filter located ? I've had a look around under the bonnet, tried to trace the pipework through but can't find a filter.
Would you be good enough to point me in the right direction / take a photo of the filter maybe ?
Many thanks,
Mike
Gramrugby said:
Not this time I'm afraid. It's a pain in a@*# job. I think and I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong, that the wheel and underarch protection has to come off to get at it.
Wouldn't surprise me if the arch liner has to come off for access. You just need to get at the pump to see if the strainer meshes are clogged upVic_S said:
I've just has this on my E39.
- 45mins labour to take wheel & liner off, clean out filter & re-assemble.
They blamed it on the Halfords pre-mix I had been using...
That is such b- 45mins labour to take wheel & liner off, clean out filter & re-assemble.
They blamed it on the Halfords pre-mix I had been using...
ks! When it happenned to mine it was some limescale from hard water and a bit of debris that got in when filled from a watering can.Every car I have had has been fine with Halfords stuff, personally I think the BMW design is flawed and prone to blocking butthey won't own up to it
blueg33 said:
Vic_S said:
I've just has this on my E39.
I think the BMW design is flawed and prone to blocking butthey won't own up to it
It depends how small the mesh is really - as I said earlier, had to fix a 51 reg Corsa with what is suspect was a similar problem...clogged mesh filter.I think the BMW design is flawed and prone to blocking butthey won't own up to it
The 'flawed' bit with the BMW in my opinion is the time it takes to get at the pump.
On an E36 it's about 5 seconds.
Had this issue on my E60 and my money would be on the filter.
It's in the near side wheel arch and is an easy job and can be cleaned.
You'll need the car off the ground and the wheel off. Remove the front half wheel arch liner, only as far as it takes to peel it out. The pump and filter are near the outside and fairly easy to access.
With the liner pulled out of the way, basically I pulled the pump out of the filter, which didn't drain the tank as I expected (placed a bucket under the undertray below the tank). When I then pulled out the filter which sits below the pump, the water all came out.
I cleaned the filter with warm water and an old toothbrush, to remove all of the slime that had blocked it all up.
Replace filter, replace pump, re-fill bottle and check washers, then relace wheelarch liner, wheel and off you go. Half an hour if your a spannerman, an hour if not.
Needed an 8mm and 10mm socket, with a few different length extensions.
HTH.
FWIW, the heated nozles are c£50 for a pair and I now have a spare pair!
It's in the near side wheel arch and is an easy job and can be cleaned.
You'll need the car off the ground and the wheel off. Remove the front half wheel arch liner, only as far as it takes to peel it out. The pump and filter are near the outside and fairly easy to access.
With the liner pulled out of the way, basically I pulled the pump out of the filter, which didn't drain the tank as I expected (placed a bucket under the undertray below the tank). When I then pulled out the filter which sits below the pump, the water all came out.
I cleaned the filter with warm water and an old toothbrush, to remove all of the slime that had blocked it all up.
Replace filter, replace pump, re-fill bottle and check washers, then relace wheelarch liner, wheel and off you go. Half an hour if your a spannerman, an hour if not.
Needed an 8mm and 10mm socket, with a few different length extensions.
HTH.
FWIW, the heated nozles are c£50 for a pair and I now have a spare pair!
Shropshiremike said:
blueg33 said:
Vic_S said:
I've just has this on my E39.
I think the BMW design is flawed and prone to blocking butthey won't own up to it
It depends how small the mesh is really - as I said earlier, had to fix a 51 reg Corsa with what is suspect was a similar problem...clogged mesh filter.I think the BMW design is flawed and prone to blocking butthey won't own up to it
The 'flawed' bit with the BMW in my opinion is the time it takes to get at the pump.
On an E36 it's about 5 seconds.
Thank goodness for Pistonheads!
Just read this and popped out and fixed excatly this issue with my 06-06 535d sport touring. Black slime on the filter. Just for interest mine has three pumps and the front screen is the outboard one which also the largest. the filter comes out after you take the pump out as its in the rubber grommet set into the tank. The other two pumps are for the rear screen (only touring?) and the xenon headlight washers (only on xenons?). There are no filters on the tw other pumps, just the big one.
Oh and they blocked the instant I canges screenwash brand but I never used BMW. I went from Holts to some green stuff? Back to Holts again.
Took me 35 mins and i have had a couple of beers, pissed wash all over the floor but I had a full tank.
Cheers Guys.
Just read this and popped out and fixed excatly this issue with my 06-06 535d sport touring. Black slime on the filter. Just for interest mine has three pumps and the front screen is the outboard one which also the largest. the filter comes out after you take the pump out as its in the rubber grommet set into the tank. The other two pumps are for the rear screen (only touring?) and the xenon headlight washers (only on xenons?). There are no filters on the tw other pumps, just the big one.
Oh and they blocked the instant I canges screenwash brand but I never used BMW. I went from Holts to some green stuff? Back to Holts again.
Took me 35 mins and i have had a couple of beers, pissed wash all over the floor but I had a full tank.
Cheers Guys.
Gramrugby said:
BMW blame not using their screenwash.
Probably find it is, as BMW stuff is flammable, but in the 34 and 39 I used cheapo screen wash, jets blocked up, I am now back to using BMW screenwash and it has unblocked my previously blocked one jet and sorted the rest of them out, and it is quite good.
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