Question about my squishers......

[wilfandrowlf]

Hi

I recently had the misfortune of losing one of my squisher pipes inside the cavity at the base of the windscreen (where the wiper mechanism lives). How the hell do you get to it?

There is no obvious way in to the cavity and I am foxed.

I am in the process of removing the dash top anyway to do a veneer refurb so is it accessed from there?

Any help or pointers would be grately appreciated as the MOT is looming and I want to get it on the road for the spring

[spend]

With later cars you can simply cut an access hole from the engine side and then plate/seal over when finished (ISTR that there is a gotcha using that method on the early cars?)

[K4TRV]

spend said:

With later cars you can simply cut an access hole from the engine side and then plate/seal over when finished (ISTR that there is a gotcha using that method on the early cars?)

Something from 2009 !! Copied from an advanced search!!

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Hmmmm. World of pain. I had exactly this.

The hose runs unside the drivers side wing from the washer bottle then across in the void between two skins of the bulkhead under the black perforated panel at base of windscreen. T-piece then up to the two jointing pieces where pipe re-apperas next to wiper spindle.

If one side is flowing washer fluid, then the problem is at/after T-piece. If the side that is working has a strongish jet, the it will be a blockage, probably in the curved tube on the other wiper arm. If the flow is weak then likelihood is the pipe has dropped off the jointing piece. It is possible to use a torch and look through the perforations to see. Warning - if you have to touch the flexible pipes that go from wiper arm to the jointing piece, be very careful not to break the jointing piece or knock off the pipe below it (if still attached)

I think that you can get into the bulkhead void by removing the perforated panel, but to do that you need to remove windscreen wipers, wheelbox retaining nuts and the bottom seal of the windscreen. Getting it all back together again and sealed is a challenge apparently - I was advised not to go this route.

When I had this problem I was advised to either remove the top of the dashboard and cut a hole (if it doesn't already exist) through the inside bulkhead, or cut a hole from the engine bay into the void. If the problem side is the drivers, then you will need to work around the bonnet catch.

In my case I cut a hole in engine side bulkhead (25mm hole cutter), removed the jointing piece, pushed the pipe up through the hole with needle nosed pliers, glued the jointing piece to it and then pushed the pipe back through the hole until the jointing piece was seated. Resealed with an aluminium plate and sikaflex. Took a hour all in (once I had the bottle to make the hole).

Hope this helps

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Hope that helps!

Trev

[wilfandrowlf]

Many thanks, I thought it could never be simple!
I'll go down the hole behind the dash route as I already have the dash top off.
Hole saw and glue at the ready!

[spend]

wilfandrowlf said:

I'll go down the hole behind the dash route as I already have the dash top off.

I'd check that carefully there are significant differences if your car has a big tube across the back of the engine to heat the footwell vent or if it is part of that moulding. ISTR that is the logic of the different methods front/rear apart from the obvious change in moulding that development dictated.

[Bassfiend]

David Batty managed to get to mine without cutting anything ... no idea how he did it but I'd snapped off both my nipples and the pipe had dropped inside but he sorted them for me for its MOT so it *CAN* be done!

Phil

[RumbleBee]

Hi,
I had the same problem, there is enough space between the grille and the bonnet at the bottom of the windscreen to run new tubes. I found this an easier soluton. Just ran the tube down the side of the engine bay and in through a hole next to the rad to the washer bottle. Works well and defrosts quickly in cold weather.

[wilfandrowlf]

Hi
I managed to fix mine in the end. I made a "keyhole" shaped slot in the scuttle (under the cheese grater panel) then managed to pull out the old pipes to the plastic T piece, then use an electricians draw wire to feed in new pipes. I also replaced the plastic nozzles with some new aluminium and brass ones I made to hopefully make the whole thing a bit more robust.
Result, squishers working!

Here is a pic of the nozzle I made (X2 obviously) and the "keyhole" slot to get at the pipes.

Edited by wilfandrowlf on Sunday 26th February 20:15

Edited by wilfandrowlf on Monday 27th February 21:07