Screen Washer Pipe
Screen Washer Pipe
Author
Discussion

WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Friday 27th January 2023
quotequote all
Hi all

Has anyone replaced the washer pipe from the screen to the front grill

Looks like mine has been affected by the recent freeze. Either disconnected or split

Is it possible to get to the inner wing. Or try to connect to one end and use the old pipe to draw a new one through.
My Chim is a 2000 so is it possible to gain access to the screen end by taking the dash top off

Thanks in advance

Adrian@

4,418 posts

298 months

Friday 27th January 2023
quotequote all
Have a look behind the bonnet mech on the bulkhead to see if there is a 1" rubber grommet. If there is, then you can mask up the shape of the mech (so you can replace it as was) remove the grommet, using a wire hook you can pull the T piece out and connect a new pipe to the old one at the front of the car and carefully pull it through. (if there is no grommet use a hole cutter to add one). A@

WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Saturday 28th January 2023
quotequote all
Thanks Adrian
As I mentioned I have a 2000 year car and the bible infers that on later models there is a plate somewhere on the bulkhead under the dash that you can see the space where the pipes sit.
As you are the wiper man would this be where you would gain access to the wiper motor.

When you mention masking up the bonnet catch I am not quite sure I understand

Thanks Again

Trevor

Belle427

10,784 posts

249 months

Saturday 28th January 2023
quotequote all
Mask around it so that it gets fixed back in exactly the same place.
A pencil line drawn around it will also work but take care not to rub off.

Adrian@

4,418 posts

298 months

Saturday 28th January 2023
quotequote all
(Sorry my bad)...In the engine bay, but behind the bonnet catch mech, which is attached to what is the heater distribution box (the mech is attached by two M8 bolts, penny washers and spring washers through to two brass bobbins). If you look behind the mech (centre point of the two bobbins) on later cars they drilled a hole and fitted a grommet for access to the three way washer pipe connector. IF you do not have the grommet you can get one and create the access, then you would need to mark the position of the mech prior to removing it (I use masking tape, so it is put back on in the same position). I the past I have been able to super glue an in-line connector at the motor end (in place of the one way valve) and pull it through to the 3 way connector via the hole replacing the pipe. A@

ez64

242 posts

178 months

Saturday 28th January 2023
quotequote all
I did mine on a pre facelift and found it really easy by going through the dashboard instead.

My dash is already on wingnuts so that job is easier to be fair but I had no access hole for the wiper wheel box's which I had to cut myself. This is a later factory update like the wheel well headlight bulb access. Very easy once you have reached this point by using the old and a bit of string as a pull cable and I would recommend this over trying to be mystic meg on the other methods but see what works for you.


Edited by ez64 on Saturday 28th January 17:57

WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
quotequote all
Hi

Just checked and there isn’t a grommet behind the bonnet catch

I will take the dash top off during the week and as a bonus it looks like the weather is due to warm up a bit mid week.
Should be an easy job getting the top off as I did change the nuts to wing nuts some years ago when I last took the dash top off.

jamescooper47

89 posts

141 months

Sunday 29th January 2023
quotequote all
Hi, yes done that very same thing. Works perfectly. Search my name on the chimaera and enthusiasts Facebook group. All there with a vid etc

WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Monday 30th January 2023
quotequote all
Hi James

Thanks for your reply . Would you be able to post a link to your video as I can’t seem to find it

Trevor

WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Monday 30th January 2023
quotequote all
Hi Guys
Thanks for the suggestions and I have now fixed it.
It was a disconnected t piece that was between the two washer tubes on the bulkhead
I didn’t take the dash apart but cut a hole behind the bonnet catch as suggested.
I found the pipe that came direct from the washer bottle that was disconnected from the T-Piece.
The other pipe I hooked that went from the T-Piece to both washer nipples .
I had to take both nipples off and pull the tube through the holes after I had connected a length of spare tube at the passenger side . This allowed me pull the tube with the disconnected T piece
Far enough to enable me reconnect all of the tubes onto the T Piece. And push back into the newly cut hole.
I made good and covered the hole by cutting a circular piece of black plastic that I had
Spare as I couldn’t buy locally a grommet.
A couple of self tappers and some Sikaflex and all was done. More of less invisible now.
Thanks again

Adrian@

4,418 posts

298 months

Monday 30th January 2023
quotequote all
WOO5IE said:
Hi Guys
Thanks for the suggestions and I have now fixed it.
It was a disconnected t piece that was between the two washer tubes on the bulkhead
I didn’t take the dash apart but cut a hole behind the bonnet catch as suggested.
I found the pipe that came direct from the washer bottle that was disconnected from the T-Piece.
The other pipe I hooked that went from the T-Piece to both washer nipples .
I had to take both nipples off and pull the tube through the holes after I had connected a length of spare tube at the passenger side . This allowed me pull the tube with the disconnected T piece
Far enough to enable me reconnect all of the tubes onto the T Piece. And push back into the newly cut hole.
I made good and covered the hole by cutting a circular piece of black plastic that I had
Spare as I couldn’t buy locally a grommet.
A couple of self tappers and some Sikaflex and all was done. More of less invisible now.
Thanks again
A round of applause to you sir, I dread to think of anyone removing the dash top for this job. My thought that frozen nozzles are the cause and the hose simply blows off. I would say, the cure is the correct anti-freeze version of screen washer (but TBH who uses it neat and in reality, for the one night in the year that a car outside might need it neat here in the UK it is not happening). A@

PabloGee

680 posts

36 months

Tuesday 21st February 2023
quotequote all
My 1995 model gave me the same problem a couple of weeks ago, no water coming out of the wiper squirters.
I took off the front grille, had a look at the reservoir, connections, tested the pump, blew up the pipe, all good, all back in and resealed the filler pipe to the bottle (the old mastic had come loose).
Then I tried again in case I had blown a blockage loose, still not coming through but a telltale was a faint smell of washer fluid in the cabin.

After digging around on here I tried that method by cutting a couple of small-ish slots in the bulkhead from the engine bay (with an oscillating multi-tool saw). I actually couldn't get to the pipes at all that way, so followed the next step of getting a couple of pieces of sheet aluminium (the wife hasn't yet seen that I cut them from the table in the greenhouse!), sealed them on with Sikaflex 221 and a couple of short screws. It looks vaguely intentional, but I'll paint them black to hide them further.

So onto the next method. Dash top off, then cut a slot in the bulkhead from that end (this time used the hoover to suck the dust as I went!) - following the photos in this thread https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Two layers of fibreglass later and I could see that the pipe from the reservoir was not attached to the t-junction. I could also see why the previous access route (or even taking out the wiper spindles) wouldn't have worked, there is almost zero slack in the pipes to the arms, the t-junction was almost under tension! With some careful and fiddly negotiation I took it apart to put it back together with superglue, and proceeded to cover the hole with a couple of bits of clear polyprop (cut from one of my wife's favourite tupperware boxes!), one piece either side, bolted through with a couple of cabinet connector bolts, and sealed it up with builders silicone in case I need to go back in.

Problem solved I think, seems to be working, but now I have better access, and if it goes again I'll probably replace the pipes with slightly longer lengths and glue the living daylights out of it. I think it was caused by frozen pipes because there is no evidence of any muck.

Here are the photos:












WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2023
quotequote all
Well done for sorting a small issue but a time consuming fix.
After I fixed my disconnected pipe and all was working I then found that all of the testing beforehand
I didn’t consider where all of the water was going . Into the bulkhead from the disconnected pipe and then Ito the passenger foot well
A lot of mopping and removal of carpets and took quite a time to dry.
Once all was dry and my head in the passenger foot well I noticed a slight weep on the heater valve
Spindle which then needed fixing.
You can get this valve quite cheaply on Ebay as it is the same as a MK2 golf or VW Transporter van.
Under £10 delivered. Be careful of the cable holding clip
So it was just a pipe disconnected 20 second/20 day fix 😉

PabloGee

680 posts

36 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2023
quotequote all
I must admit, I have been concerned about water finding its way into the passenger footwell, where the fuse board/battery/rats nest are in my car, but I didn't test the washer fluid very much at all once I realised it wasn't coming through - instead I behaved like a Gen Z and went online to research!

Thankfully I haven't seen any evidence of water inside the car around this issue as yet.

Do you have any photos of that heater spindle job? I'm not sure I've got that one to deal with, but it would be handy to double check.

WOO5IE

Original Poster:

951 posts

213 months

Wednesday 22nd February 2023
quotequote all
Hi

I have attached the Ebay links for both Valve and Clip You can find it cheaper if you look from the UK with free delivery

Its for a Mk1 and Mk2 Golf

if you need to change the valve then you don't actually need a new clip but its easy to loose when it springs off.
Its the second time I have changed the valve as I found quite a few years ago that the heater was permanently warm even when turned off , it wasn't leaking but didn't seal in the off position. I am sure a lot of Chims have the same issue in Summer and blamed on heat soak.

Quite a difference if you can get cold air blowing. Or take the roof off of course
It made a big difference to the cabin temp in summer

The valve is up high on the left in the passenger footwell . I didn't need to drain the cooling system , just sucked a litre out into a bottle and reused.

Its very fiddly but doable

Clip
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334299880763?hash=item4...

Valve
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334299880961?epid=24957...