Weak/low drivers side windshield washer squirts

[hornstudio]

there is no way an adjuster will solve the problem in any case. nissan will have to redesign the hole thing plus give out free windscreens.

i dont think any windscreen in norway, where the most LEAFs are sold, and where LEAF users need the wipers day and night will last longer than 30.000 miles until its fully scratched in the upper part (and have the rain sensor make malfunctions).

i have now ordered aftermarket "vintage" acme noozles for US$ 7/pair shipped to my door: very low in height with 2 metal ball sprayers each which can be adjusted with a needle, like we did 30 years ago. nissan out, acme in, in 5 minutes. i keep you updated.

 

[RedMapleLeaf]

Would be nice if RedMapleLeaf could confirm with his parts guy which nozzle assy he picked out?

According to the service record for that visit, the part number they installed (the adjustable nozzles) is B8930-JM01A. I don't know if that is for one or a pair.
Good Luck,
Renny

 

[TomT]

15 bucks each from http://www.everythingnissan.com/Nissan-Part-Number-B8930-JM01A-p/b8930jm01a-.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would be nice if RedMapleLeaf could confirm with his parts guy which nozzle assy he picked out?

According to the service record for that visit, the part number they installed (the adjustable nozzles) is B8930-JM01A. I don't know if that is for one or a pair.
Good Luck,
Renny

 

[alcalira]

Looking at your various serial numbers, it appears you all have relatively early LEAFs. Mine is a late 2012, and it came with the adjustable nozzles. However, as has been pointed out, while you can adjust them to hit the center of the windshield with the hood open, once you close the hood the trailing edge of the hood blocks the spray.

I'm going to have the dealer look at it on March 6, and will report back. Meanwhile, I've filed a report with NHTSA.

What do you think of the idea of grinding away a bit of the plastic part that forms the rear edge of the hood? Would it somehow adversely affect the aerodynamics or create wind noise?

 

[hornstudio]

i received my new nozzles. and at the same time adjusted the drivers side original nozzle - no chance it ever hits the center of the screen. instead you have foam build up on the underside of the hood where the washer fluid hits.

 

[TimLee]

there is no way an adjuster will solve the problem in any case. nissan will have to redesign the hole thing plus give out free windscreens.

i dont think any windscreen in norway, where the most LEAFs are sold, and where LEAF users need the wipers day and night will last longer than 30.000 miles until its fully scratched in the upper part (and have the rain sensor make malfunctions).

i have now ordered aftermarket "vintage" acme noozles for US$ 7/pair shipped to my door: very low in height with 2 metal ball sprayers each which can be adjusted with a needle, like we did 30 years ago. nissan out, acme in, in 5 minutes. i keep you updated.

What do you mean by "have the rain sensor make malfunctions"?
Do the European LEAFs have a rain sensor, for automatic wiper interval adjustment?
I don't think the USA LEAFs have this.
Does anyone know if the 2013 LEAF is better on this?
I test drove one, but didn't think to try out the washers.

 

[RedMapleLeaf]

What do you think of the idea of grinding away a bit of the plastic part that forms the rear edge of the hood? Would it somehow adversely affect the aerodynamics or create wind noise?

I thought of that as well, however the hood sheetmetal is directly under the plastic apron that covers the rear edge of the hood. If you were to grind away the plastic you would still have the metal to contend with. I placed some cardboard shims between the plastic and the hood metal to pry up the plastic to see if moving the rear edge of the plastic up and out of the way would help, but it doesn't. The hood's metal rear edge still gets in the way.
The real fix here is to mount a surface-mounted aftermarket nozzle to the top of the apron, but to do that you would have to drill right through the plastic apron and sheetmetal. Yikes (rust). Does anyone know of (a) an edge-mounted aftermarket nozzle we could clip onto the rear edge of the hood, or (b) wiper-mounted nozzles with the tubing extensions? I'm just thinking out loud here, but maybe someone makes a wiper assembly with integrated washer nozzles. BTW, IMO none of these alternatives would be enough to create any discernable wind noise.
Renny

 

[hornstudio]

there is no way an adjuster will solve the problem in any case. nissan will have to redesign the hole thing plus give out free windscreens.

i dont think any windscreen in norway, where the most LEAFs are sold, and where LEAF users need the wipers day and night will last longer than 30.000 miles until its fully scratched in the upper part (and have the rain sensor make malfunctions).

i have now ordered aftermarket "vintage" acme noozles for US$ 7/pair shipped to my door: very low in height with 2 metal ball sprayers each which can be adjusted with a needle, like we did 30 years ago. nissan out, acme in, in 5 minutes. i keep you updated.

What do you mean by "have the rain sensor make malfunctions"?
Do the European LEAFs have a rain sensor, for automatic wiper interval adjustment?
I don't think the USA LEAFs have this.
Does anyone know if the 2013 LEAF is better on this?
I test drove one, but didn't think to try out the washers.

of course we have a rain sensor in europe. but its located in the upper most part and if the windscreen stays dirty all the time or gets scratched, how can it work properly?

the i-miev comes with a wiper with attached noozle, that would be cool on the leaf too. the water is sprayed in the middle of the wiper arm on top of the wiper and is distributed automatically all over the windscreen. works 100%. maybe the little moving tube running in the wiper arm may not last forever, but hey, its just cents and can easily be exchanged.

 

[hornstudio]

Sold my LEAF before I could test the new adjustable noozles. Also the whining sound every morning coming from the engine side drove me mad. So not my business anymore. Happy with my i-Miev. Everything that is installed works as it should.

 

[cra]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=esWIOCIbJ28

This is how my washers "spray" the windshield. As you can see, the passenger side could probably be better off plugged shut, alowing for more water on the drivers side. I'm not happy about this. The clip is made three weeks after changing the nozzles on guarantee. The first couple of days they were somewhat better, before they turned into this joke that they currently are.

The fix should be fairly easy: redesign the nozzles so they stick out closer to the windshield. That would allow the squirt to land higher on the windshield without hitting the hood.

I'll be checking into local rules to see what the government says about having appropriate washers.

 

[RedMapleLeaf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=esWIOCIbJ28

This is how my washers "spray" the windshield. As you can see, the passenger side could probably be better off plugged shut, alowing for more water on the drivers side. I'm not happy about this. The clip is made three weeks after changing the nozzles on guarantee. The first couple of days they were somewhat better, before they turned into this joke that they currently are.

After I got the nozzles replaced and got the adjuster tool, I played around, and found if the stream was set too high, it hits the trailing edge of the hood and the spray becomes unfocused and the remaining water that does make it beyond the edge of the hood hits the windshield very low. (It's like putting your thumb over the end of a garden hose and splaying the water stream.) At the other extreme, if you aim the nozzles too low, the spray hits the wiper arms themselves. There is a VERY narrow window through which the stream can make it to the windshield. It appears that your driver's side could be set a tad higher, and your passenger side is aiming very low, possibly hitting the wiper arm itself when the wipers are still in their home position. (Note that you can get the washer fluid to spray without engaging the wipers if you pulse the right wiper stalk very briefly. This allows you to analyse the spray pattern more clearly without the wipers washing away the evidence. This also allows you to see if the spray is hitting the wiper arms when the arms are at home. Also, this trick allows the washer fluid to creep up the window while you are driving to allow the upper part of the windshield to be wet before you hold the stalk longer to engage the wipers.) If you can get the adjustment tool from the dealer, be patient and play with the stream angle and you may find one that works the best. Unfortunately, with the stupid design we are working with here, the best you can do is still not acceptable in my view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=esWIOCIbJ28
I'll be checking into local rules to see what the government says about having appropriate washers.

Please do. I think this should be a recall issue.

 

[DaveEV]

This is how my washers "spray" the windshield.

That's much, much worse than what my car sprays...

 

[TimLee]

Much, much worse than my 2011 LEAF sprays too.
Mine is poor, but half way tolerable.
Not so bad that I'd sell the LEAF like the guy in Norway did, to switch to an iMiev. But he hated the inverter whine. I find the whine OK. Would be a better car without it, but tolerable.

 

[cra]

I am about to go "all in" and hit the dealer with all I can find about consumer laws, EU directives about requirements to the car (specifically the wipers) and everything else I can find to help me. :x I'll give them ONE last chance to make this work, though.

If they can't make it work, I'll have to see if I can make modifications (top mounted or preferably arm mounted washers), but if this is necessary to remedy the problem, I'll be demanding a partial refund. If I could get a full refund that would be even better, in which case I'll be calling a Tesla dealer as soon as it's done.

I DO love the Leaf, but the (lack of) washers makes it hazardous to use this time of year.

 

[TimLee]

I am about to go "all in" and hit the dealer with all I can find about consumer laws, EU directives about requirements to the car (specifically the wipers) and everything else I can find to help me. :x I'll give them ONE last chance to make this work, though.
...
I DO love the Leaf, but the (lack of) washers makes it hazardous to use this time of year.

Good luck. Some seem better than others, and a few have reported some improvement with the adjustable nozzles and careful adjustment.
But the guy in Norway got rid of his LEAF because of the problem.
My 2011 LEAF washers are pretty poor, but they seem to be about as good as they can be for the poor design of the washers on the 2011 LEAF.
Although they're poor, I wouldn't consider them hazardous. But I don't drive in icing conditions very much like some people.
Would you update your profile location? Your comment about EU seems to indicate you are in EU.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

My Leaf seems to have developed this prostate issue as well. I intend to grumble about it when the car goes in for tire rotation and battery check next month.

 

[Staque]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=esWIOCIbJ28

This is how my washers "spray" the windshield.

My 2013 I bought in April is worse than this.

I feel better after finding this thread, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can take to the dealer and say "do this."

 

[N1ghtrider]

After getting the dealer to replace the nozzle twice on my 2012 starting 16 months ago (as reported in this forum), the 2013 I got two months ago is as bad at the 2012 when it was new. Here we go again!

 

[Nubo]

...
Of course you could always get some aftermarket washer heads , drill some holes in the hood(bonnet) and plumb them in. They even make light-up ones

Maybe unseemly to quote myself, but it seems a lot of folks have this complaint. If I owned instead of leasing, and had this problem, I wouldn't hesitate to install aftermarket nozzles. Fairly simple DIY once you get over the gut-check of drilling a couple of small holes. Just prime and paint the exposed metal. Voila! Adjust with impunity.

 

[beachfitrob]

I adjusted mine on my 2011 with a #00 screwdriver by pressing up or down on the inside diameter of the hole. It is not a tight fit, so the tool would be better.

I got it to an 'acceptable' level, but not great. If they extended out 1" or so it would be a lot better vs. just being flush with the rest of the plastic part.