Weak/low drivers side windshield washer squirts

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bowthom

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 18, 2010
Messages
663
Location
Portland Oregon
Hello,
Anyone else annoyed with the washer squirts aimed too low on the windshield? They don't appear to be adjustable so a shim might be necessary.
 
I guess it depends on how much you need them. Our streets got chewed up from gravel spread on the ice days so the water kicked up is muddy / dirty and I have to use my washers a lot.
 
bowthom said:
Hello,
Anyone else annoyed with the washer squirts aimed too low on the windshield? They don't appear to be adjustable so a shim might be necessary.
I did a quick run thru the owners and service manuals and only found the reference on page 8-14 (page 290) of the owners manual for the windshield washer nozzles. It says we can use a needle or pin to remove obstructions from the nozzle.

Give the nozzle a look - you may be able to adjust them pretty easily with a larger sewing needle (something like a 2 inch long darning needle) or tweaked safety pin. Many washer nozzles are little more than a hole drilled into a ball - and the ball can be rotated around inside the housing to aim the water spray.

That seems to be the method used on other Nissan vehicles so I think the odds are in your favor. Confidence is high. :D

edit...Google is our friend. ;) http://www.ehow.com/how_7898070_adjust-nissan-washer-nozzle.html
 
When I use the windshield washer, the pressure is greater on the passenger side at first then is better on the driver side. My wife is taller than me and she finds it a bit irritating how low on the windshield it sprays.

I'm tempted to post a Nissan request to re-pipe the washers so the driver side takes priority.
 
plundy said:
I'm tempted to post a Nissan request to re-pipe the washers so the driver side takes priority.

The drivers side DOES have priority.... (in Japan).

I was annoyed by it, we need the washers a lot in Seattle and my Infiniti had a great washer on the wiper arms.. the Leaf set up is not adequate.
 
Since I got my LEAF the left windshield washer squirter shot a weak stream only about 6 inches above the bottom of the glass, so the top of my windshield never got washed properly unless it was raining. I tried to clean out the nozzle but that did not work.

I was not going to waste my time taking the car in for that minor problem, but when I took it in for recall service this week (see other topic for that discussion), I asked them to fix the squirter. The dealership ordered a new squirter (which required me to do without the car for another day). When I picked up the car, I made the mistake of not checking to see how it worked. Upon getting home, I tried the washer and was dismayed to see that the new squirter was worse than the old one. The water reaches about 3 inches above the bottom of the windshield now.

I took the car back and asked the service manager to make sure that his techs always test whatever system they are repairing to make sure that the problem is not worse after the repair. He claimed that the new squirter was "defective," so now I have to wait a few days to bring the car back in for a replacement. I wonder if all these squirters (originally installed and replacement parts) are screwed up.

Has anyone else had a problem?
 
They all do that. Apparently they designed the squirters for right hand drive cars in Japan... Unfortunately, unlike many of the other cars I have owned, they are not adjustable.

N1ghtrider said:
Since I got my LEAF the left windshield washer squirter shot a weak stream only about 6 inches above the bottom of the glass, so the top of my windshield never got washed properly unless it was raining.
 
TomT said:
They all do that. Apparently they designed the squirters for right hand drive cars in Japan... Unfortunately, unlike many of the other cars I have owned, they are not adjustable.

N1ghtrider said:
Since I got my LEAF the left windshield washer squirter shot a weak stream only about 6 inches above the bottom of the glass, so the top of my windshield never got washed properly unless it was raining.


How does this change anything? :?:
 
I think the washer problem is due to the aerodynamics. They're shooting from underneath a cowling. There doesn't seem to be any room to allow further upward adjustment. I find if I use enough fluid the squeegee action of the blades will distribute it adequately. The quality of the blades rubber is another story. Very streaky for being new. Anyone else have that? I guess I'm going to have to replace before the next rainy season.

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 :)

38019_BlueLED_wwNozzle_Combined.jpg
 
I have no problem with my washer. Seems to get the job done just fine. My only complaint is if you don't spray long enough, the washer will spit fluid on the windshield but the wipers won't engage.
 
Nubo said:
I think the washer problem is due to the aerodynamics. They're shooting from underneath a cowling. There doesn't seem to be any room to allow further upward adjustment.


The passenger-side one works just fine and squirts a broad spray all over the area of the windshield at and above the middle. I am going to insist that the dealer make the left one work properly even if they have to manually modify it.
 
I wonder if the left will fit on the right... That might be a solution. Otherwise, the dealer will likely say that it is "working as designed by the factory..."

N1ghtrider said:
The passenger-side one works just fine and squirts a broad spray all over the area of the windshield at and above the middle. I am going to insist that the dealer make the left one work properly even if they have to manually modify it.
 
I had this weak pressure problem on my saturn. It turned out to be a cut in the line not allowing enough pressure to get to the nozzles. I couldn't imagine that would be the situation here, but maybe there is a crimp.
 
I wonder if restricting the flow to the right side would put more pressure on the left. I'm not about to try, since I would have to start removing panels to get to it. Meanwhile, my workaround is to give a few short blasts on the squirter, and let the air flow drive the water up the windshield for a time before I hit the wipers. Still not a very good system.
 
Well, do let us know how that's working for you... I do hope that your squirter nozzles don't explode! :lol:

N1ghtrider said:
TomT said:
the dealer will likely say that it is "working as designed by the factory..."
That is not an answer I will accept. The exploding Pinto was that way "as designed by the factory." My warranty covers defects in design and manufacture, so I will demand a fix.
 
Here is a bit more detail but perhaps not enough. I would have liked to have had a closer look at the flow splitter device that directs fluid to the passenger and driver side nozzles. I also found it very difficult to get a look at the washer fluid reservoir. It must be somewhere way down near the front on the passenger side, underneath that headlight.

Back at the cowling, the water supply line comes from the passenger side, passes through a flow splitter device and extends to the driver side and passenger side nozzles. I removed and switched the nozzles with no improvement in performance. The nozzles appeared to be identical.

Below is a photo of the nozzle as seen from the business end. Note that there are tangs on the left and right sides that need to be released to bring the nozzle up out of the cowling. I use a long, fine flat-bladed screwdriver to release the nozzles, approaching them from the left and right sides. It probably helped that the car was in full sun on a warm day. The hose and the plastic parts were all maximally soft and less brittle.

To check the nozzles, I attached a length of Tygon tubing, filled it with water, and blew. The flow seemed to be, if anything, too unrestricted.

I'm a retired chemist, not a physicist nor a hydraulic engineer. I have a vague recollection from elementary physics class over 50 years ago that a fluid in a hose experiences a pressure drop that is hose length dependent. Engineers, does it seem reasonable that the added 2-3 ft of hose to reach the driver side nozzle is really all that significant?





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