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Clearing a Rear Wash Wipe Blockage

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#1 ·
Clearing a Rear Wash Wipe Blockage.
in a BMW 1 series (E87) 116i ES (2006) 5 Door Hatchback...your part numbers may differ, check first

On thing that keeps cropping up on this forum, over the short while I've been here is the constant problem of a blockage in the rear wash wipe system.....Whilst this can be down to a number of things but usually its quite simple and is very easy to exchange part for part.

First and foremost I would like to thank the good people on this forum for providing me the knowledge on how to perform this task, without their help and guidance this thread would not have been possible.....Thank You!

Whilst my problem was a blockage somewhere, I knew that my motor was still working (so that was a relief)
Thinking then that it can be one of the following:
1) Nozzle Blockage
2) Pipeline Blockage
3) NRV Blockage (Non Return Valve)

So not being sure which of the above it could be I purchased all of the small parts necessary...to cover all bases as it were.
But this time I purchased a double nozzle (for more squirts for my buck) :lol2:


Part number for Dbl Nozzle and Cover


The Parts supplied


The Double Nozzle


Halfrauds Finest Non Return Valve


Gunged up Single Nozzle before work began

Gently remove the cap lifting it upward to the right whilst gently pulling it back at the same time and it will slide out from under the washer arm.


Not looking too good....the nut was rusted so the nozzle would have been in from new and didn't look in the best or order.
Time for a change


Removing the old nozzle....
I found vice grips to be the best tool for this little job as you can really lock onto the nozzle head and not slip off as you may probably do with pliers.

With the grips firmly secured around the nozzle head...N.B. pull straight outward, don't twist or bend or you could risk breaking off part of the stem which in turn would turn a quite simple task into a big job.


Gently does it and out she comes.....

At this point I still wasnt sure which of the three faults were endemic to this situation so with the old nozzle out and the pipe (visible) I gave the pipe a good blow with an airline....I then went round to the steering column and flicked the rear washer on to see if there was a jet of water comming out of the pipe....To my relief...There was!.....So now I had eliminated the NRV and the Pipeline blockage scenarios in one motion.

So we were simply dealing with a nozzle fault (so glad I purchased the double one now :) )


Fitted and working (again :lol2: )

The nozzle shank just pushes down into the tube (again gently does it) and the cap fits neatly over the unit as before.
Just before I fully located the cover....I lined up the nozzle with the hole in the plastic cover to make sure I was taking advantage of all the water available to the screen....I didn't want it hitting the cover, but going directly onto the rear screen....now it was just a question of fully locating the cover cap....Job Done....Estimated time ...1/2 hour.

Whilst I did not have to remove any of the boot panels to access the NRV (thankfully)...this was a job worth doing for low monetary outlay.
I hope it serves a purpose and helps folks with a similar problem and gives them the confidence to perform such an easy task themselves instead of fuelling the coffers of the Stealers.

Thank you for taking the time to read this small walkthrough
Regards

Parts List
Nozzle and Cover £14.99
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Genuine BMW E81/E87 1 Series Rear Wiper Twin Washer Jet and Cover

NRV £1.79 (not required in this instance)
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#3 ·
You wont believe how easy it actually is.....
LOL... been a while since I wrote this little walk-through (must change that rusty M8 hex nut)
Glad it was of some help to you.
Keep us all posted as to how you get on
all the best
C
 
#5 ·
If you have or know someone with an airline / compressor, first off just take the nozzle jet out as described and blow it through from both ends with the airline, thats all I needed to do to clear the blockage, 5 minute job and no outlay!
This you can also do, and whilst it does work, I preferred to purchase some new parts as the older versions had been installed from when the car was made and were decidedly gunged up and discoloured...the twin nozzels also make a huge difference.
Regards
C
 
#6 ·
Locoblade said:
If you have or know someone with an airline / compressor, first off just take the nozzle jet out as described and blow it through from both ends with the airline, thats all I needed to do to clear the blockage, 5 minute job and no outlay!
I know this might be a silly question but would a can of compressed air do the trick? I know my dad has a compressor but he's probably lost all the nozzles...
 
#7 ·
Linwe said:
Locoblade said:
If you have or know someone with an airline / compressor, first off just take the nozzle jet out as described and blow it through from both ends with the airline, thats all I needed to do to clear the blockage, 5 minute job and no outlay!
I know this might be a silly question but would a can of compressed air do the trick? I know my dad has a compressor but he's probably lost all the nozzles...
Sorry, I didn't see the reply on this earlier. I did actually try with a can of compressed air because I was trying to avoid getting the compressor hose out etc, it didn't work in my case but worth a try if you have one as everyone's piece of gunk is going to be different size/shape etc :)
 
#8 ·
Thanks for this thread.... I just unblocked my rear wiper spray using a slightly cruder method. I removed the cover then the nozzles and used a pin to poke around in the nozzle heads for a minute or two. I could then blow through the nozzles and it sounded clear... Refitted and bingo :)
 
#10 ·
mmm, sort of, but most won;t be as easy as this as the blockage will be further back. Mine took half the boot trim off tracing the blockage back.

Pain in the ass, wish they were more like the old cars which had a separate rear tank, however the issue there was said tank would leak and rot the floor away. Luckily i won't have to worry about rear washers soon.
 
#11 ·
Ant said:
mmm, sort of, but most won;t be as easy as this as the blockage will be further back. Mine took half the boot trim off tracing the blockage back.

Pain in the ass, wish they were more like the old cars which had a separate rear tank, however the issue there was said tank would leak and rot the floor away. Luckily i won't have to worry about rear washers soon.
cheers will get some time with hopefully the better weather coming :)
 
#12 ·
mine was blocked, couldn't clear it for love nor money all methods tried. I bought second hand unit for cheap. Sent it straight back and then went and bought a velo unit from german french swedish or whatever they are called. Wish I just replaced it in the beginning. It cost 80quid compared to 140 from bmw.

Also upgraded to the two washers
 
#13 ·
Thanks in my last car a VW, the wash line disconnected in the engine bay. I assumed it was a similar problem on my 118 now but water wasn't leaking anywhere this helped clear things, I ordered the replacement nozzle and cover from Cotsworld on eBay and happy days everything is now working again. :D

I also used a pin to adjust each individual nozzle, so it sprays better.
 
#14 ·
Checked the connections in the boot and removed nozzle. Weird thing with mine is that the motor only activates for about half a second the stops. Is the one way valve behind the boot lid panne lot elsewhere. Have had this off but nothing else.

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#15 ·
Just thought I would add to this, as I've just fixed my rear washer jet, that hasn't been working for 3 years!!!.

Anyways

First thing I did was wanted to establish whether the blockage was at the rear of the car, or at the front (pump). As I didn't want to start removing the wheel, wheel arch etc, I started on the rear and used the half split method.

I opened the boot, and removed the 2 hex screws on the boot door, and the 2 expanding screws near the latch. It's then simply a case of pulling down the boot liner which has the popping connectors to fasten the boot lining to the boot.

You will then see the pipe going to the wiper motor through the non return valve. I disconnected the pipe and rigged a bottle and tested the pump.


As you can see, fluid is reaching this point, it was just a case of working back.

Took the next part off



Used a small drill bit, and what came out can only be described as similar to copper crest, an orange, dirty substance.

tested it again, and still nothing. then I took the jet off..



and used a small drill bit and put it up inside it and a load of gunk/orange dirt came out.

reconnected and tested correct...

Finally!
 
#16 ·
Gazwal86 said:
Just thought I would add to this, as I've just fixed my rear washer jet, that hasn't been working for 3 years!!!.

Anyways

First thing I did was wanted to establish whether the blockage was at the rear of the car, or at the front (pump). As I didn't want to start removing the wheel, wheel arch etc, I started on the rear and used the half split method.

I opened the boot, and removed the 2 hex screws on the boot door, and the 2 expanding screws near the latch. It's then simply a case of pulling down the boot liner which has the popping connectors to fasten the boot lining to the boot.

You will then see the pipe going to the wiper motor through the non return valve. I disconnected the pipe and rigged a bottle and tested the pump.
I've got to this stage, but the fluid isn't coming out :(

I can hear the pump whirring away at the front of the car. Is there anything else in the pipe between the non return valve and the washer bottle in the wheel arch?
 
#17 ·
Theres only pipe between pump and NRV, but just because the pump is whirring, doesnt mean its pumping. The filter in the tank may be clogged, or there may be snot algae blocking the flow. Have you tried flushing the tank (stick a hose in and turn the tap on, and watch it flood out) and blowing back down the tube (with NRV removed of course). Also, before doing that, check the hose hasnt come off and flooding washer fluid al over the floor (or inside the car somewhere). Worst case, you'll have to get at the motor and tank to check, which is wheel arch liner off I'm afraid.
 
#21 ·
Ended up taking the whole unit apart to see it was rusted heavily so the parts affected had a bath in WD40 then a big scrub, re-oiled and greased up and back in.

The nozzle was actually a twin anyway but the top one was full of the rust that had broken away, so I ran hot water through whilst using a pin and it all broke up and came flying out! So no more squeak, nice oiled cogs and spring and much better spray.

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#23 ·
Gazwal86 said:
I opened the boot, and removed the 2 hex screws on the boot door, and the 2 expanding screws near the latch. It's then simply a case of pulling down the boot liner which has the popping connectors to fasten the boot lining to the boot.

Took the next part off



Used a small drill bit, and what came out can only be described as similar to copper crest, an orange, dirty substance.

tested it again,
I hit this job this weekend. All I can say is that it took 5 times as long as first planned and was a right PITA.
My nozzles were clear.
I had water pumped to the quick release connector on the main tube.
I removed the motor and assembly to get a better look at things and could not unblock it. I removed the right angle connector, which has been removed from the motor on the photo. Mine was white and had a black NRV. It has rusty crud at the bottom, which I cleaned out but it still didn't work. I prised off the NRV and saw the issue (well one of them...). The NRV had crud in it preventing it from working. It has a small rubber sleeve that opens under pressure from the pump. I cleaned this and replaced it. You can blow through it but it takes a lot of effort - this is normal.

Anyway, all back together and it works but the whole motor unit thing leaks. This is because the right angle connector with the built in NRV, has an 'O' ring in it that allows the wiper shaft tube to rotate freely. This used to have a chrome shiny part on the bottom of the central tube - this is the bit that has corroded and blocks your jets. The NRV holds the water in the tube to the jets and it rusts at the end that needs a smooth surface to seal against. I have seen this on two motor units. You may also find that if the pump is always working against a blockage that this may reduce it's life considerably.
 
#24 ·
floydroid said:
Gazwal86 said:
I opened the boot, and removed the 2 hex screws on the boot door, and the 2 expanding screws near the latch. It's then simply a case of pulling down the boot liner which has the popping connectors to fasten the boot lining to the boot.

Took the next part off



Used a small drill bit, and what came out can only be described as similar to copper crest, an orange, dirty substance.

tested it again,
I hit this job this weekend. All I can say is that it took 5 times as long as first planned and was a right PITA.
My nozzles were clear.
I had water pumped to the quick release connector on the main tube.
I removed the motor and assembly to get a better look at things and could not unblock it. I removed the right angle connector, which has been removed from the motor on the photo. Mine was white and had a black NRV. It has rusty crud at the bottom, which I cleaned out but it still didn't work. I prised off the NRV and saw the issue (well one of them...). The NRV had crud in it preventing it from working. It has a small rubber sleeve that opens under pressure from the pump. I cleaned this and replaced it. You can blow through it but it takes a lot of effort - this is normal.

Anyway, all back together and it works but the whole motor unit thing leaks. This is because the right angle connector with the built in NRV, has an 'O' ring in it that allows the wiper shaft tube to rotate freely. This used to have a chrome shiny part on the bottom of the central tube - this is the bit that has corroded and blocks your jets. The NRV holds the water in the tube to the jets and it rusts at the end that needs a smooth surface to seal against. I have seen this on two motor units. You may also find that if the pump is always working against a blockage that this may reduce it's life considerably.
Yes good points. I found the same. Replaced my rear wiper motor unit from ECP when they had an offer on and it cost about £65
 
#26 ·
I do a fair bit of road biking and have a compressed air pump..( small gas cylinder etc ).for when I have a puncture. I have fixed both the front and rear washer set ups and blasted air through them...cleared a treat....also Aldi are selling these kits for a £5...they get my bike tyres upto a 100psi so they pack a punch

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