I'm having a recurring game with my son's rear washer function on his 51 plate 25 1.4 Impression. The washer system is all fine and dandy, right up to the wiper motor. The problem is, the water path from the plastic right-angled fitting through to the top of the wiper spindle keeps getting blocked. It's not the jets, it is definitely the path through the wiper motor from the lower water connection up to the outlet at the top of the spindle.

I have poked various things into the tube and the connector (mostly twisted wire cleaning tools and some spare motorcycle throttle cable inner as the spindle is quite deep). Poking down the spindle tube is sort of satisfactory, but having a go at the black connector end, it feels as if it's a more complicated route (perhaps it's similar to a banjo connection inside)? As a consequence, I don't think it's getting a thorough clean, just a bit of a stirring around. The washer is now working again, but this is at least the second time it's blocked in this way.

I am tempted to pull the lower connector off, to have a good look at what's going on and give it a thorough clean. However, my spidey sense is telling me that if I do that, it won't all go back together again. It has that 'pressed in at the factory so don't touch it' look to me!

Has anyone on here played this game before? Is there a decent fix?

Cheers,
Philip

I had this exact same issue with the rear washer on my Vi. I thought initially I had a blockage or split further forward then found that the washer pipe discharged fine if disconnected from the entry into the washer motor.

I tried the same sort of fixes that you have, sadly without success. Eventually I replaced the whole motor assembly with a good used item off ebay, along with a new inline non-return valve, resolving the problem. The jet is a bit weak, possibly because of the non-return valve, but all good otherwise. Just a shame to junk an otherwise perfectly decent wiper motor.

At least your pipe hasn't been caught in the tailgate hinge...
When nothing was coming out of mine I held it on for a while, just to find it had all trickled into the boot!

Anyway, I don't see why it would get blocked in the first place. Maybe give the washer bottle and pump system a really good flush to get rid of any more dirt?

I have had the same problem and have taken the 'easy' option of replacing the whole motor because I had a couple of spares lying around.

I would agree that trying to extract the inlet elbow is not likely to end well, as it is a 20-ish year old piece of plastic!

This post has reminded me that I ought to try doing something with one of the removed units: probably try blowing through from the jet end with compressed air or attach my Hydrolastic pump to it and try pumping fluid through to dislodge whatever is blocking it.

It should just need a blast of compressed air to clear it I reckon.

Thanks guys for all the useful comments. It does seem to be a design weakness with no obvious fix.

I've tried carburetor cleaner, which is about the only thing I have to hand with any pressure in it (I couldn't get a seal with a tyre inflator). The washer is now working, but I don't know whether it was this or the poking around that did the trick.

Judging by the interest in this, if anyone has an old u/s wiper unit and is happy to have a go at removing the plastic connector, a lot of people would be interested in the results. Pictures would be great.

Cheers,
Philip

You could try a can of compressed air - you get these for cleaning computer keyboards?

216secoupeessex wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2022 11:57 am You could try a can of compressed air - you get these for cleaning computer keyboards?

^ this will be your most effective way of cleaning out the pipe of any grime.

My 220 Coupe (1995) suffered a similar problem, but even after compressed air it was still blocked.

After further investigation, it turned out the rubber pipe underneath the carpet had actually hardened and collapsed internally with age causing the blockage.

A new length of silicone pipe was needed in order to resolve the problem at a cost of £4, but then took 3-4 hours re-routing it all in the OEM position (interior out job) .