450h windscreen washer jets/petrol smell

[wewuntbedruv]

Hi all,

Posted my first 'hello' on the new members forum earlier today and so i thought I'd dive straight in with a couple of questions.

Over the past couple of weeks, both windscreen washer jets on my '08 450h SE-L have become less and less powerful, to the extent that now any water from the jet nozzles reaches about 2 inches up the screen!  Pump is working and the headlight washers are fine (and yes there is water in the reservoir).  Has anyone come across anything similar?

Also, three or four times now i've got a definite fuel whiff at the back of the car when it's standing.  initially put it down to me 'splashing' when i filled up but more than twice has got me thinking....  No liquid drips or vapour signs that i can pick up.    Could it be fuel tank vent issues?

cheers

Phil

[Britprius]

Sometimes the washer jets can become blocked. The best way to unblock them is to remove the hoses from the underside of the bonnet, and reverse flush the jets removing them completely if required. Also check the supply hose is not kinked or flattened along it's rout especially where it is clipped to the bonnet hinge. Both operations will require the removal of the bonnet sound deadening mat.

For the petrol smell I have put a suggestion on your first post.

John. 

[royoftherovers]

Did you buy privately or from a Dealer ?

[wewuntbedruv]

John, no kinks that i can see around the hinge.  I'll try the reverse flush tomorrow.

cheers, Phil

[wewuntbedruv]

Just now, royoftherovers said:

Did you buy privately or from a Dealer ?

john, Dealer, with warranty but just a faff getting it to them etc.... so hoping for an obvious easy solution first.....

Phil

[royoftherovers]

3 minutes ago, wewuntbedruv said:

john, Dealer, with warranty but just a faff getting it to them etc.... so hoping for an obvious easy solution first.....

Phil

Take it to someone local but ask the supplying Dealer if they will reimburse you for the local fix ?

[Farqui]

Some vehicles have filters on the pumps within the reservoirs, which can become gummed up and lower jet pressure.

I don't know if GS's have such a filter/gauze but I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

It could be that the previous owner put or left some odd concoction in the tank, that's now turned gloopy in the colder weather?

Maybe try putting some boiling water in the tank and pumping it thru to see of that helps?

Did I read that adding a touch of vinegar could help disolve any gunk? Verify this first tho.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

[PCM]

10 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Did you buy privately or from a Dealer ?

Tell them to pay, I think(?) it's an MOT failure if they don't work correctly?

[Hangie]

Im my GS i got problem with washers twice. One side was like yours while second was perfectly fine. 

In my case both time T splitter/valve was faulty. 

[Texas]

+1 on the 'gunk' problem. Had it before in a Mondeo where some detergent was used instead of proper screen wash and it just sunk to the bottom and congealed blocking the gauze that protects the pump/jets, in my case I removed the pump and ran a hose pipe through the resivour.

paul m.

[wewuntbedruv]

Thanks for all the responses on the washer issue. Reverse flushed the hoses, gave the reservoir the hot water treatment, splitter OK, nozzles clear, pump sending water from the reservoir just not with any ooomph!

Ah well, looks like a day out of my life to take it back to the dealer.

cheers, Phil

[Initial P]

My Beamer used to have a filter in the tank I but you had to take off the nearside wheel arch to get to it.

[wewuntbedruv]

Here's an update on the 'washer' problem following a little more digging.

The one thing I hadn't bothered to do was remove the pipes from the splitter to the nozzles themselves.  I did that and that's when i discovered that Lexus fit in-line non-return valves/filters just before the pipe reaches the nozzle. You can't immediately see them unless the pipes are actually removed as they are tucked into a void space in the bonnet.  I removed them and then attached some plain pipe to the nozzles and hey presto! problem cured.

So basically it seems both non-return valves have failed in the space of a couple of weeks.  Small beer I know but what chance of it being sorted under warranty...?

cheers

Phil

[Farqui]

Well done Phil