Bluestone Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 The passenger side windshield washer nozzle on my 2000 Legacy GT wagon doesn't spray, only weakly spurts. I guess it's either an obstructed nozzle opening or a problem in the pressure to that nozzle. The other nozzle sprays just fine. What's the correct technique for removing the nozzle from the hood (don't wanna break it, that's why I'm asking) so that I can clean out the opening(s). And, if the problem's not a plugged nozzle, what else can I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Also look for any kinked/bent tubing going to that nozzle. Shake/jiggle/move/etc the hose from under the hood to see if that helps. If you put the hood up, you may be able to push the nozzle out the hood size with your finger or something else. Mine have popped out on their own before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 have you tried viagra?? just joking, might want to try to remove the little jets on the hood and see if something is clogged up in the sprayers.. or maybe some dirt got sent through the fluid tank and got stuck in the tubing as mentioned before.. i on the other hand have had the problem of trying to realign my sprayers after they moved (thinking from buffer while waxing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 I removed the hose connecting the nozzle to the other one, and disconnected the elbow connecting the hose to the sickly nozzle, as well as the plastic insert(which has a tiny ball bearing inside it)....and checked them out; all seem ok, there. What I STILL need to know is how to remove the nozzle from the hood. The piece under the hood which is connected to the nozzle itself on the hood needs to come apart, but it doesn't seem to turn, nor pull/push off. Since I can't determine how they're fastened to each other, I don't want to force it otherwise I'll break it. Anybody? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 Mr. Stone, do you know anyone that owns an acetylene torch setup? They would also have a set of tip cleaners. They are small wires with serration's on them. Every plugged nozzle I have had has been cleared using these. Might be EZ'r than getting the nozzle off and then...??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 if its anything like my legacy, there are clips you push in on each side and the clip being depressed lets the nozzle come off (mind you i have a 94) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 .....an acetylene torch setup........ They would also have a set of tip cleaners. They are small wires with serration's on them. Every plugged nozzle I have had has been cleared using these...... Nice idea; I don't have access to an acetylene torch, but I did get a hold of some strands of piano wire. However, I used the wire to poke and twist in the nozzle's opening, but still no improvement....sigh.... If could get the nozzle off the hood, I might be able to try poking the wire into the nozzle's bottom end. Then, of course, the problem could be with the plastic insert between the 90˚ angled elbow that connects the hoses to the nozzle's nipple....there's a tiny ball bearing inside the insert that might not be functioning properly. Anyway, if all else fails, I'll buy a new nozzle and hose assembly at the Subaru parts dept. They sell only the assembly, and not the individual components(nozzle, nipple, insert, elbow, hose) for about $25. I'd still need to get the feckin' nozzle off the hood, though! if its anything like my legacy, there are clips you push in on each side and the clip being depressed lets the nozzle come off (mind you i have a 94) Hmmm.....do you mean on the underside of the hood, on either side of the nipple to which the hose attaches (about flush with the hood's underside surface, I think)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 Ok, "theflystyle" was right about the clips. I removed the problem nozzle by depressing the clips with a longnose pliers and pushing up. I put the other end of the nozzle against my lips and blew hard; no obstruction apparent. Put the nozzle back, reconnected the hose....nozzle still has weak output. Tried switching the nozzles (I discovered that each nozzle is configured to put out a different spray pattern, specific to each side of the windshield; left nozzle's and right nozzle's spray openings are different, so they're not interchangeable), but the driver's side nozzle, now on the passenger's side, put out a weak spray JUST as the other one did. The passenger's side nozzle, now on the driver's side put out a strong spray, although the spray was skewed toward the outside of the windshield. So, the problem is NOT with the nozzle; something else is causing the weak spray on the passenger side. I had already checked the elbow and hoses from the drivers side to passenger side nozzle, it's all clear....blew air through them, no obstructions. There doesn't seem to be any point in buying a new passenger side nozzle/hose assembly. At this point, I don't have a clue what's wrong. Further ideas/suggestions are welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Hm....say if you plug off the driver side hose to the nozzle, then run the sprayers, what happens? Not sure...maybe washer pump has a low output? Maybe you can try switching the hoses at the reservour for the front and rear pumps, then run the rear pump, just to see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 just a thought - but which side of the car is the washer bottle on?? if the bottle is on the drivers side, then it is a pretty simple case of the further the fluid goes, the less "uumph" it has...ie: not enough pressure when it finally reaches the passenger side. as for the direction the nozzles are spraying - if they are anything like the older ones you should be able to adjust the direction they spray by using either a small paperclip, or a large safety pin, inserted into the nozzle opening and moving it in the desired direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 well for the above, my passenger side is just as strong as my side.. i dont know what else you could check, thats odd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Check the ground for the washer pump. Try running wires directly to the battery to see if that helps. That should let you eliminate whether its a pump problem. And try pinching the hose to the good one and see if the extra pressure makes it to the spurting nozzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Might be a booger in the check valve (they call it a check value but we know better). Here's what the book says: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 Some interesting ideas/suggestions; haven't had the time to try any of them yet. Some thoughts, though; if the pump is losing output, I'd expect that the spray from the driver's side nozzle would be a bit weaker than it was, but it's not; the spray is just as forceful as always. A booger in the check valve is a thought. If so, I would have to buy a new nozzle, elbow, hose assembly. Incidentally, the nozzles aren't interchangeable; each one differs slightly....the passenger side nozzle has a slightly wider opening, and each nozzle has sort of an arrow embossed next to the opening; the driver's side nozzle has it to the right of the opening, and the passenger's side nozzle has it to the left. Also, there's an indentation in each of holes in the hood, into which one of each nozzle's clip, I think, fits, assuring that each nozzle is pointed in exactly the right direction. The nozzles aren't adjustable, the spray's direction is fixed. But earlier Subies had adjustable nozzle's, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NV Zeno Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 My Subaru is much older than yours, but this is a generic problem..happened on my Acura. On my car, the reason for a weaker spray turned out to be a pinhole in the hose that led to that side..was driving me crazy doing all the stuff you guys are all talking about here, and it turned out to be a simple fix. 3 feet of new hose, voila:banana: . Just my 2 bucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 ...a weaker spray turned out to be a pinhole in the hose that led to that side... was thinking about this on the way home from work tonight... to check - pop hood and have somebody push the button so you can watch what is going on - you may see air bubbles entering the line going to the passenger side, or perhaps a drip or two... to double check - pinch off the line for the drivers side nozzle (after they "Y") to force more pressure to the passenger side and look for either drips or bubbles... replacing the line is definitely cheap - may want to go ahead and do it, just to see if that is in fact the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluestone Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Well, I got a short piece of hose from a neighbor and cut it to the appropriate length. Hooked it up but still no spray. Since, I thought, the problem's likely a bad nozzle or check valve, I ordered the assembly(ha! It's just the nozzle, elbow, check valve, and hose, for $25 at the dealer....nothing more than about a dollar's worth of pieces really,.....God, what a ripoff!) Anyway, I got it today, hooked it up, and voila!....the left side now spurts like I did when I was 13 and a voracious wanker So, the problem was either a bad nozzle or bad check valve. Problem solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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