MOT Failure: Nearside Headlamp Washer

J

jimmybell

Veteran
 SW London
So - MOT failed purely on Nearside Headlamp Washer. It pops up as expected, it just doesn't spray. The Offside works fine.

Had a poke around inside, i can see the pipe leading to a splitter, with one side for each headlamp washer. I found this topic: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=45081&p=645659&hilit=headlamp+washer#p645659

The pic is helpful, at least i know if i faff about and take the bumper off i can probably figure out the problem, and maybe fix it. I read somewhere they don't pop up if there's no pressure from the tank, though i don't know whether that's one sensor for both, or one sensor either side.

Questions:
  • * Is this common?
    * Anyone any experience of what this might be?
    * How hard is removing the bumper, looks like potentially some bolts underneath, and some on top under the bonnet?

I'm thinking it might just be a blocked nozzle, but i'm not sure if i can get to the nozzle without taking the bumper off? Can you pop them up for maintenance or something? :(

Frankly they're a pain, and make a mess of my clean car! :D silly MOT laws.

Funnily enough i photographed this indirectly on Tuesday. So here's a picture to lighten up this dull question.!

9303592094_1e2b7206c2_z.jpg


EDIT* The rear panel you can remove in the wheel arch adds little value!

Thanks folks.
 
1. Not common
2. Check wire connections etc
3. Not hard, but takes around 10 mins (edit - maybe 20 mins for a first timer) if you're being careful. You need to take the plastic clips off around the arches and give it a hard tug (easy now tiger) to remove the bumper from the side clips. After that undo the under tray. Then it's just the torx screws that you can see at the front of the engine compartment.


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Problem will most likely be goo in the filter of the washer pump. Def not electrical as only one pump and one side is working. The NS is further away and gets less pressure so doesn't work.
Pull the pump out, clean the filter refill with water and try again.

If it doesn't work then no need to take the bumper off...
Grip the top of the washer with your nails and lift it up. unclip the cover.
test the spray and see what happens (lights on of course).
Turn or remove wheel and open acces panel, unclip the washer and cycle it by hand a few times. You can also remove the C clip and take it off the hose.

Those test will resolve all the issues or show what's wrong.
 
Great :D

thanks for the responses. i'll go and have a play now, seems relatively straightforward.

I didn't feel like i got much extra vision of the washer when i removed the panel, but i did have the bonnet shut then, i suspect there maybe more light with bonnet open and panel off.

will have a looksee and report back within the hour! ;)
 
So - *some* success. Sadly with the wheel well cover removed, i still cant actually get to the washer, it's much lower than that cover reveals. Removing the front air duct would probably help, but i cant figure out how to do that as it's not just the clips visible in the wheel arch.

So the washer head - I've managed to prise it open, figure out roughly what the problem is... When i removed the broken one, there was a plastic cylinder inside the entrance to the sprayer component (the hole above the orange rubber rim in photo 1.). This was pushed in in such a way that no water would ever go down the sprayer arm.

I removed it, compared it against the working side, which did not have a plastic cylinder in the sprayer section, and figured it was some sort of pressure valve to allow water in only when the pump is active. Not exactly sure how it's not in the place it shoudl be in, and then how it ended up pushed into/blocking this hole.. i dont know.

Anyway i put it back in loosely, reinserted the sprayer and it worked - temporarily. removed it again, pushed it back in further - now it ~kinda works. you can see from the videos (whilst the "broken video" suggests it only sprays once, it does now spray twice as expected) it seems to constantly spray, with a burst of pressure at the peak height, wheras the 'working' side only sprays at the top of the movement.

Think i need to take the bumper off, take out the washer and have a proper look inside it - but at least it does now spray.

Photo 1: Sprayer section removed.
9314377587_de0c1913ab.jpg
9314379075_e7ffb3029c.jpg


Working side:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxut6_LsemU

Broken side (as explained, now bursts twice, but you can see it kinda leaks during movement):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEkcxy5tx0c

Comparing down the holes, inside the washers you can see a missing valve which i guess is my fault for not figuring out what his bit was, but no idea how it came out, or how it should get in.. it's almost like it rotated inside the washer or something.
 
Sounds like you've tracked the issue. Access may be easier on the ///M with the duct removed, but you get to the point that it's as quick to remove the bumper.

You should not really have pulled the washer apart that way but seems it was broken anyway.

I'd source a new one then just do a straight swap.
 
You could just disable them.

Cheapest easiest option as they do nothing anyway....

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Never seen them testing that on my M, and I would have seen the water marks everywhere ...
 
They need to work for the MOT, all cars with xenon headlights need washers and self levelling to work.

Yes, some cars have escaped the regs, but that was luck... ;)


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Yeah sadly they have to work if you have Xenons.

I'll give Sopers a call in the morning, i'm already toying with driving up past Lincoln this Saturday anyway - are they open for parts on weekends? Looks like ~£75 is the going rate.

Will try and fix myself, and pop it back for retest next week :( Don't really like leaving my car with garages - it managed to draw the attention of every mechanic when they pulled it in (~6 blokes crowded around it).. i'd of thought they'd of seen one before and they were queuing up when it came round to testing brakes with a decelerometer. thankfully they weren't very long at all.

Saying that - they're were all just as interested in someones push bike.. i guess easily distracted! :D
 
to try and make this thread useful to people in the future - some links:

parts diagram for the M spec car: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DU92&mospid=49422&btnr=61_1604&hg=61&fg=45
(dont have link for non-M but you can browse realoem easily, just look for "SINGLE PARTS FOR HEAD LAMP CLEANING" under vehicle electrics.
160.png

  • No. Description Supplement Qty From Up To Part Number Price Notes Photo
    01 High-pressure nozzle, left 1 61677057451 $67.43
    02 High pressure jet, right 1 61677057452 $67.43
    03 Bracket, hose line 1 61667052715 $2.65
    04 Cable clamp D=15/B=4 4 61131353866 $0.50
    05 Hose clamp 1 61668362763 $0.33
    06 Cleaning system hose 1 61677037416 $33.52

Another thread with a useful pic of the washer pump: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23977
P1000166b.jpg


The bit that broke on mine is the valve inside the unit, between the nozzle cluster and the washer pump unit, you can release the nozzle cluster easily with a knife, it's a ratchet style locking clip holding it in, exposed when you manually pull the nozzle out. Visible as the lines below the red ring on the nozzle unit in this pic:
9314377587_de0c1913ab.jpg
 
So i found out driving to Nottingham this weekend that whilst the little bit of plastic blocking the nozzle had stopped it working, it also stopped the thing leaking. sneaky suspicion raify may of mentioned this when i boguht the car - can't remember. Anyway - part collected from Sopers Lincoln .. excellent service from them, bumper off, fitted replacement, tested it (took a while for the pressure to build up for either to spray, then the offside was happy a few attempts before the nearside started working.

Downsides - the "how to take the bumper off" guides don't seem to point out the wheel arch trim rivets you pop out are one-use, and as such you'll need replacements to properly secure it again afterwards.

I think it's part number 51717002953 i need, anyone have any ideas? seems there's a few types, but i cant find anyone conclusively saying "euro Z4M's use this one".

realoem diagram: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DU93&mospid=49424&btnr=51_4952&hg=51&fg=75&hl=9

As i can figure out, you stick the rivet in the hole, pull through the already inserted (over length) centre pin, and cut it off. Rather than what i assumed was a pin you push from the outside into the rivet centre to secure it.
 
All the pins I've seen are reusable.
Type one - push the centre pin right through the rivet. When bumper is off collect up pins to reuse. Type 2 - pull the pin out with a lever under the head (bit like a nail) remove rivet.

Trouble is almost any expanding locking rivet can and does get used...

Anyhow - glad you're all sorted and washers working.
 
thanks for your help :)

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=878417 - this is the kind of rivet, where you snap off the bit sticking out of the head of the rivet, and push it back theo ther way to release (but obviously once it's been installed/snapped off, you cant then pull it through again).

I'll buy some ebay ones and see if they can do the job, otherwise i'll ask BMW i guess.
 
jimmybell said:
thanks for your help :)

http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=878417 - this is the kind of rivet, where you snap off the bit sticking out of the head of the rivet, and push it back theo ther way to release (but obviously once it's been installed/snapped off, you cant then pull it through again).

I'll buy some ebay ones and see if they can do the job, otherwise i'll ask BMW i guess.
Click to expand...

As far as I'm aware that's not the right sort of fastener. That's closer to a pop rivet and is a one time only.
 
I got some ebay one for my front bumper.. not the same as stock, but are reuseable.. and do the job... plus cost something like £2 for a bag of 20.
 
Only the top fastener on mine is a plastic rivet, the others are self tapping screws? Is the ///M bumper different in the fasteners?
 
I think the M bumper is different from reading around - they're all like these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=321165590161 - 'blind rivets', ordered some to test. Seems to be backed up by the realoem diagram. I have four on each side, front bumper/wheel arch trim join.

should be able to fit them wednesday evening.
 
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