Something leaking underneath

O

ocrx8

Active member
 Essex
Hi guys,

Opened the garage today to find this lovely wet patch has appeared under the car overnight. The good news is that it smells and feels like water. Is the likelihood a washer jet failure? There isn’t a whole amount left in the screenwash resovoir at the moment and the car drives fine for the record.

Note I took the car out before this pic was taken - in the image it’s probably about 20cm further back than when I first saw the car this morning.
 

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I guess it could be related to the radiator and its pipework or the air con etc but my moneys on it being washer, especially with it being stood overnight. Either the front bumper jet itself, the pipework to it, or the pump/seal at the reservoir.
 
Hi,

Did you wash the car or drive through any water / rain yesterday? My coupe drips from a screw hole on the front drivers side bumper when it’s had water on it. Can take quite a while to drain.

The air con condensate drip tends to be from the middle of the car, just behind the engine.

Hope it’s nothing serious.
 
A/c or wipers not been used for a couple of weeks now, weather has been too good! Last washed about two weeks ago.

I’ve got some paper towels under the car and have taken photos of the screenwash level. Will check it again in a couple of days, if it’s dropped that’s my answer.

Just hoping it’s something simple!
 
Looks like the same problem I had, which was a leaky headlight washer,soon find out when your washer bottle keeps emptying
 
To conclude, it’s screenwash as the washer bottle is near empty today - phew! Easy and inexpensive to fix.
 
Not that cheap when you see what they charge for a new headlamp washer! Had to have the same on my 3.0Si recently...it was doing exactly that. I think the part was about £70 IIRC.
 
Dragging this thread from the depths, I found a similar puddle on the garage floor and assumed it was the aircon condensate. It tasted of nothing.

The other week at a service I thought "cheeky *** charged me to fill the screenwash at the service, I only did it at weekend", and after a run yesterday I went to put the car away and noticed the puddle again, and the screenwash bottle is nearly empty. Also they must have used posh screenwash, as this time the puddle tasted a bit vinegary, and the car smelt of chips this morning.

Oddly it doesn't seem to leak when parked in the garage for a week, but seeps out when the car is driven, presumably something vibrates allowing a slow leak.

Couldn't feel anything under the pumps (this is a Z4M, so 2 pumps as one for the headlights), or see anything, and then when I removed them of course the bottle emptied and soaked everythings o no chance of finding it. I'm tempted to just replace the filters in case the grommets are a bit hard and see if that does it.

Any idea how much OEM are (they're closed now) and whether the Ebay ones are as good? Also anything else i should consider changing whilst it is apart?

Thanks

Paul
 
I'd want to rule out the washer jets and pipework before swapping parts that may be OK.

My current one had a leaking washer jet when I collected it.

I hope it's a simple fix. :thumbsup:
 
You might be right - I put it back together with some Grohe white grease on the connectors - the stuff they give you for shower valves. I do know it leaks even if we haven't used the washers, so wondered if it was vibration frm driving allowing a bit of seepage - the reservoir has a bit of a wobble in though it is tightened down.

Filled it and tested it and the headlight washer didn't trigger properly, faffed with the power connection, got it to work a couple of times, then it started to rain so not ideal for looking for leaks, and i'm not testing it in the garage :)
 
It sounds like the problem is either the washer jet or maybe the pipework in that case.
 
Headlight washers working now - they only seem to activate the first time I turn the ignition on and wash the windscreen with the lights on, after than just the screen washes. Ignition off anf on and they activate again.

So, when they pop out I grab them, the nearside one pumps and stops, the drivers side one dribbled for quite a while after it stopped pumping. I then tried it again and neither dribbled, so it could be something as simple as that.

The undertray ihas a lot of water in and will take some time to dry, and I can't easily get it to dry it. Also any clues on how to remove the brake cooling ducts to see the pipework to the headlight washers to see if/where it is leaking. The cover comes undone but won't pull out, unlike the one above to the rear of the headlight which was easy to remove and just shows the actual reseroir isn't leaking.

Thanks
 
The headlight washers don't operate every time you use the screen washers, I think it is only one in five times.

Sorry I can't help with any tips to access the pipework. :(
 
Hi All,

So I filled the washer reservoir last night, and this morning there is about 1/2 inch missing and a puddle under the car.

I felt under the reservoir where the pumps attach, ther it is dry, which suggests a leak in the pipework. It also means it is leaking when not under pressure.

Then I got to thinking, why doesn't it always empty out of the headlight washers? I can think of 3 options
A) The pumps do not pass fluid when they are not spinning, so a faulty pump is allowing water to syphon out to the headlight jets.
B) The pumps does allow fluid to syphon though when not in use, and the nozzles seal when they retract back into the car and they are leaking.
c) The pump does allow fluid to syphon through under gravity, and the washer jets do seal when retracted, but one of the other connections is leaking.

I'm really hoping towards option A here, so does anyone know if fluid can syphon through the pumps when they are not active?

Thanks

Paul
 
I think you'll find it's Option B sadly!

I lost a whole reservoir of fluid when one of my washer jets wasn't sealing. :(

After I got it fixed I pulled Fuse 40 so the headlight washers no longer work. Saves getting streaks along the wings and any future issues with jets or pipes leaking. :)

And it passes the MOT like that because headlight washers only need to be fitted to cars with Xenons that were registered sometime in 2009 (September I think).
 
I had an issue like this. Turns out washer fluid was slowly seeping out of the OEM tiny washer pump next to the reservoir. The OEM pump has a tiny little square hole and water kept seeping out of it overnight because i noticed the dry washer fluid trail.

I took out the pump, cleaned the little reservoir filter with a toothbrush and shot some compressed air (it was super dirty!)

Then I bought a new like-OEM pump for less than $10 that looks like this picture. No issues since then!
 

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Thanks all - pretty sure it isn't the pumps so need to check the jets.

My thought was as temporary bodge of disconnecting the headlight pump and plugging the outlet from the pump (or removing it and plugging the reservoir) and then bumper off over winter and a proper investigate.
 
I too had a leaking headlight washer and found a thread on here which suggested manually pumping the washer up and down to clear out any crap.
Did that and the washers have been fine ever since.
Basically lift the cover, grab the washer and pump it up and down a good few times and then monitor and check your fluid level to see if the leak has stopped.
It's free and worth a try before anything else is done.
 
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