Problem with windshield fluid spray


The windshield fluid no longer shoots out of the front of our '96 Nissan Sentra. I have tried both spraying compressed air and pushing wire through the opening. When I take the Y connector off the tubes and test them the fluid sprays out from the pump fine. Can someone offer a solution?

Try removing the spray nozzles from the hood and soaking them in hot water.

Tester

Yes, it’s clogged up somewhere - my FIL’s Nissan pickup had some in-line one-way valves that would clog, along with the sprayer heads.

If you can drain the fluid completely, maybe refilling it with some warm vinegar, trying to spray it, and then letting it sit for a while would help.

I would not recommend this course of action. Speaking from experience, the use of vinegar in a windshield washer system is likely to cause bigger trouble than poorly-spraying nozzles. These systems all contain rubber components somewhere (O-rings, tubing, grommets) that don’t take kindly to the acid in vinegar. The better advice is to remove the nozzles from the car and soak them in hot water (or vinegar if there are no rubber parts involved). If that doesn’t do it, replacing the nozzles on a Nissan will probably cost about $9-$10 apiece.

Year ago, I had a simular problem on my 1992 Ford Ranger, and also tried to clean out the openings, I eventually replaced the jet device, (where the fluid comes out of the two holes that direct it to the windshield), which for my vehicle it was $15 from the dealer. Haven’t had any trouble since.

Okay, I won’t argue with experience. It was just a thought.

Ahh, please, how do it take the nozzle off the hood?

It’s made of plastic. Open the hood, remove the washer hose from the nozzle, and squeeze the tabs on the plastic nozzle that retain it to the hood. A needle nose pliers sometimes helps in this task.

Tester

There is a metal casing lining the hood making access to the tbs very difficult.