Driver side wiper jets usually don't have pressure

[Towncivilian]

The driver side windshield wiper jets most of the time do not spray the window, just a piddly stream that ends up on the hood. Passenger side works fine. Sometimes with a cold start on a hot, sunny, sweltering day down here in Florida the jets will work once or twice, and later in the same driving session just end up with no pressure. Are they just clogged with dirt, or what? The windshield wiper fluid reservoir was topped with water recently. Is the use of water instead of actual windshield wiper fluid causing the jets to become clogged more easily? How can I fix them?

[scaramoche]

yup they are clogged, hopefully its just calcium or other contaminets from hard water etc, try soaking in vinager or bathroom anti-calcium/hardwater remover. if not hit the junkyard and grab one, or go to dealer.

[Densetsu]

What kind of water are you putting in there?

If it's tap water -- or any water that's not distilled or majorly filtered -- then you likely have minerals built up in there that are clogging things up. Just look at your shower head after a couple years of use, and imagine that stuff in your tiny little wiper jets.

[Towncivilian]

What kind of water are you putting in there?

If it's tap water -- or any water that's not distilled or majorly filtered -- then you likely have minerals built up in there that are clogging things up. Just look at your shower head after a couple years of use, and imagine that stuff in your tiny little wiper jets.

I recently topped it up with hose water, so essentially tap water. I'll get the jets unclogged if I can, and then buy some real fluid so it won't clog as quickly again.

[Towncivilian]

How can I drain the windshield wiper fluid reservoir?

[Buzzman]

Turkey Baster
Or GF with good lungs.

[Towncivilian]

Sorry for the bump. I've been lazy at getting this fixed. Can I just put some tile cleaner in the fluid reservoir and run the jets until they unclog, then drain the reservoir (there appears to be a drain plug on the bottom)? I'm sure this seems like a dumb question, but I don't want to damage something by using tile cleaner where I shouldn't have.

[ARKQX33V6]

You are going to burn out the tiny pump trying to push that water against a plugged washer hose. Follow the hose to the spray end and feel by squeezing the tiny rubber hose between your thumb and index finger, this will crush any calcium deposit. Then with an opened safety pin or straight pin, stick the sharp end into the nozzle and work it around. Then try spraying, keep the tries to about 5 seconds, keep pricking the nozzle then eventually it should work. Then put pin back in and align the nozzle to where you want the spray on your window.

When it works, use that container with whatever you have in it to wash out the hose assembly and when empty use WW washer fluid and / or summer cleaner only. If water is used make it RO or distilled.

[Towncivilian]

It turns out the hose for the driver's side nozzle had a kink in it due to that round rubber thing visible in the lower center of this pic:



I replaced the hose with some thicker hose (as well as the one that leads to the passenger side just because I had some extra) and took off both nozzles, soaked them in some CLR tile cleaner twice, and they work perfectly now. I also duct taped the hose where it won't touch that round rubber thing, hopefully avoiding another kink.