# 2014 BMW 128i Conv - Windshield Wipers not spraying



## AHJuska (Nov 6, 2020)

I hear the motor when I engage the wipers to spray, but nothing sprays out. The fluid tank is full, no leaks, wipers wipe...just not spraying...is this something I can fix myself?


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## lieb923 (Jul 4, 2014)

Do you hear the pump trying to work? Check the spray nozzles. Sometimes they get clogged. Use a straight pin to gently open them up.


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

*DO NOT USE A PIN. *Do not use a pin on washer nozzles as they are precision moulded fluidic oscillators made of soft plastic.

A failure to spray while having reason to believe the pump is running is likely evidence of biofilm sludge in the reservoir tank / the pump suction strainer / the washer lines. This is a typical problem for this time of year after a summer of not using the washer to keep the lines clear of the slime that has been growing in the warm dark reservoir tank.

The cheapest fix is lots of hot water - high, hot, and a hell of a lot - to rinse the slime out of the tank and hopefully the strainer (between tank and EACH pump). The only way to clear the tubes and nozzle is with air pressure backwards, from nozzle to tank.

If real hot water doesn't work then pure ethanol, a lot of it, like a gallon, sitting in the reservoir tank and a daily try to squirt running the pumps - all of them. Ethanol is a denaturant for biofilm.

The real fix is to not use patent premixed washer solution as they use cheap and impure organic antifreezes. Rain-X is CRAP as the brand has been sold and the new owner is milking its reputation. Rain-X Orange is worst.

I make my own of distilled water (no water spots) and methanol-denatured ethanol (antifreeze, wetting agent, solvent, all around good stuff). In the dead of winter here perhaps half or more ethanol, more if I see ice crystals. In the summer, not so much. I use a lot of WW solution, easily a gallon+ per month. My OE wipers are still in good shape working fine.

DO NOT USE A PIN


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## AHJuska (Nov 6, 2020)

Doug Huffman said:


> *DO NOT USE A PIN. *Do not use a pin on washer nozzles as they are precision moulded fluidic oscillators made of soft plastic.
> 
> A failure to spray while having reason to believe the pump is running is likely evidence of biofilm sludge in the reservoir tank / the pump suction strainer / the washer lines. This is a typical problem for this time of year after a summer of not using the washer to keep the lines clear of the slime that has been growing in the warm dark reservoir tank.
> 
> ...


SO I empty the fluid tank and add hot water and keep flushing until it sprays?


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Yes, the cheapest possible solution. The hot water is effective only while it is boiling hot, it needs to kill the slime. Once it has cooled and not worked then you will have to try the high grade alcohol. Be careful it is flammable.

You may have to disassemble the fender to get to the reservoir and the pumps and strainers. It may be worth it to have a BMW Service Center restore the washer function.

My local cops like to write tickets for obscured windows in the winter time.


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