Washer nozzles

[Kev0607]

Hi all,

My washer nozzles aren’t working very good. When I pull the stalk inside the car to activate them, only a small trickle seems to spray onto the windscreen. Its barely enough to clean the window.

- The reservoir has plenty of fluid.
- The washer pump is working, as I can hear it buzzing when I pull the stalk.
- Headlight washers work fine.

I’m thinking I have a blockage somewhere. I tried cleaning the nozzles with a pin & it made no difference. I checked under the bonnet & there’s no loose hoses on the check valves that attach to the nozzles.

Any solutions are welcome. My car is a P3 shape S80.

Thanks.

[tommyweaves]

Soak them in vinegar then dangle them in an ultrasonic cleaner.

Worked a treat on mine.

[Familyman 90]

Disconnect the pipes from the jets and give it a squirt. If you see a good flow then the jets may be a big grunged.

You can potentially blow them through with an airline, soak them in cleaner, use pins, etc, but new ones aren't expensive if required.

To prevent a recurrence use a decent strength screen wash mix, not too dilute, and give them a quick squirt every couple of weeks whether required or not.

[Kev0607]

Thanks guys.

I’ll have a play around with them tomorrow. I have an air compressor, so I’ll try air blowing the lines & nozzles.

What if I disconnect the lines from the nozzles, press the stalk & there’s poor flow? Does that mean the lines/reservoir are gunked up?

[Familyman 90]

Possibly, but the overwhelming likelihood is the jets.

[Whyman]

I had a problem with mine similar to this. Plenty of flow and I replaced the jets but no improvement. It turned out to be the one way valve in the bottom of the jets.

I assumed that the valves had stuck closed.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Hi all,

My washer nozzles aren’t working very good. When I pull the stalk inside the car to activate them, only a small trickle seems to spray onto the windscreen. Its barely enough to clean the window.

- The reservoir has plenty of fluid.
- The washer pump is working, as I can hear it buzzing when I pull the stalk.
- Headlight washers work fine.

I’m thinking I have a blockage somewhere. I tried cleaning the nozzles with a pin & it made no difference. I checked under the bonnet & there’s no loose hoses on the check valves that attach to the nozzles.

Any solutions are welcome. My car is a P3 shape S80.

Thanks.

It will be the nozzles or the valve where the 3 pipes meet on the underside of the bonnet ..
Caused by using cheap fluid which crystallises in the valve and jets especially so on heated jets .
The cure ? Use genuine volvo fluid which is spirit based and leaves no deposits whatsoever. It also stops bacteria build up .

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Clan

eith the nozzles or the valve where the 3 pipes meet on the underside of the bonnet ..
Caused by using cheap fluid which crystalises in the valve and jets especially so on heated jets .
The cure ? Use genuine volvo fuild which is spirit based and leaves no deposits whatsovever. It also stops bacteria build up .

I’ve changed the valves… helped a bit, but not much. One nozzle isn’t working properly (driver’s side), but the other one is fine.

I’ll try using the Volvo washer fluid in future.

[Elninio1999]

Got the exact same problem as the OP.

I've got the nozzles off just now and taken the valves off too. Are the valves worth cleaning in vinegar like the nozzles or is it a case of if the valves are blocked they are knackered?

If that was the case, are universal ones suitable or is it a Volvo specific part requirement?

Thanks

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by Elninio1999

Got the exact same problem as the OP.

I've got the nozzles off just now and taken the valves off too. Are the valves worth cleaning in vinegar like the nozzles or is it a case of if the valves are blocked they are knackered?

If that was the case, are universal ones suitable or is it a Volvo specific part requirement?

Thanks

Some nozzles are heated. Usually there’s wiring attached to them if they are. I’ve not tried the universal ones, so I can’t comment on whether they’ll the same as the Volvo ones.

Its worth cleaning the valves, but a new set of valves is about £20 from Volvo. You’ll need a two way & a three way valve (two way goes on the driver’s side & three way goes on the passenger). The nozzles aren’t cheap… they’re about £50 for a set.