Windshield washer fluid leak

[smassey321]

I had mine apart twice last week. Rear pump was frozen and leaking a little. Front worked but was leaking fast. Hoses and grommets were fine along with the headlight washer system. If I were to to it again I would just order 2 new pumps w/ grommets first.

You can't see anything once you remove the wheel well cover. Getting that out of the way allows you to remove the skirt (or running board) and get to the bolts on the bottom of the fender. You need to pull the bottom of the fender out an inch or so to be able to see/do anything.

Once you get the pumps out. Plug the input line and apply a small vacuum to the output. If it does not hold a small vacuum, you have found you leak.

[Jarhed1964]

Originally Posted by smassey321

I had mine apart twice last week. Rear pump was frozen and leaking a little. Front worked but was leaking fast. Hoses and grommets were fine along with the headlight washer system. If I were to to it again I would just order 2 new pumps w/ grommets first.

You can't see anything once you remove the wheel well cover. Getting that out of the way allows you to remove the skirt (or running board) and get to the bolts on the bottom of the fender. You need to pull the bottom of the fender out an inch or so to be able to see/do anything.

Once you get the pumps out. Plug the input line and apply a small vacuum to the output. If it does not hold a small vacuum, you have found you leak.

Good tip. No point in cutting out rivets and replacing, only to have to do them again once I find the problem and order or run for parts. I don't have headlight washers luckily, so I should only need one pump, grommets, and plenty of hose I imagine.

[smassey321]

Originally Posted by Jarhed1964

Good tip. No point in cutting out rivets and replacing, only to have to do them again once I find the problem and order or run for parts. I don't have headlight washers luckily, so I should only need one pump, grommets, and plenty of hose I imagine.

Headlight washers use a 3rd pump. You probably have one pump for the windshield and another for the rear window. Both of mine were leaking. The hose clips on with a retaining clip. It is not like the old days.

[josiahg52]

Note that the rivets that hold the fender liner on are plastic and require a proper type riveter. I'd think a standard pop rivet gun could work but I couldn't get mine to. I used Vise Grips and a screwdriver to fit mine. Might be able to replace the plastic ones with standard pop rivets. Good news is the OE plastic ones are super cheap even from the dealer. I got a couple of the others fasteners that hold the liner on at the same time.

[Jarhed1964]

Originally Posted by smassey321

Headlight washers use a 3rd pump. You probably have one pump for the windshield and another for the rear window. Both of mine were leaking. The hose clips on with a retaining clip. It is not like the old days.

Oh, ok. That makes sense then.

[Jarhed1964]

Originally Posted by josiahg52

Note that the rivets that hold the fender liner on are plastic and require a proper type riveter. I'd think a standard pop rivet gun could work but I couldn't get mine to. I used Vise Grips and a screwdriver to fit mine. Might be able to replace the plastic ones with standard pop rivets. Good news is the OE plastic ones are super cheap even from the dealer. I got a couple of the others fasteners that hold the liner on at the same time.

Watched a youboob video with a guy who has a Pittsburgh plastic rivet gun. Obviously, he picked that up from Harbor Freight. Half of the rivets he got from the dealer, but he also had a bag of aftermarket ones from a local auto parts store. They look exactly alike. I'm betting he got those from HF too.

[josiahg52]

Originally Posted by Jarhed1964

Watched a youboob video with a guy who has a Pittsburgh plastic rivet gun. Obviously, he picked that up from Harbor Freight. Half of the rivets he got from the dealer, but he also had a bag of aftermarket ones from a local auto parts store. They look exactly alike. I'm betting he got those from HF too.

Then you're all set. I'm sure the rivets are nothing special. I picked up 20 of them and other fasteners for $10 or so at the dealer.

[smassey321]

Below is the DIY I used. I did not completely remove a few things including the wheel well or the tank. I just got them loose enough to get to what I needed to. I did not use a rivet gun. You can just use 2 sets of pliers to lever out the pin and cut it off.

Bimmerfest - BMW Forums - View Single Post - windshield fluid not coming out

[MudyOvl]

Following for future reference.

[rbryantaz]

I had a different kind of leak that isn't related to the washer reservoir on my e70 that I think is worth noting here.

There are also cases where the fluid can leak into the cabin. I searched but all of the forums seem to concentrate on the washer gaskets rather than possible leaks inside of the cabin.

If cold weather washer fluid isn't used then it can freeze and cause problems. I am in Phoenix where they don't even sell cold weather washer fluid (you have to buy an additive or mix in vodka/isopropyl) to the normal summer fluid.

If the line becomes plugged/frozen there is a connection under/behind the driver seat that can disconnect. I was able to access this by unbolting the seat and lifting it out of the way but it wasn't my problem.

Mine turned out to be a split in the line that is in the wiring harness. This harness goes from the passenger firewall over the transmission tunnel and to the driver front kick panel and then down the frame rail to the previously mentioned connection point. I believe it was due to it being taken into the mountains by the previous owner where a freeze burst the line. It was directly over the center console so it leaked water into both footwells (slowly making it hard to find). If you see water leaking from under the driver and passenger doors and you can smell the fluid then it is likely that your carpet is soaked. For me with a slow leak I wouldn't see it even drain until backing up and turning which would shift the water to the cabin drain.....

Here is a picture of the split I found inside the car above the transmission tunnel....


I ordered a replacement line but the normal procedure requires accessing the washer tank by removing the inner fender just like replacing a pump screen/gasket.

For now I have a 1/4" ID rubber hose from the parts store splicing my line (the stock tubing is about .260" and it appears to seal just fine on the outside of the ribs. I sprayed the line and hose with silicone spray and was able to get it to slide down about 3" (much farther than is possible when dry) and then I zip tied it for some extra compression force. I don't think it will leak and it is MUCH less labor than removing the inner fender. I didn't want to use a simple orbit style sprinkler splice because those tend to have small leaks which wouldn't be good under the carpet. BMW has a $20 splice kit for this but rubber hose is cheaper and I replaced a long section given that the splice was in a hidden non accessible location.

Hopefully noone else will encounter this but it should help if they do.... Now if BMW would stop doing stupid things like putting washer fluid lines inside of the cabin...

-Rich