Windshield washer fluid leak
 

Anyone have a DIY how to access the fluid resivour, Im not sure where its leaking from, all I can see if the refill point.

Any help is appreciated.

are you sure there is a leak in the washer reservior? it could be just an overfilled of fluid. i took my X5 for service a couple of weeks ago, started leaking around the front wheel arch near the front bumper, turned out to be a washer fluid and not coolant.

spoke to the BMW mechanic, apparently they've overfilled the washer fluid and there is an overflow hole for any excess fluid.

cracked windshield washer reserviors aren't very common!

Yeah, it leaks out of the bottom as you describe. Also when I put fluid back in, it will work for about a day and a half on a 1.5L bottle then the fluid level low signal comes on again and nothing.

???

Anyone else have any ideas?

Have to remove the passenger side fender liner to get to the washer tank. You'll then need new rivets to replace the liner once you fix the reservoir.

So its a cheap repair... OMG do they make anything easy to work on....? I love my BMW's but sometimes, they just make it complicated for the sake of it! :yikes:

Just started today...
 

Haven't added any WW fluid for 6+ months, so can't be the overflow...

Just noticed a small puddle under the rear of the right front wheel well.
Thought it was an odd place for water from the AC, so checked and it's washer fluid...:confused:

Called my Indie in Indy, and they said this is not that uncommon with BMWs in general, and it's a pretty simple fix, after you get in there to it. Usually a grommet or maybe a hose that has a slight leak.

Will update after I get the service done next week.

I have found over the years that the most common cause of washer fluid leaks are the pumps, not the reservoir, hoses, or pump grommets. Solution is to replace the pump(s). Not always the case, but something to consider. But, you have to get to the tank for a visual inspections and hopefully the (leak) cause will be obvious.

You were right... Davidf

There are 3 pumps in the WF Tank (Headlights, Rear Glass, Windshield) and the Windshield pump was leaking (probably from never being used, as I never use any of them unless it's winter.
In fact, I have my HL cleaners disabled via some coding.

Anyway, after removing the fender and the running board, as well as the splash shield, they were able to replace the leaking pump and replaced all of the grommets/seals while they were in there.

Final bill was $670 at my Indie in Indy, $480 was labor...

What are you gonna do? :stickpoke

Holy crap! $670???

Just got this 2009 X5 Sport, and it all leaked out over the last day and a half. I've had the car for a week. Obviously either a crack or bad grommet. I'm going to pick up some new rivets, and a Pittsburgh rivet gun, then pull that wheel well cover and find out what simple issue it is. Did it plenty of times on my E39's, I suspect they didn't make this E70 system that much more complicated. Hose is cheap, aftermarket. I use braided fuel line to replace washer fluid hoses where I can, and flexible rubber hose rather than the plastic hose under the hood connecting to the nozzles.

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.

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.

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.

Oh, ok. That makes sense then.

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.

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

Following for future reference.

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....
Attachment 75420

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

Have you thought of using Sugru to make sure it does not leak? I have used Sugru for random fixes and it is supposed to be waterproof. Just an idea.

Last year the tube behind the wheel covers were leaking (I used that sticky black tubing tape and then put a clamp directly over where the hole was- still good now).

This year the rear pump was leaking. I ordered 2 replacement pumps from amazon for $17 each and replaced only one. So far so good.

I don't think it needs anything extra to seal it. The rubber fits tightly over it and the ribs are almost like a barbed fitting. I blew on the hose and it didn't leak at all even before the ziptie clamp.

I have a replacement hose now which is BMW part: 61687300356 which is the connection from the rear washer pump to the splice behind the rear seat. I should probably just order the rest of the hose which I believe is: 61667208073 (preceded by 61687291664).

It is a lot of work to replace it and the part took a over a week to arrive which is why I patched it.

Here is the TIS for replacing the rear line. It took me a while to find (and find again for the second time to post here):

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...ystem/EswtqUZM

-Rich

One of the pumps on my 02 X5 started leaking this winter.Leaked right in the middle of the pump body.

I have a 2011 X5. The washer fluid will periodically go empty after use. I checked the tank and didn't see any signs of leaks. this week i filled it back up and the puddle of fluid is under the left front bumper. I assume it is the hose to the headlight jet. any idea how to get to it?

You can get to the washer jets by removing the fender liner. IIRC it is a rubber hose except for the Tee/Elbow fittings which are the most likely to have broken.

I had to replace the Tee fitting on the passenger side of mine. ECS tuning had the fitting for under $10.

My worst experience with the whole washer setup on my e70 was that I had the one inside of the car burst before I got the car. I am pretty sure that the previous owner didn't have cold climate washer fluid and it froze and burst inside behind the center console. It would then just leak out under the front carpet and leak out through the floor drains. It took a while to figure out where the leak was coming from.

I ended up just splicing it with some tight fitting rubber line until I could get a new line. I got the new line from the dealer but the rubber splice has been fine so I haven't had to install it.

I also removed the fuse to the headlight washers, I find them just annoying in the warm climates where they just spray and leave water spots for no reason.

-Rich