Windscreen Washer Problem

[V6GTX]

My car has a problem with the windscreen washers. On the face of it, the cause is simple – the pipe has come off the reservoir. But it's not quite as simple as that – if I push it back it just comes off again when I next operate the washer due to the pressure forcing it off.

Why did the problem happen in the first place ? Most of the problems we see on these cars are common to other cars as well yet I can't find any mention of this particular problem in the forum. I figure that if others have seen the problem and fixed it I might as well copy what they've done, but in this case I can't copy. Why did it pop off ? It's not split. Did a clip break and fall off ?

Any suggestions on what clip to use to fix it in place ? Photo below. The pipe is quite small – about the same as a typical ballpoint pen – about 8mm. The pipe has no slack but I can't see an easy way of lengthening it.

[Doggy]

Hi & welcome aboard.

Not experienced this one. Do you know if it's definitey the windscreen washers and not the headlamp ones?

[lozz]

Perhaps a small jubilee clip might help...cost 30p
Worth a try.

[GingerMagic]

Is the pipe free from blockages? Is it caught in the bonnet hinge?

A cable tie should do it but maybe double check the pipe / jets first..

[steve_earwig]

The pipe actually looks a bit too short, maybe it's been cut back because of this problem? Also, it looks a tad oily, maybe this isn't helping it grip, even worse if the pipe has deteriorated because of the oil...

I guess I'd see if there was any more pipe available (slack somewhere else perhaps) or extend/replace it. Do they do jubilee clips that small? I'd probably use a bit of locking wire, round twice and twisted tight.

[Rolebama]

Small cable tie? I find that small jubilee clips tend not to form a nice circle and distort pipes.

[V6GTX]

Thanks to those posting comments. It's definitely the windscreen washer as the GTX doesn't have headlamp washers. Temporarily clipping the pipe on to the socket and filling up with water proved that everything worked OK, albeit leaking. Using a cable tie is a good idea and very inexpensive but I preferred something adjustable and decided to buy a clip with screw adjustment. On ebay I found a Mini Fuel Line Hose Clip for 99p. The 7 to 9mm size was ideal.

Fitting this was simple enough although messy. For the first time I wore nitrile gloves and these were great. Kept the muck off my hands, prevented scuffs to my hand from the plastic wheelarch liner but still allowing enough feel to do the job.

With the clip fitted it was time for testing and, yay, everything was fine with no leaks.

Put back the access panel and then refilled the washer bottle. This has a huge capacity and took ages to fill. For anyone thinking of tackling this job themselves the access panel is in front of the front wheel and has 5 bolts, each of Torx T20 fitting.

At the end of it the thing that really surprises me is the apparent lack of other owners suffering the same problem.