Windscreen washer - weak flow

[AMcUK]

We have a MCS convertible manufactured Feb 05, so front washers only.
As we all know you need a lot of screenwash in the winter with a Mini :0
So I'm driving along and wash salt off the screen a few times then suddenly I get almost no pressure at all. Just an initial spurt onto the screen then the flow drops right off, just dribbling out of the jets.

Tank is full.
I can hear the motor working and it sounds OK.
I've taken off the sound proofing and checked the tubing and can't see any leaks or wear. I've also checked the tube where it crosses the bonnet hinge and can't see any evidence of kinking - which would be odd anyway as it happened mid journey.
I've cleared the jets with a pin.
I've adjusted them up as a temporary fix but they still only get the first spurt onto the screen then dribble.
I can't see any sign of a leak under the car but it's been raining non stop since the fault occurred.

Anything else to check before I strip out the wheel arch cover to get at washer bottle and motor?

Any idea where I can get a replacement motor (assuming the impeller is shot) the official one seems very expensive based on what I've seen online?

Thanks in advance!

[jonsteele]

There is a know problem with BMWs (last motor was an E90) where by the filter on the washer bottle gets clogged if you use anything other than BMW washer fluid! It sounds daft, but is true. As the MINI washer bottle is likely to be similar (if not the same), this may be the cause of your problem.

Cleaning the filter and then using BMW washer fluid may solve the problem.

[AMcUK]

I guess a blockage on the low pressure side of the motor would produce those symptoms - a bit of high pressure as the motor squirts what's in the pipes then a dribble as it can't pull liquid through the filter fast enough to create pressure at the jets.

This is our 2nd MCS (in 5 years) and I'd have expected to see a problem before - we must have gone through gallons of Halfords usual screenwash and whatever they had at the petrol station when the washer went dry mid-journey.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have a look at the filter when it stops raining long enough to get the wheel arch cover off.

[mab01uk]

Some info here which may help:
Windscreen Washer Motor Troubleshooting - Forums

You may get a washer motor cheaper here or ebay:
www.bmminiparts.com - Home

[AMcUK]

Nice, sunny, cold day today so I got a chance to pull things apart.

First attempt with the wheel in place resulted in half destroying one of the screw/plug things holding the wheel arch cover in place (see terrible cameraphone pic attached). There are several pf these plastic clips with plastic screws that push the lug out and holds the wheel arch in place.

I was about to give in at that point as I didn't want to make my partner's car undriveable for her then I had an idea and I tried sticking the hose in to flush the tank. That didn't make any difference and I wouldn't waste your time . Given the shape of the tank the chances of floating a blockage out are minimal.

Then I realised that the same screw/plug fitting was holding a bit of trim in under the bonnet near the screen so I could swap the damaged one for that until I could pick up a replacement.

I managed to cam out another head completely, again I swapped out for another in the engine bay that seemed less vital in holding the car together.
I don't think I'm that clumsy but it's quite easy to cam out the cross head of the plastic screw while the whole fitting spins in the hole. I did find that holding a slot head screw driver into the slots where the plug and screw join means you can stop them spinning and get a grip but you still need to be super careful as what feels like the screw releasing can actually be the cross head camming out.

I wish I had a plastic screwdriver for jobs like this on the Mini as it seems to be full of easily damaged clips and fittings. I'm sure a BMW dealership just pull a new one out of a drawer but my nearest dealer is a 30 mile round trip and you never know what you'll need until you've bust it!

So 2nd attempt I decided to remove the road wheel and jack the car - if you're looking to investigate this kind of fault then don't kid yourself you're saving time by not doing this. You can't get the wheel arch off with the wheel in place, you can't see the bottle properly unless you get the arch off and you'll find and remove all those fiddly fixings in 1/2 the time with the wheel out.

So I removed one of these screw/plugs from the front of the cill trim under the car, two regular screws and 7 or 8 of those screw/plugs inside the wheel arch and finally another screw under the front bumper securing it to the wheel arch. Then the arch lifts out - pay attention to how it interlocks with the cill trim and bumper for refitting.

The bottle itself is secured by a nut and bolt on the wheel side and God knows what at the top far corner. Luckily I didn't need to completely remove it and I really don't know how you could. Presumably you attack the 3rd fitting from inside the door hinge?!?

This diagram helped to work out what was where.
RealOEM.com BMW R53 Cooper S Windshield cleaning container

The power supply to the motor is released with gentle pressure with a flat head screw driver near where the wires enter to release the clip and pull upwards.
Ease the washer hose off the motor with a gentle pull and working a flat edge against the end of the hose to encourage it off.
The motor has a securing post at the top clipped into the body of the tank and simply pulls up clear of the tank once that is unfastened, rotating makes it easier to remove. It's quite stiff and be careful as the inlet is quite long and thin and could easily be damaged.

Our Feb '05 Cooper S cabrio didn't have a filter on the inlet, just a rubber grommit holding the motor in place by the inlet.

So finally the motor is out and I prised out the grommit too. The motor is clear but there is some black gunge in the hole of the grommit and the base of the tank. When you remove the motor if there is fluid in the washer tank it will pour out over you - there some fluid underneath the level of the motor hole which I syphoned out with a bendy drinking straw as best I could.

I then stuck the hose back in through the top and flushed it for a while. If you don't move the power connector for the motor then water will fountain out of the motor hole into it!

There seemed to be a thick, black "rubber like" slime in the bottom of the tank. I'm pretty sure this was stuck in the motor inlet and was the cause of the issue. A good couple of minutes with the hose and the tank looked clean.

Then put the gommit back in the tank, the motor in the grommit, clipped the motor into the tank and reconnected the power. I put the bonnet down and ran the jets - this time getting a full power stream - hurrah!

As Haynes used to say - refitting is the reverse of removal. It probably took me an hour and half of faffing with a stubby screw driver and torch to get to the point where I could clean out the tank. Once I knew what I was doing putting it back together was no more than 10 minutes Take the wheel off and you've be in and out in half an hour.

Final job to tighten the wheel nuts, top up the washer tank and readjust the washers to point at the screen again.

Thanks for the help and links here. I reckon I've just saved the cost of at least an hour of main dealer mechanic's time.