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Dogfish
11-04-2010, 01:58 PM
This is from an original post I made at TVP. (http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6520)


Windshield Washer Nozzles (http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6520#p48784)

by Dogfish (http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=358) » Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:26 pm
My latest project, an '86 LE, had electrical tape over the holes where the windshield washer nozzles should have been. It has next to no rust and the most options of any TV I've owned (it's number 6), so I didn't mind so much.

ToyoDIY.com shows the RH pisser at $22.51 and the LH as N/A. I didn't want to try to track them down and pay about $40 for them so I decided that I would pull the nozzles from my parts van. They are in like new condition anyway.

I searched the forums and found an old post:
A forum member wrote:
”Yes, I think the dash has to come out, unless you have really skinny arms. They are held on with a little clip on the inside.”

It didn't sound so bad. I wanted to swap dash tops anyway... and little clips didn't sound very intimidating.

I spent most of the day just pulling them from my parts car.

Dashboard top and speedometer cluster was only the beginning. All the upper ducts had to come out. The heater controls and spider. All the switches and lower dash. There was a bracket that was in the way of working comfortably (is that possible on a TV..?) on the passenger side but it was only 2 bolts... painless.

The passenger side wasn't that difficult. The bases of the nozzles are behind a bend in the sheet metal, the only way I could see the base and the clip was with a mirror and flashlight. I disconnected the tubing and the clip pulled off easily with channel locks. The clip reminded me of an old CB mike mount.

The driver’s side is behind the wiper linkage. I had to remove the 4 bolts for the wiper motor. To get to the lower 2 bolts for the motor, I had to remove the lower duct. Next, I popped the ball joint and removed the wiper motor. I then popped the other ball joint on the linkage and it dropped out of the way.

Perhaps it could be done with removing less... I'll find out when I install them in the other van. Experience curve and all that...

It's certainly more involved than pulling the dash and finding the two clips (skinny arms won't get through ducts or the wiper motor). At least I only have to put it all back together in one van. I'll try to get some pics if I remember. No pics today... I didn't expect it to be this involved, but I wouldn't want anyone else doing it either. Too many things that are easily broken or screwed up and then it just gets slapped back together, and you end up paying through the nose for leaky ducts and new rattles.



Re: Windshield Washer Nozzles (http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6520#p48842)

by Dogfish (http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=358) » Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:34 am


The nozzles went in relatively painlessly.

At first I thought mine may have been removed for painting and then never reinstalled because it was a PITA. Possible, I guess, but mine were definitely broken off from the outside. The broken parts were still stuck in the hoses, and I found one of the clips.

I didn't remove the lower duct this time (although I may remove it today for cleaning). I got the two lower wiper motor bolts out without removing the lower duct. The lower drivers
side bolt has 2 ground wires with ring terminals. These looked like a PITA to get back on so I left them on the bolt and left my ratchet with extensions there propped on the floor and holding the bolt and wires.

I sprayed the nozzles and rubber grommets with CRC Heavy Silicon the night before. I also cleaned the clips and gave them a shot of primer.

There is a white nylon "Y" connector on the hoses. Disconnect the hose that runs to the nozzle from the "Y" and put it on the nozzle first, then feed the hose through the hole from the outside and seat the nozzle in the hole. Install the clips and then reconnect the hose to the "Y".

When removing the hoses from the "Y", I sprayed the outside of the hose with silicon, then I used a small pick to lift the hose a little at the "Y", I sprayed more silicon under the hose moved the pick a little and it came right off.

When installing the clips, it may help to have someone hold the nozzles from the outside. Gravity tends to pull them down a little and they move when you move the clips. I ended up with a strip of electrical tape run vertically from under the nozzle a few inches to a few inches up the windshield.

It was a good opportunity to clean the ducts. Good design, they separate into two halves for easy cleaning. I sprayed them inside and out with silicon. Also the top of the large duct is the defroster vents. This part shows and is next to impossible to clean from up top. If you clean nothing else you may consider cleaning this.

I also cleaned and paste waxed the "panel, subassy, instrument, upper" (http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_198702_TOYOTA_VAN_YR32LV-PRBEA_5551.html?hl=55302A). I also painted the screw and bolt heads before reinstalling it.

There is more that I want to do now that I have the dash area opened up. I'm going to compare all the parts to my parts van and swap as necessary. I'll do a thorough cleaning of everything before installation and Armor-All the things that show.

I also need to make an enclosure for the derived center channel amp and woofer. I bought a Pyle PLG54 5" Woofer for it. It was supposed to mount in 2.2" but needs more like 3.5". It sounds good though, so I'll keep it.

All in all, the removal and installation of the nozzles wasn't bad. It's a good opportunity to fix anything under dash that needs it and to clean all the neglected and hard to reach areas.

Dogfish
11-04-2010, 02:16 PM
An interesting update to my original post on the nozzles.

I was with my brother when he took his '87 Nissan Van through a car wash. When we were leaving we noticed that his indicator light for low windshield washer fluid was on and that it hadn't been on before that.

We eventually noticed the passenger side nozzle was broken off. It must cause a siphon to leak all the fluid hence the light. It is very similar to the Toyota nozzle.

The manager of the car wash was very uncooperative at first due to the age of the van. We took him a quote from Nissan for about $165. The parts manager offered to call the manager of the car wash and inform him of the rarity of the '87 Nissan Vans (most were destroyed by a factory recall.) There is an access panel on the front of the Nissan's that wasn't included on the Toyota's. The Nissan manager included new mounts for this panel because he thought they would break after this many years. He didn't think he would be able to get a nozzle, however... I don't think they are obligated to support with parts since the recall.

So I have seen 3 broken nozzles... 2 on a Toyota from unknown reasons, and one that was definitely caused by a car wash. It may be a good idea to check your nozzles first thing after a visit to the car wash. It may just be the plastic getting brittle enough to break easily.

-Jim

highwind
03-19-2015, 03:53 PM
One is apparently snapped on my van was going to remove the pair at the junkyard :/

Burntboot
03-20-2015, 01:57 AM
HW - I got one washer jet a couple of years ago at a yard, dash was already out and it was still a pita.
I have a vague recollection of it being held in with a U-spring clip that slides out, but I am not sure on that one.
Good luck

Reducto
03-21-2015, 01:09 AM
They are indeed a pain - you need to remove the top of the dash and much of the fan ducting. Then you need to remove a metal clip on each one. I think I unbolted my wiper motor to move it out of the way when I did mine, but I'm not 100% sure it was necessary.

highwind
03-22-2015, 02:39 PM
They are indeed a pain - you need to remove the top of the dash and much of the fan ducting. Then you need to remove a metal clip on each one. I think I unbolted my wiper motor to move it out of the way when I did mine, but I'm not 100% sure it was necessary.

i guess I might just leave it as is. thankfully the driver side is shooting onto the windshield, the other is launching onto the roof lol

Reducto
03-22-2015, 04:49 PM
I seem to recall the passenger side being the easiest of the two so you might give it a shot if you come across a van in a junkyard.

ShapeShifter
09-28-2018, 10:30 PM
The drivers side windshield washer nozzle has broken off and squirts straight out in front of the van. I have a parts van to get the new part from so I decided to take apart the dashboard to reach the back of the broken nozzle, only to find that its in the most inaccessible spot on the van. The amount of labor just to access the nozzle (on both vans) vs. having a working nozzle just did not add up to me.

So I got medieval on the parts van and cut that sucker out of there. Then just reached in to the broken off one and carefully pulled it out, then replaced it. I just used some black silicone to glue it back on since I cant reach the retainer clip. Boom. Done.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/924/KqGWOh.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poKqGWOhj)
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/922/BCGfTW.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmBCGfTWj)
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/923/DKz5TD.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnDKz5TDj)
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/921/9hA7UY.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pl9hA7UYj)
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/800x600q90/924/CjLjuI.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poCjLjuIj)

bikeregg
05-10-2019, 11:02 AM
What a PITA. The rear washer nozzle simply snaps in....they engineer the front nozzles that you have to remove the dash. Ugh. I suppose this project will wait for a time when I have to remove the dash for another reason. I wonder why they couldn't have engineered so you could access the nozzles by removing the center nameplate?

ShapeShifter
05-15-2019, 09:41 PM
What a PITA. The rear washer nozzle simply snaps in....they engineer the front nozzles that you have to remove the dash. Ugh. I suppose this project will wait for a time when I have to remove the dash for another reason. I wonder why they couldn't have engineered so you could access the nozzles by removing the center nameplate?

Agreed.

bigtone23
05-18-2019, 12:53 AM
Huge PITA!
Those nozzles are the worst! When I had my van repainted, I told the painter 3 times to "not mess up the nozzles." I went as far as to put a ring of epoxy around the base of them so they don't break off too easily. He painted over the epoxy. haha. After 3 dash pulls over the last 25 years to replace or fix them, I'm done!
On a related note, it's a similar PITA to deal with wiper arm linkage...