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e-type w/s washer enlightment needed

twigworker

Jedi Trainee
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It looks like I have been naively unfortunate all these years in not having had to deal with this. The word adventure comes to mind, on the other hand, it could be something that I really don't want to know about.

Anyway, it is a Series Two roadster.

The washer nozzles are "frozen" and cannot be adjusted for direction without chancing grave damage to surrounding paint.

One of them is emitting some fluid but the other expresses none.

I am thinking that I want to remove the nozzles for cleaning on the bench, but when I size up the situation I come to believe that the second step in assembling the car was installing these suckers, right before, the ore was smelted to make the engine block.

Anyone have any hints, suggestions or other sage information?

Jack
 
If it's anything like my MK2, you're right on the order assembled. Mine have (factory) wingnuts on the inside of the cowl.
That said, often, in days gone by on other marques, we used a wire from a wire brush to probe the nozzle and dislodge calcium deposits and WAX!
Then, with hose disconnected from pump (and any check valves), using a rubber tipped air nozzle, blew them out backwards.
Re-connect, try them, repeat until they worked.
Dave
 
I'm with you Dave.

On an E-Type there is a cavity between the engine side of the "firewall" and the cockpit partition.

I have never done a full strip rotisserie resto on one of these things so I don't know what it all looks like with the fascia and the wiring harness removed, but I cannot find an opening that would allow access into the void and leave room to arm navigate to get to what ever it is that secures the nozzles. On the right side the nozzle is directly above an angled cavity in the front firewall and the roof of that cavity looks to leave only a fraction of an inch from its top to the bottom of the nozzle inside the void.

I have looked into the idea of going through the opening into the void that is directly forward of the tilting switch panel, but it looks like a HUGE deal to be able to get an arm in there, and then there is no guarantee that the nozzle hoses and fasteners would be available anyway.

As I said above. Any further attempts to rotate the nozzles from the outside is bordering on suicide, so I am not going to take a chance there.

The factory manual doesn't address this, at all.

I'm just hoping that someone here has blazed a trail and is willing to share.

Jack
 
You might try some CLR - yes the stuff you see on TV. It actually works fairly well. Try filling the hose from the resevoir with some and gently applying air pressure. Let it "soak" for a bit and use the wire probe idea like TOC suggested.
 
Thanks Peter for that idea.

As I said, one of the nozzles is obviously stopped up and maybe that will clear the blockage, but beyond that the one in front of the driver is allowing fluid to pass through, but it is aimed very badly.

The problem is, as I say, re-aiming the thing, and I am afraid to put any more pressure on it as I fear breaking something or trashing the adjacent paint.

Jack
 
twigworker said:
Thanks Peter for that idea.

As I said, one of the nozzles is obviously stopped up and maybe that will clear the blockage, but beyond that the one in front of the driver is allowing fluid to pass through, but it is aimed very badly.

The problem is, as I say, re-aiming the thing, and I am afraid to put any more pressure on it as I fear breaking something or trashing the adjacent paint.

Jack

Is it possible the aim issue isn't the nozzle position but that it is partially clogged/blocked which is causing what does come out to head in an undesired direction? Or is it clear the nozzle is off?
 
Jack,

The nozzel is made of 2 pieces. The little nub that sticks out of it and has the water hole in it actually screws into the larger one. At the tip of the small nub you should see a slot. A small screwdriver turns it to adjust the vertical squirt. Un-screwing it out and it will drop in your hand to be cleaned and hole poked clear. Do this on a clean cement floor, if droped on the ground - it's so small it's lost forever. They're brass, a magnet won't help.

Phil.
 
Thanks Phil but my root problem is that I cannot turn the little nubs.

I feel like I need to remove them for the cleaning process, but if I use and more torque on the screw slots I am sure that they will break and probably cause the screw driver to scratch the paint. I suppose I could tape off the surrounding area to begin slowly penetrating the joint with CLR.

We will see...

I would still like to know how to remove and refit the whole nozzle assembly though. :wall:

Jack
 
Buy a new one...do not think they are expensive...


Pete
 
That isn't the point.

If I break off the adjustable nozzle nub, then I have to replace the base and I am asking how to replace the base.

I cannot see where there is any access to the enclosed cavity between the front firewall and the rear sheet metal, except through the opening directly in front of the fold down instrument/switch panel. And, even then I cannot see the bases of the squirters with a light and mirror, let alone touch them.

Jack
 
They're buried up and ahead all that.

Not bein' a smeartarse here, I just can't recall where those fasteners are. But somehow ISTR there's access from under the facia, BEHIND that fold-down.
 
Jack, there's a place not too far from me called Jaguars Unlimited. The owner's name is Dave (I think). You can find them if you Google them. I imagine they'll be able to help? Worth a phone call in any case. 847-432-4200.
 
Yep DrE, the opening is large enough to drive a truck through but "you can't there from here". :wall: It is about ten inches forward of the fold down and then you would have to make a 90 degree turn with the first half of your forearm to reach into someplace that might be home to Episcopalians. And, oh by the way, you would have to remove the wiper trapeze to get your forearm in there. :crazyeyes:

Thanks for the phone number Peter. I'll call them today.

Jack
 
Gleaned from other forums:

Take the top of the dash off and remove the bar holding flasher from the middle hole and reach way in or get some one with real skinny arms but you can get to both of them with patience.

I know this sounds rather inappropriate - but after my cars respray, I had to get a very skinny 7 year old girl and persuade her to follow me into my garage to complete the above job....
No way I could get my gorilla sized hands into that crazy small gap.

Just had mine done while it was in for the engine rebuild. They told me it takes little hands to get thru the openings, and do the work required.
 
The little nubs are solid brass and they're screwed into solid plastic with a thin chrome plated brass cover. And yes, your screwdriver will slip off and scratch the paint. Might be time to step back and ask yourself if this is really necessary at this time. You have 40 years of dried up stuff inside the tubes and nozzels just waiting to dis-lodge and gum up the works again. Access is through the panel hole behind the center gauges. Remove the flasher tab there and remove all 3 wiper arms, chrome nuts, and spacers. Push those 3 exposed wiper spindles into the cowl - that lets you stick your hand and arm over the wiper rack (inside the cowl) and you can barely touch the nozzel thumb screws to loosen them up. And as the service manual usually says - instillation is the reverse of dis-mantle.

On a brighter note - after doing about a dozen a year, you'll be able to do the job in 15-20 minutes - but it'll take 30 years to get there.

Phil.
 
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