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      11-24-2013, 04:54 PM   #1
huyzee
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Z4 Windshield Washer Spray Fix

My first diy guide. So bare with me!

Is your windshield spray in your z4 not working or spraying really weak? If so, follow this guide to fix it. Disclaimer: Do at your own risk although this is really easy and hard to mess anything up.

First you might want to do some checks. Are the fuses okay?(check owners manual on location). When you pull the lever do you hear any winding motor sounds? If not, it most likely the fuse or the motor(13 dollars at oreilys- shown how to replace also below). If it is winding and no spray or weak spray then follow below. The cause of this is most likely built up mildew and dirt in the filter location after the motor. With these direction you'll clean the filter to make a perfect flowing system.

Step 1: Pop open your hood and you should see the windshield fluid reservoir on the left side of the engine bay. You should see the motor pump on the right side of it with a harness coming in. Pull the harness off and wiggle/pull the motor out of the socket inside the reservoir. It really easy. Just pull and remove the harness connector and the tubing. Reverse directions to replace it.



Step 2: After that there is a 1(one) 10mm bolt holding the reservoir in place. Remove that and pull the reservoir out. After doing that use hose and clean out the box. Also at the spot where the pump come out there is a black round rubber thing that holds the filter. Pry that out and there should be a bunch of dirt. Clean it and then put it back. Shown below after mine was cleaned.



Step 3: Reverse all direction above to put it all back and enjoy your newly working spray!
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      11-24-2013, 05:31 PM   #2
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Good info, thanks for the post. Might want to adjust picture size.
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      11-25-2013, 08:53 PM   #3
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not sure how to resize the pictures..
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      11-26-2013, 12:08 AM   #4
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Nice DIY!

On a mobile browser the pics are sized correctly. Switching to desktop, they're very wide. Strange!
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      11-26-2013, 09:41 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by huyzee View Post
not sure how to resize the pictures..
Resize smaller using PhotoShop or any similar program and then repost. I'm sure someone with more computer savvy can supply additional details.
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      11-26-2013, 10:13 PM   #6
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haha I can do that.. but way too lazy.. these pictures will suffice till I do another diy
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      11-26-2013, 10:18 PM   #7
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Picture size work fine on my computer… they aren't too big… unless mods already resized them.
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      11-27-2013, 08:50 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by huyzee View Post
haha I can do that.. but way too lazy.. these pictures will suffice till I do another diy
The important thing was you took the time to photo and post.
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      10-21-2015, 07:41 PM   #9
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Thanks!

So, huyzee, - thanks very much for this great DIY!

I'm pretty sure you saved me a hundred bucks at the dealer, and now
my Z4 windshield washers are working again! And I really appreciated
the photos - large size and high resolution was great.

I owe you a beer!
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      02-29-2016, 10:26 AM   #10
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It worked!

Thanks for your DIY tip...I had bought a 2nd hand motor on Ebay for £6 (approximately $9) thinking that it was the motor causing the problem, but it wasn't & I was just about to book it in to a repairer when I read your tip. It took all of 10 mins to remove the filter, clean & replace it. A big thank you, saved me a lot of money!!!
PS Photos are large but that isn't a problem on my laptop.
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      07-04-2016, 02:27 PM   #11
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Hi.

Just bought my first Z4 and a few days after getting it home realised my windscreen washer fluid is blocked. Same this forum so took a look at my car, a 2007 roadster. I can see the bolt holding the bottle to the frame and the motor to the right hand side. Please could somebody be let me know how you disconnect the motor - which is making a noise and appears to be working. Do you pull the hose from below to free the motor from the bottle, before remove the motor?

Many thanks for your help.
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      07-06-2016, 05:24 PM   #12
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It was years ago when I did this, so I can't remember the details, just that it was fairly easy.
If you unbolt the bottle you should be able to shuffle it around to give you more room to work.
The pumps are just stuck into the grommets with the screens as shown above.
I don't remember having much fuss getting the output hoses or connectors off, just working in a tight spot.
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      07-26-2016, 09:08 AM   #13
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Did these last year too. Seems like a common problem but theyre suuuuppeerrr easy to do. I dont even think I took out the reservoir completely. (Just unbolted to loosen it up and swapped out the motors). Buutttt I also never got around to cleaning the filter... So good tip!
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      01-08-2017, 04:23 PM   #14
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I fixed the windshield washers on my Z4 M Roadster a couple of weeks ago.
After I checked the fuses and they were all good, I followed the instructions above and removed the reservoir. That was a mistake as it's a lot easier to remove than it is to get it back in position. It turns out that the filter was clogged a little bit, but the primary reason that the washers didn't work was that the windshield washer pump quit working.

I don't know if non-M Z4s also have this but my reservoir has two pumps, the main windshield washer pump on the outside (fender) side of the reservoir and another smaller pump on the front of the reservoir for the headlight washers.

It is totally not necessary to remove the reservoir to remove the pump and the filter. On the M there is plenty of space and the pump just pulls out after removing a plastic retainer bracket that is held in place by plastic tabs on the reservoir, no screws or bolts.

Edited to add: Note that you will lose all of your windshield washer fluid when you pull out the pump!

The filter and associated rubber grommet will also just pull out with a little twisting. It's even easier to re-install the filter and rubber grommet, and the windshield washer pump. When it turned out that the pump needed replacing, I just put the reservoir back in place and when the new pump and filter arrived I just went out and pushed them both into place, snapped the bracket into place, and plugged in the pump. That took maybe 2 minutes.

These pumps are used on a wide variety of auto makes and models, so they are super cheap. I bought mine on Amazon for about $8.00. The filter and grommet was less than $2.00. These are so cheap that if your washers aren't working and the fuses are good, just buy a new filter and pump and replace both of them in less than 5 minutes. Everything's working great now!
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Last edited by SD ///M4; 04-17-2017 at 11:03 AM..
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      04-14-2017, 04:11 PM   #15
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Smile Too easy

I had forgotten that I had read this thread once before . It worked last time, and son of a gun I need to do it again!

I wonder if chlorinating the washer pool would help keep the filter clean ?
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      04-17-2017, 07:35 AM   #16
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Having links to where you guys bought the parts (pump and filter) on say Amazon or other would help finish this post off in a spectacular fashion !!!
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      04-17-2017, 11:00 AM   #17
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This is what I purchased, but you have plenty of options to choose from. On Amazon, select "Automotive Parts and Accessories" to the left of the search bar. Search for "washer pump" or "washer pump grommet with filter" and put in the make, model, and year of your Z4. I have Amazon Prime so I selected only those available for Prime.

Pump: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The cost for this is now $9.18.

Filter: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1. The cost for this is now $7.08! Still cheap, but more than 3 times the price I paid!
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      11-08-2017, 09:39 AM   #18
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I havent driven my car for a month or so, tried it yesterday and it stop spraying.. I check the fuse and it looks good. I pull the motor out but can't tell, I think its the motor, its not making the sound. I ordered from the link provided above of amazon.. for $8 ish, worth a try...
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      11-18-2017, 05:17 PM   #19
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i have broken windshield washer fault code . . . .broken cable
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      03-02-2018, 01:33 PM   #20
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Kinked tubing issue

My root cause after taking almost the whole system apart ... was that the tubing running from the pump reservoir to the nozzles had slowly, over the years, gotten kinked, preventing only very limited flow. The kink was under wrapping in the area where the tubing flexes when the hood is opened/closed, so it was hidden from view.
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      03-27-2023, 12:13 AM   #21
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Wiper Washer and filter BMW Z4 2003 M

So I have managed to remove the pump but the grommet and filter came too.There is a small crack where to grommet meets the filter can I replace or glue this together does anyone know ?
Also there is a second pump attached to the water container what is that for ? There is only the one pump in the you tube videos I have seen.
My first try at a repair and I think I broke it more
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      03-27-2023, 07:36 AM   #22
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You probably have HID headlights. The second pump is for them.

I think the filter is replaceable. Maybe just get a new one?
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