Choosing fan-type universal windshield washer nozzles

Author: Evgeny Zhivoglyadov. Date of publication: July 05, 2016. Category: Automotive equipment.

Maximum visibility is very important for any driver, so car manufacturers pay great attention to the windshield cleaning process, which includes the operation of several systems. Thanks to wipers, proper flow of oncoming air flow and nozzles, car owners always clearly and clearly see what is happening on the road surface. However, if one of these systems fails, the other will not be able to perform at the required level, which is why it is necessary to correctly select such important elements as nozzles or, as they are also called, jets.

To purchase the right devices, you first need to understand the existing types of these parts.

Nozzle types

The following types of jets exist:

Jet - washer nozzles in the form of a hollow cylinder. At the bottom of the structure there is a fitting, thanks to which the nozzle itself is connected to the hose. There is a spray nozzle at the top. In this case, the fluid supply force can be adjusted using a special screw.
Fan nozzles. A special feature of this design is the presence of many nozzles (at least 3). It is also worth noting that in this case the liquid passes through a narrower channel, due to which the liquid is sprayed with greater pressure.

The first type is more often found on “middle-aged” cars, as well as on domestically produced cars, for example, the windshield washer nozzles of the VAZ 2110 have a jet configuration. Foreign cars and cars produced in recent years already have fan jets installed.

Washer nozzles, developed using modern technologies, are not only easy to use, but also easy to install. However, these elements also have their drawbacks.

Features of fan-type windshield washer nozzles

Since standard nozzles are not suitable for everyone, since they work worse and less efficiently in some places, a fan nozzle is a worthy alternative.

To understand the nuances of setting and cleaning, you first need to understand how this nozzle works and how the best performance is achieved when cleaning the windshield of a vehicle.

Most automakers initially equip their cars with fan injectors in basic and simplest configurations. Structurally, they differ from standard elements, where 2-3 separate jets are used. In the case of a fan nozzle, it provides spraying in the form of a large front consisting of small drops of liquid. This allows you to cover an impressive area of the windshield at once.

Classic two-jet jets are inferior to their fan counterparts in quality and coverage area of windshield washer fluid.

The main distinguishing feature is the method of liquid supply. Conventional jet systems deliver 2-3 separate jets. For these purposes, special feed nozzles are used. The design of the fan nozzle allows you to simultaneously treat a large area of the windshield with liquid. Outwardly, it looks like a fan is opening. Hence the corresponding name of the device.

You shouldn't make hasty conclusions. To decide whether you need such injectors or not, you should understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Advantages and disadvantages of fan washer nozzles

Thanks to the successful design of the fan jets, not a narrow stream hits the glass, as is the case with inkjet models, but a wide, finely dispersed stream that covers almost the entire “lobovuha”. Among other advantages, it is worth highlighting the following:

Thanks to good atomization, dirt is dissolved more efficiently, resulting in fluid savings.
If in the case of jet nozzles, the wipers start working a little earlier than the liquid hits the glass, then the fan models are connected simultaneously with the wiper. This helps protect the glass from scratches.

If we talk about the shortcomings, car enthusiasts highlighted the following nuances:

Fan-type jets quickly become covered with ice at subzero temperatures. To avoid such troubles, you have to purchase an additional heating system for the washers.
Since a large amount of liquid immediately falls on the glass, visibility is reduced for several seconds until the wipers start working.

As you can see, such a system also has disadvantages, but all of them can be solved. The main thing is to choose the right jets for your car.

How to choose washer nozzles

It is best to choose jets specifically for your car. If you compare the fan nozzles of the windshield washer of the VAZ 2114 and similar parts for a foreign car, they will be different. Of course, these differences are not critical and you can always customize the part for your car brand, but in this case the installation will be much more difficult.

Or you can purchase universal products that are suitable for different machines. These elements are considered to be injectors with numbers 30655605 and 7845009010. They are presented in the Volvo and Sang Yong catalogs. Both jets are absolutely identical with one difference - the Korean part will cost almost half as much as the Swedish counterpart. Otherwise, both products can be used as windshield washer nozzles for Ford, Mazda, Subaru, Daewoo and other models.

Another alternative option is offered by the Toyota concern, but when purchasing jets under catalog number 85381-AA042 from this manufacturer, it is worth considering that they are sold in 1 piece. Therefore, when placing an order online, you must add two items to your cart. After purchasing the products, you can install them yourself.

Selection of fan jets

The simplest and most reliable way would be to purchase devices manufactured by the manufacturer of specific brands for a specific car. But if the manufacturer does not produce jets for your car, you can buy products of a universal design from third-party manufacturers.

For example, universal injectors produced by Volvo are of excellent quality. They are installed on most cars of Japanese manufacturers. Of the presented models, injectors number 30655605 are the highest quality, and standard jets from Volvo S 80 can be installed on the vast majority of car brands; for example, they fit perfectly on Chevrolet Lanos. Products produced by the Toyota plant are also an excellent option and are in steady demand among motorists.

Models from the GM plant 95226510 have proven themselves to be excellent on Chevrolet Cruze cars, injectors from Skoda fit well on the Chevrolet Aveo, and the Opel Astra H, by the way, is equipped with not one, but several models from General Motors.

The Koreans, of course, also have their own universal jets, for example, Sang Yong.

The cost of Korean elements is noticeably lower than that of the Swedes, but in terms of quality they are seriously inferior to them; saving in price can be a dubious fact when choosing, after all, the element is responsible for traffic safety and is not bought for one day. If you see negative reviews on the operation of the injectors after replacing the standard ones with fan ones, then pay attention to the manufacturer’s brand, since defects from non-European manufacturers, unfortunately, are not uncommon.

When choosing injectors in the catalog, you should pay attention to the presence of English letters after the model number. Fan-shaped universal windshield washer nozzles, in addition to numbers, may contain letters from A to E in the code. They indicate the possible level of spray height, the lowest at A, and so on in increasing order to E. The absence of letters may mean that it is impossible to adjust the spray.

The letters H and G when selected indicate differences in design.

The fan jet of the washer, type H, disperses water particles that are smaller in size than type G, thanks to which the windshield wiper is distributed more evenly across the glass, with more economical consumption. The cutout of the movable head on the H type allows for wider adjustment of the spray arm range when setting up. The fastening thread on G models is millimeters smaller, so during installation it can be somewhat loose, which is easy to adjust by placing a seal or applying sealant.

How to replace washer nozzles

The process of replacing injectors is the same for all cars. Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare new hoses through which the “wash” will pass. A tube that is used for aquariums is well suited for these purposes.

After this, you need to complete the following steps:

Remove the upholstery and carefully pull out the plastic clips.
Remove the buffer foam pads. They are usually held in place by tape, so to reinstall them you will need to prepare some fresh duct tape.
Detach the covers on the plastic parts.
Remove the hoses through which the fluid is supplied.
Remove the old injectors.
Connect the pipe to the new jets.
Connect the check valve to the jet connections and pipes.
Check the system operation.

When replacing standard nozzles, it is also necessary to purchase a check valve, which will not allow the fluid to “roll back”, due to which the wipers often start working long before the cleaning composition appears on the glass.

Sometimes new washer nozzles do not work as expected (the fluid flows too high or low, offset to the side, etc.) and in this case additional adjustment of parts may be required.

Installation and configuration procedure

When replacing yourself, you need to take a number of steps:

dismantle the car hood trim, if present.
Disconnect the washer fluid supply pipe from the nozzle.
remove the standard product.
check the presence of a check valve on the removed copy; if it is not there, then you need to purchase it in addition. Its purpose is to maintain stable pressure. Without installing a check valve, the liquid will flow back into the container. A valve is installed in front of the tee.
After installing new models, the hoses are reconnected.

After installation, you need to adjust the nozzles to suit your needs. You shouldn’t put this event off for a long time; problems with the review will force you to do it anyway, but it’s already on the way. The speed and thoroughness of removing dirt from the windshield depends on the settings of the nozzles.

If after replacement during test spraying the liquid is not applied to the right place, adjust the nozzle by placing a sealant. Electrical tape folded several times will also work. You can adjust it with a needle by moving the nozzle nozzle away from the body.

In general, the process of replacing jets is simple and similar on all cars, including domestic ones such as Priora, Granta, 2114, Largus, Niva 4x4, Vesta, etc.

How to adjust washer jets

No specialized equipment or special skills are required to adjust the nozzles. All you need is a regular needle or pin. In order to figure out how to adjust the windshield washer nozzles, it is enough to understand that they have a spherical shape and rotate freely inside the plastic housing. So it's simple:

Feel free to insert the pin into the nozzle and begin to turn it in the direction you need.
If the liquid hits the glass too low, then twist the pin upward.
If the jet hits very hard, this can also be corrected with a needle.
On foreign cars, the injectors have 3 jets, which are best adjusted differently. The extreme ones should be at the lowest points, as they hit the sides of the car. It is better to direct the middle ones to the central part of the windshield, and the remaining central jets are better to direct to the upper part of the glass.

You can also clean the washer jets yourself.

What are glass washers?

Today, many car manufacturers have begun installing injectors of this type on their cars. The thing is that with their help you can supply glass washing liquid not with one or two powerful jets, but with a whole hail of drops. The main difference between fan nozzles is that they are able to cover a large area of the windshield at a time.

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Nowadays, most drivers have also begun to believe that these models cope with their task much better than the jet type. Models produced by Volvo are considered very popular. However, a concern such as Toyota, for example, also produces fan injectors.

How to clean washer nozzles

If the jets begin to work incorrectly, then most often the problem can be solved by cleaning these elements from contaminants. Before cleaning the windshield washer nozzles, prepare:

pin or sewing needle;
compressor;
large volume syringe;
soap and water.

Before work, it is recommended to check the level of cleaning fluid in the tank, since the jets may not work due to a missing washer. After this, you need to disconnect the washer nozzles from the hoses and slightly press on them until they rise.

Next, follow these simple steps:

Wash each nozzle in soapy water.
Connect the compressor, turn on the blower and process the nozzle under high pressure.
If you don’t have a compressor at hand, you can use a syringe into which you need to draw water.
Clean the holes using a regular needle or pin.
Insert the syringe into the nozzle and start flushing.

Of course, the compressor will be much more effective, but if the nozzles are severely clogged and do not allow liquid to flow, then with the help of improvised means you can at least temporarily solve the problem.

Another way is to leave the jets overnight in a soapy solution, and in the morning try to reuse the syringe or compressor. This will be useful in case of particularly severe old contamination.

Heating of injectors

Heating the washer jets is very important at low temperatures. There are several ways to implement injector heating.

Using SOD . This option is most suitable for those cars in which the injectors are installed on the grilles of the air intake system (jabot). For modification, it is necessary to prepare a copper tube and a heat-resistant radiator hose.

First, disconnect the steam exhaust hose of the heating system from the expansion tank. We connect the expansion tank hose to one end of the copper tube, and put on a new steam outlet tube to the other. We remove the air intake grille and make cutouts at the bottom for the steam exhaust tube. Then we put the frill in its regular place and mount the hoses. We install copper heat exchangers directly under the nozzles.

Using resistors . To electrically heat the injectors, it is necessary to mount two 0.75 W heating elements based on 150 or 200 Ohm chip resistors. The first resistors should be connected in series, and the second (1206) should be connected in parallel. In the nozzle body we make a hole for the heating element 5.0 mm wide and 1.0 mm deep. The heating elements of both injectors are connected in series.

They can be connected to the heated rear window button or output power through a separate button.