[jonpiz]

Just got my E91 320ES Auto Touring. Only problem is the windscreen washers dont seem to work properly. They spit out some water then all you can hear is the motor. The jets are clear and the rear one works fine.

Is it easy to get at where the tank/pumps are?

[madman]

Have you checked the pipes are clear?

[jonpiz]

how easy is it to do that having only owned this for 2 days. How do you get at the pipes at the tank end?

[madman]

If you are getting some spray but then it stops but you can still hear the pump and the rear one is fine, it could just be pipes. follow the pipe from the bonnet as far as you can, im not certain if you can remove it easy enough to check. best thing to do is wait till morning and have a look. does the pump sound like its struggling or does it make the same sound for the front and rear? sorry i cant be more help.

[xenon]

It's the filter at the bottom of the tank is clogged with sludge. Don't know why it seems to affect BMWs more than any other. You need to remove the reservoir and flush it - that's a two-minute job but it takes an hour to get the sodding thing out.

[jonpiz]

Originally Posted by xenon

It's the filter at the bottom of the tank is clogged with sludge. Don't know why it seems to affect BMWs more than any other. You need to remove the reservoir and flush it - that's a two-minute job but it takes an hour to get the sodding thing out.

How do you get the tank out?

[xenon]

On the e92 and I suspect the e91 is similar, you have to remove the osf wheel and the plastic wheelarch liner you can then get to the tank to remove it and flush it out. Also worth blasting an air-line through the pipework.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by jonpiz

Just got my E91 320ES Auto Touring. Only problem is the windscreen washers dont seem to work properly. They spit out some water then all you can hear is the motor. The jets are clear and the rear one works fine.

Is it easy to get at where the tank/pumps are?

Exact same symptoms mine had - my E90 went in for this 4 times under warranty. It is a blockage in the bottom of the tank, starving the pump of water, the bumps burns out quickly too when running dry.

New screen pump and tank flush out each time. It drove me mad when it failed every 6 months. In the winter i'd end up stopping on the hard shoulder when i couldn't see anymore and pouring evian over the screen to clean it!

They tried to blame ME for not using BMW screen wash!! Now I use BMW wash only, which actually works very, is not expensive and is very concentrated (doesn't smell like cheap vodka either like that blue stuff you get at garages)

If yours is under warranty get them to fix it... (BTW BMW screen wash is clear, so you can't blag you've been using it if your tank is full of blue shite)

[xenon]

Happened a lot on my e46 too but the reservoir was removable in seconds so it wasn't a big deal. It's weird how it's never affected any other car I've owned. My S2 was 19 years old the other week and I've never flushed the resrvoir on that.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by xenon

Happened a lot on my e46 too but the reservoir was removable in seconds so it wasn't a big deal. It's weird how it's never affected any other car I've owned. My S2 was 19 years old the other week and I've never flushed the resrvoir on that.

Exactly, I believe the muck filter is right at the bottom of the tank, which is where it gets blocked.

It would seem sensible to put the strainer/filter at the filler neck opening like most other cars!!!

[zltm089]

damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....i recently bought some screenwash from halfords....I should have gone for the BMW one!!!

[jonpiz]

Originally Posted by xenon

On the e92 and I suspect the e91 is similar, you have to remove the osf wheel and the plastic wheelarch liner you can then get to the tank to remove it and flush it out. Also worth blasting an air-line through the pipework.

how do you remove the wheel arch liner. Mine seems to be joined to the wing lip with some rivet looking fixings. Do these break when you remove the liner and have to be replaced?

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by jonpiz

how do you remove the wheel arch liner. Mine seems to be joined to the wing lip with some rivet looking fixings. Do these break when you remove the liner and have to be replaced?

They are removable fixings, the sort that usually break.

Get some spares before you start....

[xenon]

^^ yes, get a handful before you start, only a few pence each. They are re-usable if you're careful.

[jonpiz]

Hurrah, I did it this morning, took about an hour. What a stupid design BMW!!! Why put the filter and the pumps at the bottom where all the crud is???

[acerboo]

always used bmw screnwash no problems i think its because the washers are fanned and need a different type of cleaner that was certainly the case with my vw passat

[hmi1750]

Does anyone have any more details.. my wheel arch has so many screws and bits holding it in place, how can i remove it easily?

Are there more than 2 bolts under the car that need to be undone? I had it on a jack to see under and I took 2 off but didn't risk taking the rest off.. just couldn't figure out how to pull the liner out without severely deforming it!

Thanks for any help and I now need a new rivet as I had to break it to get it off (the other 2 remained there as I stopped before I had a car that i couldn't use tonight).

[hmi1750]

if anyone has a photo the great.. as this:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...62&hg=51&fg=75

makes little sense to me in terms of the number of bolts I should remove.