GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

My Vibe will be a week old tomorrow. (Well, I'll have had it a week!)When I got it, the rear window washer was a mere trickle down the center of the window. So... I took a sewing needle and gently probed in the metal nozzle to see if anything was plugging it up. Now, the darn thing squirts a stream down at an angle such that it misses the entire rear of the car and piddles in the roadway. Has anyone else had any problems with this nozzle and if yes, how did you fix it? - Earl

All the Vibes rear nozzles work they way yours did originally. Yes its a pain, but thats the way they made it.

quote:All the Vibes rear nozzles work they way yours did originally. Yes its a pain, but thats the way they made it.May be it does not work perfectly, but this is is by far much better then the one I had on my Montana.

cool your vibe can pee pee on tailgaters

Just curious, but what was wrong with the trickle down the back window? It gets the job done.

In my owners manual, there was a "frequently asked questions" supplement. One of the FAQ's was about the rear washer switch operation. The answer said, (paraphrasing) that by operating the washer alone before starting the wiper, you could "prewash" the glass, thus avoiding the possibility of scratching the glass.This little trickle would NOT prewash anything. That's why I think it needs to be a proper fan-pattern spray.

quote:ok, the rear window washer pump should be located on the tank in the front under the hood, at the bottom of the tank? maybe like the s 10 blazers and such? and also i think there is 2 ways of cleaning and then spraying the rear window? check the owners manual, up or for way and down and up for a total spray? not sure. will look into it moreRoll up the button down to sprain on the window (without the wiper). Roll up for both, wiper and spray.

Maybe there might be a way to get a replacement nozzle for the windsheild and change it with the rear one...

Quote, originally posted by LocDog »Maybe there might be a way to get a replacement nozzle for the windsheild and change it with the rear one...Has anyone tried this yet? Did it work?

there all like that did you try to reaim the nozzle

Quote, originally posted by Charlievibe »Has anyone tried this yet? Did it work?I don't think this will work. The front squirters (on the hood) are a different shape from the ones on the rear. I ordered LED light washer sprayer nozzles for my Vibe and I was going to use one of the original sprayers on the rear by swapping it out. When I looked at it, it was a different shape and won't fit.

Quote, originally posted by esjones »That's why I think it needs to be a proper fan-pattern spray.A fan spray pattern won't reach the window at freeway speeds. The draft behind the car would blow the mist away. The trickle, however, will still hit the window while traveling. I don't feel like getting off the freeway everytime I need to mist the rear window, so I don't mind it. The risk of scratching the glass is pretty low. The rear wiper arm doesn't exert much force on the window.

If you put a fan sprayer on the back window, the pressure in the fluid line between the pump and the nozzle will be a lot higher than it is with the dribble nozzle. No telling if it is designed to take the increased pressure, might pop a hose off a fitting somewhere inside the car.

Hi Nervous_Dog and everyone else...I had a trip back from Ohio yesterday and oddly, I thought of this post. Yeah, the pre-wash myth is just that. most of the liquid from the dribble spray is past the wiper by the time you have a chance to activate the wiper. It kinda sucks and I wonder how many people in the cars behind me laugh when I dribble down the back window.The second thing I thought about was the fan spray idea and how it was said a spray wouldn't hit much of the window. I'm thinkin MOST of the back spray from the wheels land directly on the back hatch/window, I have to think that anything sprayed in that region would have to land on the window as well, or at least relatively close, and still more than the dribble that manages to stay on it. So, has anyone tried to attach a spray nozzle other than this stupid dribble thing? I would be more than willing to try something else and if I do, I'll post results.Dave

As soon as the weather gets warmer (perhaps springtime), I plan to pick up el-cheapo washer fluid spray nozzle from pep-boys and trying a replacement, just for the sake of science -- to know if it would work better, worse, or the same...IMHO, the wet-arm style would be best for this particular application...obviously, that's not an option here, but...

the prewash is merely the washer fluid streaming down the rear window and wetting the wiper blade when it reaches it. The wet blade is less likely to track dirt and scratch the windowas another posted has noted, the blade is not very tight against the rear window (something that sometimes becomes a problem after 8 years when the rear wiper arms becomes lazy and no longer hugs the window...). Make sure you keep the arm hinge lubricated over time.i've had an '85 tercel wagon and a '95 escort wagon and both had the same 'trickle' rear window washer system. it works well as long as i'm willing to squirt some more after i start the rear wiper.