Just wondering if anyone has tried a retro fit installing a universal washer nozzle kit to replace the long metal nozzles? Don't get me wrong, I love that the metal ones hold up well and can just be removed and bent slightly to aim them, but their spray ends are mounted pretty low and even when I angle them as high as I can, they spray the wiper arms, so your wipers must be moving to spray them. This means the wipers are moving dry momentarily, which I don't need to tell you can lead to fine scratches and premature blade wear. I live in a rainy climate, and my blades streak before long if I don't baby them by wiping them clean by hand before using them.

I looked at the Dorman kit (and Otuayauto one based on it), and it looks like the nozzle shafts would just fit in the slots on the cowl grill. I'd probably add some kind of spring or lock washers to this kit to put between the underside of the cowl grill and the nuts. The only tricky part would be attaching the nut on the nozzle. I figured I could use a long strip of electrical tape, put the plastic nut in the center (with it's washer rubber cemented to it), and cut a hole in the tape at the center of the nut to allow the nozzle shaft to stick through. Then I'd tape two 7" zip ties on the non sticky side of the tape. The reason to use two is to put them at the edge of the tape so the hole would not be obscured. This would allow me to put a sharp enough bend in one part of the zip ties to allow putting it down into the grill in one slot, and grabbing it at another. Once threaded through the grill, this would suffice as a sling to hold the nut in place as I thread the nozzle onto it. Once nearly tightened, the sling could be removed and the gear shaped nut then turned via, I don't know, a small L wrench or something, maybe even my pinky.

Oddly enough, the one thing I've yet to figure out is how to seal off two of the 3 small holes in the firewall the metal nozzle mounting plate attaches to. I was thinking of just using Permatex high temp silicone. I'll have to measure the diameter of the hole in the firewall that the actual nozzle tube goes through, but I'm hoping it's at least 7mm, because that's what the washer hose in the kit measures. I'd probably have to buy a longer piece though, as they only give you two 3.6" pieces, and the metal nozzles seem longer than that.

Part of the reason for trying this is I kinda went overboard when adjusting the metal nozzles and didn't just bend the one that was aiming too low. I also tried scraping it's spray end clean, as it had paint on it from a recent hood repair and repaint at Macco. Probably should have tested it first because now it streams a solid line of fluid like a hose instead of spraying a spread pattern. No doubt because I made the mistake of putting the tip of the nozzle mounting screw in the spray hole and lightly twisting it back and forth a bit.

Sure the kit nozzles are just plastic, but hopefully at least Nylon, but they would sit higher and have slotted metal nozzle jets you can align horizontal or vertical for more adjustability. That said, I may just try pulling out both metal nozzles again, detaching their hoses, and take a look at them closely under light with my reading glasses on. I'm pretty sure by default they are designed with a couple little nibs one at each side sticking into the spray hole slightly. What I probably did with the one I scraped is knock off those nibs. I'm thinking I may be able to take a small flat jeweler's screwdriver and tap either side of the spray hole to effectively and adequately replicate those nibs though. There would still be the problem of their spray hitting the wiper arms when they're stationary though.

These are the kits I'm referring to. At the very least, it would be a cheap experiment, and cause no harm to the original nozzles or the cowl grill. Hell, I probably did more damage just making the mistake of trying to aim the low nozzle up higher by looping a zip tie around it and a couple grill slots (marred the new paint slightly). That was before I realized how easy it was to remove the nozzles and bend them.

Otuayauto with brass nozzle jets



Dorman with as far as I can tell, zinc plated nozzle jets

So what do you guys think? Any advice is appreciated.

 

I smoothed my cowl , so I moved the squirters . I used second gen squirters on mine ..






these are easily adjustable . The ball inside the plastic rotates , you can move with just a pin

 

Yeah, cool and all, but it goes without saying, most of us aren't set up with the equipment or skills to do something that elaborate. You're talking major bodywork there just to do that.

As far as the 2nd gen nozzles, yeah, I've seen those too. They're generally not sold as universal kits though. The main problem I run into with the non universal nozzles is they are generally fatter at the stem. Like I said, I barely have 7mm clearance if that in the cowl slots.

That said, there may be some ball/socket type nozzles with slimmer stems that I have not seen. Can you perhaps post a link to the ones you used, or a brand/model number maybe?

It also occurred to me after posting this thread that I could probably put another slight bend in the nozzle to aim it up slightly higher. They only have the one bend way back near the mounting plate, which definitely limits how high you can aim them.

I also thought more about the mounting method of the plastic nozzles I detailed above, and I forgot one major thing. I would also have to attach the hose on the nozzle before mounting it, as it would be pretty much impossible to after mounting it. That means it would likely have to be tightened down by the nut exclusively, which may prove difficult. As far as I know, the little single silver "Metal Piece" they include in the kits I showed is a wrench of sorts. The tiny flaps that stick up on either side of it's tab are likely all you have to "grip" the lobes of the nut with to turn it.

So at this point, getting these stock nozzles spraying better is a much more attractive solution it seems.

 

Never mind about posting the pics of the nozzles you used. I took my nozzles out today and took a close look at them. They aren't shaped like I thought at the tip. I scraped the residual bodywork paint off both and now instead of tiny round holes, they look a bit diamond shaped, which is I'm sure the way they're supposed to look.

I also noticed there is in fact a subtle bend near the tip as well. The driver side one seemed a bit less angled at that bend, which is why it was probably spraying lower. I applied some subtle grip pressure to bend it a bit more, and now they both look the same. I hope that is all that was needed to fix them.

I have yet to test them, but after mounting them it looks like they will now at least spray over the top of the blade part of the wipers when they're stationary, so that should wet them good before I turn them on. I can only hope they spray as well as they look.

 

Pics?
Im interested in this mod but having trouble picturing it.

Thanks!

 

Couldnt we do roughly the same thing Slacker did with a drill and a dremel to get a universal nozzle onto the hood?
this idea is more attractive to me because then I wouldnt have to reach into the cowl ever again. But my truck is a rust bunny so i dont mind drilling and cutting up the body.

 

It doesn’t take much, just measure to keep it about centered on the blade and drill the required size hole for the nozzle. Run the sprayer hoses. Take Slackers pic for reference. A must if you smooth the cowl