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Thread: Windshield washer mod

  1. #1
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    Windshield washer mod

    The windshield washer for the Mitsubishi Mirage isn't that great... four little streams, and most of it runs off. It's a common complaint, it would seem.

    Well, I have a solution. With a trip to a salvage yard, a little engineering, and an outlay of less than $20, I now have something better.

    Presenting...

    Wiper Arm Mounted Fluidic Washer Nozzles!

    These nozzles, instead of spraying from the hood, are mounted to the wiper arms themselves.

    GM cars and trucks from 20+ years ago used a system like this. I used to drive a 1989 Chevrolet Silverado that had these as sprayers, so the nozzles themselves are VERY easy to find. Literally the first car I walked past in the local salvage yard (a 1999 Chevy Lumina sedan) had them. They pop off with your fingers, or a flat-tip screwdriver, and the hoses pull out of the nozzles.

    This is what they look like. They didn't even charge me for them.


    One of them will clip directly to the wiper arm on your Mirage. This is the driver's side.


    The passenger side will clip to the wiper arm just the same, BUT the blade gets in the way - the arm won't sit flat against the windshield. The bent wiper arm lines up with the wiper blade, and the sprayer nozzle will contact the wiper blade. The solution is to jam the nozzle under the thicker part of the arm, where the cross section is shaped like a "C". A little RTV will hold it still.

    Next, we need to locate the washer line. I didn't try to pull it loose - I just cut it, in case this didn't work I could just hook the lines back together. This is where I cut it, on the passenger side.



    These nuts hold the wiper arms on, allegedly. I took them loose, and couldn't get the wiper arms off. I didn't pull very hard though, as I didn't want to break anything.



    The plastic bit under the wiper arms is held down with these plastic rivets - they are re-useable because the Mirage is completely awesome. Get a screwdriver on them like so...



    ...And give it a twist, and the center pops out.



    Take all of them out, and I was able to lift the plastic enough to get a hand in there, without removing the arms. I fed a couple of feet of washer fluid tubing in through the holes that the arms fit in


    I pulled them out below the plastic where I could tie into them.


    A vacuum line "T" fitting is what I used here.


    At the other end, I fed the tubing through the middle of the springs in the wiper arms - no zip ties!


    Hooked the other ends of the tubes up to the new nozzles...



    And stuffed the rest of the tubing back under the black plastic part, and replaced the rivets. The rivets go back into their holes, and pushing the center back down locks them in place.

    Attach the new line into the factory one like so...



    ...And be sure the line comes out of this hole, instead of being pinched.


    And... Boom. The washer fluid sprays directly on the windshield, in front of the wiper blades.



    Enjoy!



  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Tinker1980 For This Useful Post:

    alex16 (07-11-2015),DemiRage (07-12-2015),GrnBn (07-29-2015),JimInMichigan (07-12-2015)

  3. #2
    Moderator inuvik's Avatar
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    Nice Mod!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Uber Mirage alex16's Avatar
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    this mod= win

    I will be doing this to my Mirage shortly! Good thinking!
    2014 ES F5MBD aka 5MT. I am a full time Uber driver, if you want to drive for uber DO not sign up without my referral code for a bonus .

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 44.8 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 53.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Great mod. When I get the time, I am going to fit an anti-drainback valve into my washer system. Like this...

    Name:  W01331641074SWF.jpg
Views: 1147
Size:  7.9 KB

    When you are done using the washers, gravity pulls the fluid out of the hoses and back into the tank. Because of this, when you go to use the washers again, the wipers will 'dry-swipe' the windshield a couple of times until the hoses re-pressurize.

    An anti-drainback valve would prevent this, and give an instant spray when the system is actuated.

  6. #5
    Senior Member chris_top_her's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tinker1980 View Post
    This is what they look like. They didn't even charge me for them because I just put them in my pocket and walked out.
    Pretty neat!

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    Maybe place a T fitting so that you use the new nozzles in addition to the factory ones. Would help clear a frozen windshield faster.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 42.6 mpg (US) ... 18.1 km/L ... 5.5 L/100 km ... 51.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    Great mod. When I get the time, I am going to fit an anti-drainback valve into my washer system. Like this...

    Name:  W01331641074SWF.jpg
Views: 1147
Size:  7.9 KB

    When you are done using the washers, gravity pulls the fluid out of the hoses and back into the tank. Because of this, when you go to use the washers again, the wipers will 'dry-swipe' the windshield a couple of times until the hoses re-pressurize.

    An anti-drainback valve would prevent this, and give an instant spray when the system is actuated.
    That would be a good part to add to this mod, since the lines end up longer.

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to Tinker1980 For This Useful Post:

    inuvik (07-12-2015)

  10. #8
    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    Although this is great, I have two questions:
    1. Does it spray before AND after the wiper? I like to spray before and after wipes - if that makes sense...
    2. If you're not planning on removing the stock splashers, I don't think this is worth doing.

    If anything, I've been wanting to modify the stock ones so they spray better.

  11. #9
    Uber Mirage alex16's Avatar
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    It sprays before only but if you did a y splitter and two nozzles one facing forward and one facing rearward you can have both ways


    2014 ES F5MBD aka 5MT. I am a full time Uber driver, if you want to drive for uber DO not sign up without my referral code for a bonus .

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 44.8 mpg (US) ... 19.1 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 53.9 mpg (Imp)


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