Technical Brava rear brake light and washer

[bluejohn125]

Hi all,

I've just attemped a simple replacement of the 3rd (led) brake light strip in my Brava, and it's caused a bit of hassle.

Firstly I had difficulty removing the rear cover panel on the bootlid... took the screws off and forced the top of the panel upwards / forwards.. I thought it was just clipped in tight at the edge until I cracked the cover and snapped 2 hidden clips..:bang: There are 2 secret Allen bolts under the rubber cushions..

No mention of them in the Bravo guide here..

http://www.fiatboo.co.uk/fix-a-bravo.htm#wiper

Also I've managed to lose one of the 3 funny big plastic nuts that hold on the brake light.. it dropped into the bootlid frame (I think) when i undid it and I'm damned if I can find it it inside the bootlid, on the boot floor, on the ground...

But my main question is the wash / wipe hose... there was a stray pipe (starts off black in the top left of the bootlid and then goes to a clear section (full of dirt) with a little black 90 degree connector on the end. However I can find absolutely nowhere on the wiper assembly that it might connect to. There is lots of info for Bravos saying that these fall off and how you can reconnect them, but maybe the Brava is slightly different. The photos in the guide above don't look the same.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience? I took the wiper unit right off but couldn't see anything obvious.

cheers

John

 

[Gregovic]

The washer hose plugs into a tiny hole between the wiper motor and the grommet through which the axle goes through the window. It's a bit fiddly to find and get the plug in. It's pouring rain here, so I'm not going to take any pics right now, sorry

 

[bluejohn125]

Ok thanks... do I need to remove the wiper assembly again to fit it?

I'm not sure if I'm getting water in any case... I operated it a few times but no water leaked out of the open end of the pipe..

 

[bluejohn125]

Well I found the hole for the hose connector - it's a really weak design and falls apart very easily. Seems to be spraying OK so job nearly done.

I got my damaged panel refitted basically OK. but it will have to come off again since I managed to lose a little washer or something inside the bootlid frame and it slides about and rattles around when I open or close the hatch or go around corners. :bang:

I must have found all the hassles in working with the bootlid and all its bits... justy need to locate the disappeared brake light nut and maybe find a new cover panel. And those rubber cushions for the parcel shelf are a real pain to refit. These cars are frustrating compared to the earlier, simpler Tipo.

 

[Gregovic]

Jup, the designers on the bravo/brava seem to have gone out of their way to make it as much of a pain as possible to remove or fit the panels (and a lot of other parts).

Next time you open it up, check to see if the washer hose connector still has it's O-ring on. (It's a tiny little thing). Without it the pipe is very loose indeed.