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Is it possible to fit the headlight washers in a bumper with no factory headlight washers?
Retrofit Headlamp Washer Jets
- Thread starter bberg
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Retrofit Headlamp Washer Jets
The front bumper for cars with and without headlamp washers are different part numbers. Mainly because the one with washer jets will have the holes cut into it, but there may also be brackets moulded into the bumper to hold the jets and their hydraulic lifting mechanism.
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Yes, the sprinkly bumper will have holes in it, so it would be a different part number just for that reason.
I dunno if the Stilo sprinkler has a lifting mechanism or whether it's just a couple of jets protruding from the bumper... so if you were determined, then it could be possible just to drill a hole in your bumper and put a washer jet in it.
You would need to find a washer jet assembly that would phsically fit in the bumper, while pointing at the lights correctly and which is still small enough to fit between the bumper and the car body. Don't under-estimate just how big the sprinklers are, behind the bumper.
The next obstacle, if you get that far will be the plumbing. For some reason, the pipes to the headlamp sprinklers are huge. You could drain a lake with them in 5 minutes.
From memory (my old Alfa 155) the pipes will also likely have their own pump that only comes on when you pull the headlight washer stalk while the headlights are on. That sounds like a) you will need a different washer water tank, with the extra motor and b) some interesting wiring solution, if the wiring is not there in the loom.
But .. you're not missing much. My said 155 ^ used to eat windscreen washer fluid like a bastard. I was filling it up every week because the lake-draining-capacity pipes to the headlamps would squirt about a gallon every time you used them. I got quite expert in turning the lights off, washing the window and then turning the lights on, withing a half a second..
Finally, the washers themselves are great for removing big dirt like stuck on leaves, the odd donut (don't ask!) and debris but the glass still gets hazy. When you wash the car and they come up all shiny and clear, you ask yourself what the washers are actually doing apart from bankrupting you in washer fluid.
Ralf S.
I dunno if the Stilo sprinkler has a lifting mechanism or whether it's just a couple of jets protruding from the bumper... so if you were determined, then it could be possible just to drill a hole in your bumper and put a washer jet in it.
You would need to find a washer jet assembly that would phsically fit in the bumper, while pointing at the lights correctly and which is still small enough to fit between the bumper and the car body. Don't under-estimate just how big the sprinklers are, behind the bumper.
The next obstacle, if you get that far will be the plumbing. For some reason, the pipes to the headlamp sprinklers are huge. You could drain a lake with them in 5 minutes.
From memory (my old Alfa 155) the pipes will also likely have their own pump that only comes on when you pull the headlight washer stalk while the headlights are on. That sounds like a) you will need a different washer water tank, with the extra motor and b) some interesting wiring solution, if the wiring is not there in the loom.
But .. you're not missing much. My said 155 ^ used to eat windscreen washer fluid like a bastard. I was filling it up every week because the lake-draining-capacity pipes to the headlamps would squirt about a gallon every time you used them. I got quite expert in turning the lights off, washing the window and then turning the lights on, withing a half a second..
Finally, the washers themselves are great for removing big dirt like stuck on leaves, the odd donut (don't ask!) and debris but the glass still gets hazy. When you wash the car and they come up all shiny and clear, you ask yourself what the washers are actually doing apart from bankrupting you in washer fluid.
Ralf S.
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flyingdutch
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The washers are also vooling the glass apart from trying to bankrupt you completely with winscreen washing fluid although i dont see a point of fitting it cause youll have to refill washer fluid everyday by stilo (or atleast judging by my stilo cause it has only 3.1l tank for windscreen washing fluid.
When not in use, the jets are located below the top of the bumper. When used, they rise up from the bumper with hydraulic water pressure.
They are thick walled, high pressure pipes fed from a separate high pressure pump in the reservoir. Partly because of the pressure needed to lift the jets above the bumper, and partly because, as there are no headlamp wiper blades, the system relies on water pressure alone to clean the lamps.
Vehicles fitted with headlamp washers have a 6 litre reservoir, fitted with a normal pump for the windscreen and a larger high pressure pump for the headlamp washers.
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One of my Stilos has original Xenon HID headlamps, so has headlamp washers fitted as a legal requirement. The other has them as an optional extra. Unless it's only dust or soft mud, both are useless for cleaning the headlamps, and as ralf S says, they use a phenomenal amount of water.
They're not something I would ever consider retro fitting.
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I also think one of the wiring looms is different for models that had Headlamp washer jets fitted.
Had to remove the front bumper yesterday to replace side light bulbs, so took photos of the headlamp washer jets.
The clips holding the jets to the bumper are built into the jets, so to retrofit them, only the correct size rectangular holes would have to be cut in the bumper, in the correct places.
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The clips holding the jets to the bumper are built into the jets, so to retrofit them, only the correct size rectangular holes would have to be cut in the bumper, in the correct places.
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I was doing other stuff at the same time, but I'd guess about hour and a half to get the bumper off. (Wheels, wheel arch liners, under trays then bumper). Would also depend if the bolts below the bumper are seized or not. Mine were when I took the bumper off a few years ago, so I fitted new rive nuts and stainless bolts then, making it easier this time.
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Do you *need* to take the bumper off to change the sidelight bulbs (assuming you have normal sized/shaped arms and no access to a trained bulb-fitting capuchin monkey or the young lad from next door)?
My rusted bottom bolts started to shear off when I tried to remove my bumper to look at the air-con condensor/radiator last autumn... so I decided to leave it until the weather's better... but since then one of the sidelight bulbs has packed up. There's two bulbs in each lamp and the second bulb got me through the MOT...
but it can only be a matter of time before it goes, not to mention any other bulbs.I have some rive nuts too, so you must be a genius like me..
but drilling the old ones out is probably not going to be much fun. Maybe a job for Easter if the missus doesn't find some DIY for me, or fancies a day-trip to Tenby or something.. Ralf S.
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One of my Stilos has normal filament bulb, and it's just possible to get the inner and outer headlamp covers off without removing the bumper.
The one I did yesterday has original HID headlamps. It's possible to get the small inner covers off without removing the bumper, but the outer covers have the headlamp ECUs mounted on the back of them. The small extra thickness makes it impossible to get them off without removing the headlamps.
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Do you *need* to take the bumper off to change the sidelight bulbs (assuming you have normal sized/shaped arms and no access to a trained bulb-fitting capuchin monkey or the young lad from next door)?
My rusted bottom bolts started to shear off when I tried to remove my bumper to look at the air-con condensor/radiator last autumn... so I decided to leave it until the weather's better... but since then one of the sidelight bulbs has packed up. There's two bulbs in each lamp and the second bulb got me through the MOT...
I have some rive nuts too, so you must be a genius like me..
Ralf S.
You fitting standard stainless steel Rivnuts or Marine grade A4 versions + A4 bolts ?
The rive nuts I bought are regular BZP.
I'm planning to drill out the remains of the old bolts and any captive nuts/inserts and then open the hole in the radiator support (which seems to be made of fibre-plastic) out to 8mm, or fill it a bit with epoxy if it gets too damaged.... then bond in the new rive nut with the same epoxy.
I'm going to use A2 stainless bolts in the new rive nuts but with a blob of gasket sealant under the hex head. That should stop them coming undone if I can't tighten the new bolts enough without spinning the rive nuts.. and also the sealant will keep any moisture out of the rive nuts so that the bolts don't rust to them... although with stainless bolts, there's going to be less corrosion anyway, since only the nuts will be trying to disolve rather than both the nut and the bolt.
My main concern is if the rive nuts don't stay in the support and try to rotate, or even fall out. If the worst comes to the worst, I'l replace the support bar (or strap the bumper to it using cable ties.. )
Ralf S.
I'm planning to drill out the remains of the old bolts and any captive nuts/inserts and then open the hole in the radiator support (which seems to be made of fibre-plastic) out to 8mm, or fill it a bit with epoxy if it gets too damaged.... then bond in the new rive nut with the same epoxy.
I'm going to use A2 stainless bolts in the new rive nuts but with a blob of gasket sealant under the hex head. That should stop them coming undone if I can't tighten the new bolts enough without spinning the rive nuts.. and also the sealant will keep any moisture out of the rive nuts so that the bolts don't rust to them... although with stainless bolts, there's going to be less corrosion anyway, since only the nuts will be trying to disolve rather than both the nut and the bolt.
My main concern is if the rive nuts don't stay in the support and try to rotate, or even fall out. If the worst comes to the worst, I'l replace the support bar (or strap the bumper to it using cable ties..
)Ralf S.
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