Anyone Ever Replace Vue Windshield Washer Nozzles Themselves?

[mikec]

Mine went out again and I'm now out of warranty. Couldn't find them on any parts webs sites so I'll probably have to order them through the dealer. Anyone know the cost of these things and if I have to order the entire windshield washer module or just the nozzle itself? Thanks.

[MaxSL2]

The nozzle can be bought by itself and when for $11 each when I bought them. Saturnparts.net has them for $6.50 on their site but it probably costs another $6.50 just to ship it. :dizzy: It is part no. 22722205

Hopefully it's the passenger one that blew out since that one is right there when you remove the plastic cowling covering the cabin air filter. On the drivers one it looks like it requires separating the wiper arm from its shaft to get the cowling free.

I had to replace my passenger one and was going to do both but ended up just putting dabbing some preventative black epoxy on the driver one as I didn't want to mess with the wiper arm.

[mellissam]

Sorry, but I am curious how a friggin washer nozzle goes out!!!
That sound ridiculous! Dazed and confused.
Did GM penny pinch that much for a el-cheapo nozzle? I don't know much about nozzles, but I thought it would be the last thing to break on a VUE.....:no:

[Chazberry]

I lost the driver's side barely still under warranty. Dealer replaced that and as soon as the warranty was up the passenger side blew. I bought 2 nozzles for $7 ea. (yikes!) Actually a small assembly - gooseneck with nozzle. Since it looked like a PITA to replace the whole thing, I whittled down the gooseneck until I had just the nozzle. I pushed the nozzle halfway into the old gooseneck and sparingly applied some crazy glue, and then pushed it in the rest of the way - so far so good!

[1saxman]

On one of our VUEs the driver's side nozzle kept emitting rust-colored water and dribbling instead of spraying. Obviously, it was blocked by a piece of ferric metal which was sloooowly rusting away. The dealer replaced it a couple times but the problem always came back. The piece of metal was falling away from the nozzle when the pump wasn't on. All they had to do was operate the pump with the nozzles off and it would have cleared itself, but neither they nor I realized what was going on at the time. Finally I took a look at it and found a removable section of hose on the line to the nozzles. Taking the hose apart, I tried to backflush the system using a Water Pik at the nozzle. This actually worked, but I would recommend using compressed air. Anyway, the piece of steel or whatever is still bugging me - I managed to move it over to the passeger-side nozzle, so I'll have to take that spray head off and work the washer pump to clear it for good. I have to admit, though, in all the years I've been driving cars, I never had the first bit of trouble with washer nozzles - until we got VUEs. I guess we've had at least five nozzles blow out and get lost on the two of them, plus this piece of foreign material. BTW, I'm sure this piece of metal was in the hose line all along and did not get into the system through the washer fluid tank, because it could not have gotten through the filter and pump. Just one of those little aggravating glitches, but why did they all have to happen to Saturns:)

[VTchemist]

My driver washer nozzle "blew out" last year. I purchased a replacement from the dealer.

You will have to remove the plastic cowling to get to the lines. The fasteners are the "push-pull" kind, that is ; you pull up the center post and the whole fastner can be removed.

You may not have to remove the wiper arms. It depends on which washer needs replacing. If you hands are big, get a friend will small hands to reach under the cowling and reconnect the line.

I think the nozzles fail because the MeOH in the washer fluid caused the glue to fail (that holds the frit in the nozzle). The manufacturer should have used a more robust glue.

Hope this helps.

[1saxman]

I don't think there's any glue involved - don't the nozzles just snap in?

[VTchemist]

I don't think there's any glue involved - don't the nozzles just snap in?


I believe the frit is glued into the black plastic housing. One the frit "pops out", you just get a squirt.

Without some form of glue, the frit would not seal to the black plastic assembly; it would leak.

Hope this helps.

[mellissam]

I believe the frit is glued into the black plastic housing. One the frit "pops out", you just get a squirt.

Without some form of glue, the frit would not seal to the black plastic assembly; it would leak.

Hope this helps.

Instead of replacing junk with junk...isn't there a AFM nozzle that is a little more robust one could use? Like one made of all-metal? Seems absolutely ridiculous a spray nozzle would fail...I can understand it getting plugged with crap. :no: