How to Unclog Your Car's Spraying Nozzles

It all starts with the answer to a rather simple question: how often do you use to change your car's nozzles? You know, those tiny parts that spray the washer fluid on the windshield and which can get clogged as fast as you'd say “autoevolution”.

Well, it happened to us, it happened to millions of drivers out there, and it probably happened to you too. So, what's the solution to get these nozzles unclogged without too much effort?

Most drivers just decide to go to a service center in order to replace them completely or simply to let the experts do the job. It goes without saying that this approach is the one that’s also the most convenient, but on the other hand, it’s also the one that comes with a significant extra cost. Everybody knows that service centers charge a lot even for ridiculously simple repairs, and replacing the nozzles or even cleaning them costs more than you can imagine.

But what if you're not at home and you'd really need to have fully functional nozzles? You could purchase a spare pack and replace them by yourself, in case you think you'd be able to face such a “difficult” job. Or... you can use our method, so read on to learn how to do it.

Before anything else, here’s a fair warning that everybody interested in the process should always keep in mind: doing this is quite an easy mission, but on the other hand, it does take some time to master it like a pro. And in addition, it also requires hardware that the typical driver doesn’t necessarily have in a car.

First of all, you should check the whole windshield washing system, in order to be sure that the nozzles are really the ones to blame for the malfunction. For instance, you could remove the hoses and clean them with an air compressor. Also, you are recommended to empty the windshield washer liquid container and scrub it with a cleaning solution (this is because you could get the tubes and the nozzles clogged again if it isn't properly washed).

Let's proceed to the hardware requirements, or what you’re going to need to unclog the nozzles: one syringe with a needle and enough windshield washer fluid to fill two syringes (you might need even more fluid in case the first two tries don’t do the job). The best way to go is to use a very thin needle, in order to be able to insert it into the nozzle, and a regular syringe (10 ml should be enough).

Fill the syringe with windshield washer fluid and then attach the needle. Next, simply insert the needle into the tiny hole of the nozzle and spray the liquid with as much pressure as you can generate with the thumb. Repeat the process and then hold down the wiper lever for a few seconds (once again, you need to make sure that the windshield recipient is full and clean, so you won't clog the nozzles once again).

One thing that you should always keep in mind is that inserting a bigger needle into the car nozzles may change the spraying direction. In order to adjust them to the previous position, insert the same needle into the nozzle and move it slightly until their back on their original angle. Press the wiper lever to test the spraying direction whenever you need it.

Without a doubt, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get this right, but while everything seems pretty easy at first, it does take a while to figure out how to properly unclog the nozzles. After all, there's a good reason why so many service centers don't waste their time trying to clean the nozzles and just replace them altogether. Sure, they can also charge more for a new set of nozzles, but cleaning the existing ones is a time-consuming process anyway. To be honest, the first time I attempted to do this on my car, I barely produced any improvement, especially because I failed to apply enough pressure on the syringe when spraying the washing liquid into the nozzle.

The second attempt failed as well, this time because I moved the needle and changed the orientation of the nozzle. It took a while to get the right angle and bring it back to the original position, and needless to less, I wasted quite a lot of washing liquid as well.