GM windshield sprayers on the wiper arms - ARG!

[OVERKILL]

At work we have a transport van for carpooling that often gets driven into the GTA. It's a 2011 Chevrolet Express that's been outfitted by Explorer Vans, so its well equipped. It has the obnoxious windshield sprayers that are on the wiper arms which seem to always freeze up in the winter requiring either a trip to a car wash to defrost, or bringing it inside. Even using -40C rated washer fluid, it seems that if the van sits for a bit, the alcohol evaporates and the lines freeze, and because they are exposed above the hood, they do not get warmed up by engine heat, so they stay frozen. This is not a minor annoyance, it's a rather major one and a potential safety issue because invariably nobody checks the thing to see if they work before leaving and if you are out on the 401 and they've been spraying the highway, your windshield soon gets coated and not being able to clean it becomes a serious problem at that juncture. What the heck happened to the standard practice of putting the bloody things on the hood or in the cowl where the engine heat can defrost them in the event they freeze? I've literally NEVER had this problem on any vehicle I've ever owned but it is a persistent issue not only on this van, but also on our 5-ton straight trucks (Freightliner) which also have this "feature" That's my rant for today as I was riding in it this weekend due to a job we had in the GTA and as soon as the temperature dropped on Friday night, they ceased to work for the entire weekend. Whoever designed this system without heated nozzles or some other mitigation technique needs a serious slap upside the head.

 

[TmanP]

Interesting. Mine are there as well and I actually like it... much "cleaner" looking hood (no protruding nozzles), and it allows for a very neat, controlled spray (they don't overspray, or hit the roof). I'm glad mine are where they are, but that's just me! I do use "winterized" washer fluid year round but would regardless of nozzle placement.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: TmanP

Interesting. Mine are there as well and I actually like it... much "cleaner" looking hood (no protruding nozzles), and it allows for a very neat, controlled spray (they don't overspray, or hit the roof). I'm glad mine are where they are, but that's just me! I do use "winterized" washer fluid year round but would regardless of nozzle placement.

I'd wager your vehicle doesn't sit for the same duration that this van does, which I believe is the primary issue (same with the big trucks) which allows the alcohol in the lines to evaporate. However, our old Ford van didn't have the issue despite sitting for the same periods because it had traditional nozzle placement.

 

[Warstud]

Have you tried this?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Have you tried this?

I can't see how that would fix the sprayers freezing? The actual lines appear to be freezing up, not just the nozzles. I'd wager if GM had put heated nozzles on it that it would have seriously helped however, as the warming fluid would defrost the lines.

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

At work we have a transport van for carpooling that often gets driven into the GTA. It's a 2011 Chevrolet Express that's been outfitted by Explorer Vans, so its well equipped. It has the obnoxious windshield sprayers that are on the wiper arms which seem to always freeze up in the winter requiring either a trip to a car wash to defrost, or bringing it inside. Even using -40C rated washer fluid, it seems that if the van sits for a bit, the alcohol evaporates and the lines freeze, and because they are exposed above the hood, they do not get warmed up by engine heat, so they stay frozen. This is not a minor annoyance, it's a rather major one and a potential safety issue because invariably nobody checks the thing to see if they work before leaving and if you are out on the 401 and they've been spraying the highway, your windshield soon gets coated and not being able to clean it becomes a serious problem at that juncture. What the heck happened to the standard practice of putting the bloody things on the hood or in the cowl where the engine heat can defrost them in the event they freeze? I've literally NEVER had this problem on any vehicle I've ever owned but it is a persistent issue not only on this van, but also on our 5-ton straight trucks (Freightliner) which also have this "feature" That's my rant for today as I was riding in it this weekend due to a job we had in the GTA and as soon as the temperature dropped on Friday night, they ceased to work for the entire weekend. Whoever designed this system without heated nozzles or some other mitigation technique needs a serious slap upside the head.

Yep government motors poor design

 

[Warstud]

Maybe you need to replace the check valve.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Maybe you need to replace the check valve.

How's that going to stop the lines from freezing? Again, this issue isn't specific to the van, it's specific to this design, which we unfortunately have three vehicles that are blessed with. The ones with traditional hood-mounted sprayers seem to fair much better.

 

[benjamming]

Warstud, On my Grand Am, they did one better & won't allow the wipers to be raised up & held off the windshield even!

 

[Nick1994]

I thought for half a second that we never had this problem with my mom’s Buick Rendezvous, but then remembered I’m in Phoenix and you’re in Canada

 

[Warstud]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Maybe you need to replace the check valve.

How's that going to stop the lines from freezing? Again, this issue isn't specific to the van, it's specific to this design, which we unfortunately have three vehicles that are blessed with. The ones with traditional hood-mounted sprayers seem to fair much better.

It sounds like your not looking for a solution. You just want to Rant.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

Originally Posted By: Warstud

Maybe you need to replace the check valve.

How's that going to stop the lines from freezing? Again, this issue isn't specific to the van, it's specific to this design, which we unfortunately have three vehicles that are blessed with. The ones with traditional hood-mounted sprayers seem to fair much better.

It sounds like your not looking for a solution. You just want to Rant.

I mentioned the solution in the OP: heated nozzles. I'm just flabbergast that GM didn't make that standard in the first place. My BMW had heated nozzles on the bloody hood and they were fantastic! I stated at the onset that this was a rant. It's a horrible design on an otherwise decent vehicle and a potential safety issue to boot.

 

[Trav]

You can probably make this work, the wiring may already be there. There are lot of similar universal units. https://www.amazon.com/2007-2008-Silvera...d+washer+heater

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Trav

You can probably make this work, the wiring may already be there. There are lot of similar universal units. https://www.amazon.com/2007-2008-Silvera...d+washer+heater

That's not the one that was recalled for catching fire is it? I was looking around for just heated nozzles and found that they were fitted to some Cadillac cars, but it doesn't seem anything else GM made had them Thanks for the suggestion BTW I was ranting about it earlier to my buddy that works on heavy trucks, many which of course have this design. He just started laughing and said "yep, that's how they are. Always good to give them a spritz before parking otherwise they freeze up." I am simply shocked that this is somehow acceptable

 

[JimPghPA]

Our 2001 Impala has the sprayers on the blades also. We have had it for 13 years, and last year was the first time the sprayers froze up. Going to a car wash to unfreeze them is a good idea. If they ever freeze up again I'll go to a car wash.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

That's not the one that was recalled for catching fire is it?

Well that's one way of fixing the problem of frozen nozzles. LOL One from a Cadillac may be the answer but I can imagine its going to be pricey. This may sound crazy but I made one that slipped snugly over a heater core hose out of small diameter copper tubing by wrapping it around a piece of plastic pipe the same diameter as the hose, it worked like a champ. What I liked about it is it didn't heat the fluid until the windshield was getting warm from the defroster and no electric heating element to catch fire, cost a couple of bucks. The only downside is you need to remove one end of the heater core hose to slip it over. It only needs to be 4-6" long to get nice hot fluid all the way to the nozzles, it will deice them Edit: Not my picture but this is what I am talking about on a very small scale.

 

[Rolla07]

Have you tried -45 or other fluids? I wonder if a different formulation or the addition of alcohol to the fluid would make any difference?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

I mentioned the solution in the OP: heated nozzles. I'm just flabbergast that GM didn't make that standard in the first place. My BMW had heated nozzles on the bloody hood and they were fantastic!

It's a Chevy van not a Beamer!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dishdude

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

I mentioned the solution in the OP: heated nozzles. I'm just flabbergast that GM didn't make that standard in the first place. My BMW had heated nozzles on the bloody hood and they were fantastic!

It's a Chevy van not a Beamer!

Right, but if you are going to Medusa up some nonsense like this, making it functional at all temperatures is relatively important Our Ford van didn't have the issue, but then it had the nozzles in the traditional location. I don't mind GM being different about it as long as it isn't a catastrophe. However it seems their execution lacked that final component that would enable that bit, which BMW seemed to use and even GM used on certain Cadillacs, so it isn't like they were unaware of its existence.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07

Have you tried -45 or other fluids? I wonder if a different formulation or the addition of alcohol to the fluid would make any difference?

It's a company van. It gets gas station washer fluid purchased by whomever is driving it most of the time I'd wager. It's presently got whatever was being sold at Pioneer (purple), however its had Petro-Canada, Esso and probably everything else in it.