Headlamp Cleaning System/Intensive Wash Installation

[Japandrew73]

i will be using some of the info very soon. just ordered a tested full retro fit kit for $200 USD shipped from the UK :D

but im wiring the system to a euro touring rear wiper switch. i wanted them functional if needed, but not to be on every time my regular wiper is going. should be a fun system to wire.

To function correctly, they'd only be on when your sidemarkers/lights are on, and you squirt fluid on your screen. If it's raining and you are just activating the wipers only, they won't come on.

Very cool that you're wiring to the touring rear wiper though, haven't seen this done.:D

[flyboyx]

i spent a couple of hours in the junk yard today. i actually had an epiphany of sorts. row after row had an old mercedes or two. since the selection of of bimmers was on the piddly side, i started looking at the intensive wash/wipe system on these cars. i pulled apart the headlight assembly of some random benz with composite headlights and intensive wipers. as it turns out the wiper module is the same bosch unit used on our e30's. yes the shaft is shorter, but i see two reasons why this is significant. first, here is a cheap and readily available source for rebuilding your unit in the event something goes bad inside (as has mine). one of my units turns out to be rusted up inside. second, in the event, you want the look of having the wipers on your car, you can pick a set of these up for cheap at the junk yard and buy a set of bmw dual wipers. i have not tried to mount these on my car yet, but i it looks like it will fit but sit a little closer to the headlight grill assembly. anyway the junk yard sold them to me for less than 20 bucks each, so i picked up three extra's to use as spares. the top two in the photo below are e30. the three below that are from a random benz.





on the right is the bmw plug, left is the benz. you have the option of cutting off the plug on the motor and replacing it with the bmw style or cutting off the plug on the wiring harness and replacing it with the benz style.



some volvos have intensive wash also. they use the bosch wiper motors as well, but they would be much more difficult to mount on an e30. the motor doesn't have the threaded shaft like bmw and mercedes. they only have a mount with a couple of holes that the unit bolts to. however, the water tight gasket on the volvo shaft is considerably better in my opinion than the one used on bmw. as you can see pictured on the middle left, the rubber part is a little shorter than bmw, but the part in the far left is hard plastic. that has a slight interference fit over the shaft and protects the rubber gasket from breaking down like they tend to do on bmw.

[Japandrew73]

$20 each! Your junkyard is ripping you off!

Just kidding, but that seems a bit pricey from a junkyard.




Very cool discovery though. I've heard here and there about Mercedez wipers being similar but if one of my motors ever breaks this is most likely what I would end up doing. Nice job :D

Post this on the FAQ thread on e30tech too so they can know

[sharky]

This is great news! my motors are shot, gonna check ebay now. What vintage did these come on?

[flyboyx]

$20 each! Your junkyard is ripping you off!

Just kidding, but that seems a bit pricey from a junkyard.




Very cool discovery though. I've heard here and there about Mercedez wipers being similar but if one of my motors ever breaks this is most likely what I would end up doing. Nice job :D

Post this on the FAQ thread on e30tech too so they can know

i will put an entry there when i get the chance andrew. yes, i thought they seemed a little expensive. the chick that prices parts at the window didn't even know what they were. she had to go off and ask someone's opinion. however, i thought 20.00 was a steal compared to the dealership price. iirc, i am thinking that real oem has a price listed for them at about 350.00 each.

This is great news! my motors are shot, gonna check ebay now. What vintage did these come on?

i didn't have the foresight to check the deck lid and make a note of the models. the yard did, however have 5 cars with headlight wipers. all of them were composite headlight cars and all of them had the same wiper except the later ones have that green plastic piece which you can pry off to expose the same nut on any of the other motors. they were in the late 80's to early 90's because they were all in the "old car" section.

[Japandrew73]

will be installing a set on car for customer soon...

ill need to ask u a few things

Ok. Ask me.

[flyboyx]

ok, i tore apart my headlight wiper motors this afternoon. there are only two differences between the mercedes part and the bmw: the benz has a 1" shorter inner shaft and about 1 3/8" shorter outer. also, the wiring plug is different. that is it. everything else internally is exactly the same. i don't have my camera handy because my girlfriend took it with her to work, but when i get it back i will post some photos.

one of my bmw wiper assemblies had a broken housing and had gotten water inside so thus the little d/c motor was seized with rust. my coaxial shafts were also seized with corrosion. (see andrew's thread above on how to clean it up). you can take the shafts out of the plastic housing by unscrewing the three nuts off the outer coaxial shaft. the shaft assembly will slide out back side with the gear cluster. my shaft assembly was stuck together so tightly, i had two options of getting it apart. either apply torch heat or pound the dog f%*& out of it. i ended up beating it off. (that sounds bad).

anyway, i screwed a nut back on the threaded end so i wouldn't damage the threads, then put a 12mm deep socket on the gear end. using a hammer, i "tapped" on the socket which pushed the parts off the shaft. this bent the heck out of that sheet metal piece that holds the gears in place. fortunately, it didn't matter because i have extra internals from the benz. Once, i got the shafts apart, i cleaned them up and greased them. the shafts went into one of the mercedes units and everything was put back together. i finished it off by soldering a the bmw plug on the mercedes unit. viola!

[Japandrew73]

ok, i tore apart my headlight wiper motors this afternoon. there are only two differences between the mercedes part and the bmw: the benz has a 1" shorter inner shaft and about 1 3/8" shorter outer. also, the wiring plug is different. that is it. everything else internally is exactly the same. i don't have my camera handy because my girlfriend took it with her to work, but when i get it back i will post some photos.

one of my bmw wiper assemblies had a broken housing and had gotten water inside so thus the little d/c motor was seized with rust. my coaxial shafts were also seized with corrosion. (see andrew's thread above on how to clean it up). you can take the shafts out of the plastic housing by unscrewing the three nuts off the outer coaxial shaft. the shaft assembly will slide out back side with the gear cluster. my shaft assembly was stuck together so tightly, i had two options of getting it apart. either apply torch heat or pound the dog f%*& out of it. i ended up beating it off. (that sounds bad).

anyway, i screwed a nut back on the threaded end so i wouldn't damage the threads, then put a 12mm deep socket on the gear end. using a hammer, i "tapped" on the socket which pushed the parts off the shaft. this bent the heck out of that sheet metal piece that holds the gears in place. fortunately, it didn't matter because i have extra internals from the benz. Once, i got the shafts apart, i cleaned them up and greased them. the shafts went into one of the mercedes units and everything was put back together. i finished it off by soldering a the bmw plug on the mercedes unit. viola!

Very cool! Congrats on the confirmation of an alternative. Nice discovery:D

[yoyon]

dear andrew,
can you update the pictures? because is deleted from photobocket
thanks

[RobertB]

Any update... ;)

[wheelie]

I have a question
Container Nr. 20 p/n is missing:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...53&hg=61&fg=45


could it be and will it fit # 61671381709 ?
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...61&fg=45&hl=31
according to etk this p/n is for 325iX 2d/4d/touring and 324d, though

there is also p/n 61671385254 (324td) which is NLA
http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...61&fg=45&hl=32

[wheelie]

Partly, i 've got it...
The answer can be found in the Owner's Manual, page 65-70

http://e30-talk.com/Betriebsanleitung-E30.pdf

Each model (318i-325i, 325iX, 324td, 324d) have their own intensive cleaner/headlight and windscreen washer fluid reservoir placement (and shape) in the engine compartment.

The container # 20 i guess is Intensive cleaning reservoir for 325iX and 324d.

[davericher20]

damn, can you update the pics? I need to restore my system soon.

[euro3]

damn, can you update the pics? I need to restore my system soon.

+1

Anyone have the pictures saved?

[EDREIZIG]

HCS pics...

I'm also after the pics. Anyone has them saved?

I just got the kit and will be attempting the install soon...

Cheers,