Table of contents: Constant control ↓ Adjusting the water jet ↓ Water nozzles with electric heating ↓ Troubleshooting ↓
Constant control
Exhaust gas residues, oil vapors and silicone from varnish care products stubbornly settle on the glass. Therefore, in the warm season, it is recommended to add a cleaning agent to the water for washing the glass; in winter, antifreeze with the addition of detergent is suitable.
1. The fluid filler pipe is located in all models on the left side of the engine compartment on the side wall, but the tanks themselves have different shapes and sizes depending on the engine and equipment.
2. In cars without a headlight washer system, the windshield washer fluid reservoir has a capacity of about 3.5 liters.
3. In cars with a headlight washer system, a tank with a capacity of about 6.5 liters is installed.
4. In cars with a turbo engine and a windshield washer system, a two-part tank is installed to save space. One tank is located - as in all models - under the wing, hidden in the wheel well. The second tank is located exactly opposite inside in the engine compartment.
5. First pour in the additive and then water to ensure that the liquids in the tank are well mixed.
6. In a car without heated water sprayers (available in the "winter package"), the sprayers may freeze in severe frost.
7. For prevention, it is recommended to use a higher concentration of antifreeze. Mixing denatured alcohol with antifreeze can lead to the formation of flakes and clogging of the spray nozzles.
8. To prevent the windshield washer fluid from clogging the spray nozzles, it is recommended to install a commercially available gasoline filter in the fluid supply hose.
Tips: You should not fill your windshield washer water from the water bottles often kept at the ready at petrol stations, as they often contain oil and grease residues that will then end up on your windshield and create an interfering lubricating film in the wiper blades' field of action when it rains.
If the field of view on the windshield remains cloudy despite adding detergents to the water, then the old familiar brass cleaning product "Sidol" will help (but not "Sidol Spezial"). It is applied with a cloth and left to dry, and then the white dust is wiped off with a clean cloth. This method reliably removes residues of oil, varnish care products and other substances.
Adjusting the water jet
When the windscreen washer system is activated, four jets of water are sprayed onto the windscreen of the Audi A4. The adjustment is carried out as follows:
1. Insert the needle into the hole of the spray nozzle.
2. The nozzle hole itself is placed in a ball, which is rotated with the help of a needle.
3. Turn the nozzle until the water jets hit the windshield as shown in the figure.
Water nozzles with electric heating
Despite the addition of antifreeze, windshield washer fluid can freeze in the front spray nozzles due to the oncoming wind. The nozzle heating device included in the "winter package" helps against this.
Directly in front of the nozzles is a metal housing with a temperature-dependent heating resistor. When the ignition is switched on (terminal X), voltage is supplied to this resistor. The nozzles quickly defrost in frost due to the initial high current (0.5–0.7 A). To maintain the temperature, the current after the warm-up phase drops to approximately 200 mA. If the air temperature drops below –15°C, the temperature maintenance current increases to 320 mA.
Troubleshooting
If the water nozzle heating does not function, check the following components:
1. Open the hood and disconnect the nozzle connector.
2. With the ignition on, use a voltage indicator to check if there is voltage or if the ground connection is OK.
3. If not, find the break in the wire.
4. If the voltage supply is OK, then the nozzle needs to be replaced.