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Washer nozzle color?


mvliotta

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In the process of unclogging one of my washer nozzles on my '72 tii. While they are out, wondering whether these should be the color of the body. They were resprayed Polaris on mine, which look fine, but....

What should the color of the nozzles be? I've seen black and metallic silver.

Vince

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'72 2002tii 'Liesl'

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I've seen clear and yellow zinc-plated originals (probably silver and yellow cadmium plating back in the '60's and '70's) and I've seen chrome-plated brass originals, but I can't say I've seen bare brass.  It's certainly possible -- there have been many different suppliers over the years and they remain available from BMW and others -- I just haven't seen them in what I viewed was an original context.

 

Painted nozzles are a tell-tale of re-paints that are....not of the highest caliber.

 

Regards,

 

Steven

Edited by Conserv

1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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5 minutes ago, '76Mintgrun'02 said:

brass

? I think they are copper.  Too soft for brass.  Brass would be too brittle also.  All you gotta do is blow hard on them and they bend.

A radiator shop is a good place to take a leak.

 

I have no idea what I'm doing but I know I'm really good at it.

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they seem too yellow to be pure copper...

brass is an alloy composed mainly of copper and the following quote I dug up states that adding more copper to the mix makes it soft.  Maybe we are both 'right'?

( I lifted the following from here- http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-copper-and-brass/ )

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Its bright, gold-like color makes it ideal for use as decorations. It is used to make doorknobs, locks, gears, ammunition, valves, plumbing, electrical, and musical instruments. Zippers are also made of brass.

It has been used since ancient times as mirrors and other decorations. It is malleable and can be cast and molded. Depending on the amount of zinc and copper used, the color of brass can range from yellow to yellow orange and brown. It can either be hard or soft depending on the proportion of zinc to copper.


 

 

     

 

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Original washer nozzles--at least all the ones I've seen that I know were original to the car--were copper.  Apparently the replacement ones that you now buy from BMW are plated--they look chrome to me but may be nickel or cad plate.  Regardless, they're silvery.

 

Those little rubber washers should be available at your local hardware store.  Bring an old one along; if they're not in the nut and bolt assortment, check the plumbing department.  Bet you'll find whatcha need.  

 

Same with the rubber washers under the windshield wiper pivot nuts.

 

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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8 hours ago, mike said:

Original washer nozzles--at least all the ones I've seen that I know were original to the car--were copper.  Apparently the replacement ones that you now buy from BMW are plated--they look chrome to me but may be nickel or cad plate.  Regardless, they're silvery.

 

Those little rubber washers should be available at your local hardware store.  Bring an old one along; if they're not in the nut and bolt assortment, check the plumbing department.  Bet you'll find whatcha need.  

 

Same with the rubber washers under the windshield wiper pivot nuts.

 

mike

 

My bad on early nozzles, Mike, but the original nozzles on my '76 -- the photo below from August '83 is the earliest I have showing one of my car's nozzles -- were plated, but oxidizing nicely by '83, at 7 years old.  As I mentioned above, I've seen a wide range of different finishes on these, suggesting many different suppliers/manufacturers over time.

 

As a reference point, the jogged end pieces of my '76's hood hold down bar were originally yellow cadmium or yellow zinc: the portions protected from exposure remained quite bright when I disassembled the bar last year for the re-paint (second photo).  By '83, these jogged end pieces were largely black, whereas the bar itself, which began life plated with silver cadmium or clear zinc, remained quite silver.  Thus, different plated finishes aged differently.  My '76's washer nozzles, with some plating but aging quite like the jogged end pieces were, I believe, originally plated like the jogged end pieces: yellow cadmium or yellow zinc.  My '76 was manufactured April 23, 1976, so it's a pretty late car.

 

Bear in mind, until I stumbled across not just one, but two replacements of the washer reservoir in my '76 -- both replacement before 1979 -- I did not recall any replacements of the reservoir.  So I won't dismiss some possibility of a post-factory replacement of nozzles; maybe someday I'll go through the receipts line by line and list out what was replaced...maybe not!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

image.jpeg

image.jpeg

Edited by Conserv

1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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Awesome Steve! Your post and pix answered two questions for me. The OP question regarding the nozzles, and the latch bar question I asked in another thread.

 

One more. Your VIN almost looks like it was taped over before painting. I've sanded the paint off mine so it's pretty clean looking. Should I put a piece of tape over it before it goes to paint?

1974 2002 Tii-SOLD

1978 911SC Coupe

1988 Landcruiser

2020 M2 CS

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Looks like the nozzles are soft brass.  The pic with the plating removed shows brass.  Mine are plated still and I prefer to leave the plating on even as frosty as it is.  Without plating or coating of some kind they will corrode soon, although a corrosion layer protects the base metal.  With no coating, a can of Brasso will be the norm in the tool box.

Bare aluminum is active and corrodes very fast but not noticed because aluminum oxide is the same color as the base metal.   Shiny copper pipes mean there is an acidic action active.

A radiator shop is a good place to take a leak.

 

I have no idea what I'm doing but I know I'm really good at it.

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