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Chrome Windshield Nozzles

In the category of "normally unnoticed" are the nozzles that spray windshield washer fluid. On the Tacoma, as on many vehicles, the nozzle is simply a pair of black warts on the hood.

I decided to look for something that would give the nozzles more of a chrome look. I thought I might find covers that easily attach with 3M tape. What I did find were replacement nozzles from an eBay Seller. The cost for the pair was only $9.98.

Removing the existing nozzles was a challenge to figure out but easy to do. There are two wings on the underside of each nozzle that need to be pressed in just slightly to rock the original nozzles out of the factory holes. The way they are positioned, it's just a little difficult for a guy with fat fingers to get at them. I solved the problem with a bent coat hanger to pull on the wing on the backside of the nozzle first.

The new nozzles fit in the factory holes with no modification. Simply screw them in using the supplied hardware and reattach the fluid tubes.

I used Thomas&Betts (http://www.thomasbetts.com) Mounting Base to thread the wires and hold them in place. Since I wanted the lights to work in tandem, I converged the wires from both into one pair to feed all the way to the engine compartment.

At the point where the wires need to drop down from the hood to the engine compartment, I used Split Flex Tubing marketed by Ideal Industries, Inc. (http://www.idealindustries.com). A short length was left over from my Headache Rack project and fit into place perfectly (shown left).

I attached the black wire to an engine compartment bracket. The red wire was threaded up through a small existing hole in the fuse box. The wire was then routed to the Headlight Relay. I simply removed the relay and mated the stripped end of the wire to the switched pin of the relay. The switched pin is the one closest to the front of the truck. (Leftmost position in the image at left).

Connected in this way, the LED lights on the Windshield Wiper Fluid Sprayers come on whenever the headlights are switched on.

The new Windshield Wiper Fluid Sprayers look much nicer than the original black plastic versions. When illuminated, they look even better. They are small and unobtrusive, but help add a smart, stylish look to the vehicle.

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