C5 MK II Headlamp Washer Ram

[estateFan]

My jet ram is getting stuck and not retracting.
Do you know if I need to remove the bumper to get at it ? And possibly, what mechanism it uses to pull back in.
I'm hoping that after replacing the rear suspension bearings and doing the timing belt myself, sorting the washer won't be a deal breaker.
Regards
Tom

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi Tom

IIRC the Rams on these are held back by quite strong springs, so they retract after the force of the water pressure forces the ram out. If yours is not working, I suspect the spring has rusted or come off.

These are usually bumper off to get proper access - unless you can get in underneath with the under engine shield protection off or through the wheel arch possibly.

[Paul-R]

If the MkII is the same as the MkI then strictly speaking it's bumper off. But first you have to remove the caps on the end of the washer nozzles.

With two people it's possible to catch the nozzle when it's extended (assuming it will extend) and gently prize the cap off each one in turn. Be warned there's a great likelihood that the tiny clips on the caps will not survive the process and you'll end up either having to buy replacements or, as I did, just leave them off.

Once the caps are off then follow the normal bumper removal process. I believe the MkII is different to the MkI so I can't help with that.

[estateFan]

Thank you for your advice. I replaced all the engine tray bolts with larger stainless fittings so removing it is an easy job now. Will attempt access from underneath.