Better washer fluid will solve the problem, Dave, because there's really no other way for water to get in there. If it doesn't freeze, then you can try lower concentrations. Buy a bottle of that and try it at a stronger concentration than even they recommend-that is, add less water than they suggest-just to test the theory. TOM: The best washer antifreeze you can get is the concentrated stuff they sell at auto parts stores. To warn the guests at your next cocktail party that it's NOT water, in case you forget. RAY: And that's why the stuff is blue, by the way. Apart from the above-mentioned measures, you can now install a windshield washer fluid heater and prevent wiper fluid freeze. 3) Install a windshield washer fluid heater. The engine block heater is ideal for use if your car is parked for a long period of time. Come back 12 hours later, and I bet you'll find thin, little ice cubes. A good example of these compartments fluid is the windshield washer fluid. Put a very thin layer of this stuff in the bottom of an ice cube tray and put it in your freezer. But when a thin stream of this washer fluid sits overnight in the rubber tube that feeds the washer, it freezes and plugs it up. TOM: It doesn't freeze in the reservoir bottle til 25? below, because there's too much of it there (for the same reason a lake doesn't freeze as quickly as a puddle on your driveway). The fact that it was $1.99 for a case of six should have been a dead giveaway, Dave. RAY: The reason the stuff is freezing is because the washer fluid you're buying IS cheap junk. TOM: Well, of all the questions you asked, David, the only one we feel confident in answering is "why is the stuff blue." But we'll get to that in a minute. Is water getting in the system from some other path? Is the washer fluid I buy a rip off? Does the water I use in the summer somehow hide out, and then jump back into the hose when it gets cold? Why am I too cheap to take it to a dealer? Thanks for any insight. At first I thought some precipitation had frozen just in the nozzle, but when I disconnected the hose from the nozzle, nothing comes out of the hose either. BUT, then a good freeze comes-say, a couple of days in the low twenties-and the washer won't work again until a thaw. In October, I switch from water to "guaranteed to 25? below" washer fluid, so that by the time we have hard freezes, I have gone through two full tanks of this blue stuff (why is it always blue, anyway?). The Di-Icer has a much higher ratio of anti-freezing agents, methanol, and glycol.This may seem trivial, but it really frosts my gizzard: My windshield washers don't work in sub-freezing weather. This fluid will protect from freezing but will also clear windshield ice much quicker than regular all-weather fluid. Winter Di-Icer fluid is designed for extremely cold weather conditions. It cleans to a streak-free finish with -25☏ (-31☌) anti-freezing protection. This fluid won’t have an anti-freezing agent.Īll-weather fluid is exactly what you expect, a fluid that does it all, you can use this stuff winter and summer. The fluid is basically a much stronger formula. It may also have a lubricant added to prevent wiper blade skipping and help water runoff.īug remover fluid, as you can guess, is a fluid that specializes in clearing bugs from the windshield during the summer months. Summer washer fluid won’t have an anti-freezing agent added, instead a good quality summer fluid will have a cleaning agent and an anti smear agent, not unlike dishwasher finisher. Many fluids will also have a pleasant fragrant added mostly for your pleasure. In addition, washer fluid is offered as a concentrate (Typically mixed at 200 to 1) or as a pre-mixed solution that you put straight into the reservoir. The most common types of washer fluid are: However not all washer fluid is anti-freezing, so make sure it states it clearly. That’s why special anti-freezing washer fluids were developed. Add a low sun to the mix and your driving blind, spraying more water makes things worse. The water turns to ice pretty much instantly and the wipers can’t shift it. This as you can imagine is dangerous, especially at highway speeds. But even if it doesn’t, using your washer on the windshield in freezing conditions will cause it to ice over. If you live in a cold climate you’ll already know just plain water in the windshield washer can freeze.
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