Engine antifreeze in the washer bottle?
Discussion
So the wife comes home from Tescos with some shopping. As I unload the car, she decides to pop the bonnet, and fill her washer bottle with the fluid she's just bought. Hands me a bottle for me to do my car. I take a look and see that it is engine anti-freeze not washer fluid. She's put two bottles into her washer bottle.
Any ill effects on the washer bottle? Should I be draining the system now? Can it wait till next week? Do I even need to worry? (I always thought engine anti-freez was a bit like brake fluid in that it would strip paint - is this right?)
And the wife has two degrees - one from Cambridge and one from Oxford.
Any ill effects on the washer bottle? Should I be draining the system now? Can it wait till next week? Do I even need to worry? (I always thought engine anti-freez was a bit like brake fluid in that it would strip paint - is this right?)
And the wife has two degrees - one from Cambridge and one from Oxford.
...
There was a thread on doing this deliberately yesterday - I seem to recall it was concluded this was a bad idea due to it being greasy (not good for seeing through the screen as it will smear) and also bad for paint.
I would advise you to get as much out of the system as possible however is easiest. (You could pump a jet of water into the bottle so it overflows and pushes the existing contents out. You could syphon it. You could run your jets with a rag covering the jets to catch the spray, but take care not to burn out the motor.)
Also, teach your wife to read bottles.
I would advise you to get as much out of the system as possible however is easiest. (You could pump a jet of water into the bottle so it overflows and pushes the existing contents out. You could syphon it. You could run your jets with a rag covering the jets to catch the spray, but take care not to burn out the motor.)
Also, teach your wife to read bottles.
aw51 121565 said:
Antifreeze will strip paint, yes.
If worried about washer jets etc freezing, add some meths to the bottle as well as using a good concentration of washer concentrate.
Possibly a better idea is to buy screenwash concentrate and then make it up slightly 'neater' than the bottle reccomends for normal temps.If worried about washer jets etc freezing, add some meths to the bottle as well as using a good concentration of washer concentrate.
t.mrmr96 said:
aw51 121565 said:
Antifreeze will strip paint, yes.
If worried about washer jets etc freezing, add some meths to the bottle as well as using a good concentration of washer concentrate.
Possibly a better idea is to buy screenwash concentrate and then make it up slightly 'neater' than the bottle reccomends for normal temps.If worried about washer jets etc freezing, add some meths to the bottle as well as using a good concentration of washer concentrate.
I'm on 50:50...
And it's still frozen...
Just buy a syphon (fuel type) about 2 to 4 quid. It won't have frozen, it's 'anti freeze'!
Plus, around here anyway, temps are rising currently 2-3 degrees above freezing (now all that foreign salt grit has been diverted - at huge cost [to us!!] from Germany). Irony!
Simply syphon out as much as poss, fill with warm water, re syphon and refill again to dilute using jets to empty what's left, pouring warm water over screen paintwork or wherever it's landing.
As for what is nowt more than a piece of paper, a degree, still one that's unobtainable.
One in common sense.
Plus, around here anyway, temps are rising currently 2-3 degrees above freezing (now all that foreign salt grit has been diverted - at huge cost [to us!!] from Germany). Irony!
Simply syphon out as much as poss, fill with warm water, re syphon and refill again to dilute using jets to empty what's left, pouring warm water over screen paintwork or wherever it's landing.
As for what is nowt more than a piece of paper, a degree, still one that's unobtainable.
One in common sense.
Maybe as punishment you could make her drink it? I assume she has decent life insurance? 
DON'T POOR IT DOWN THE DRAIN. It's poisonous. Put it in something and either take it you your local dump or try and find a friendly garage that will let you put in theirs to be recycled/disposed of safely. Maybe time it so you are having the MOT done by them at the same time
DON'T POOR IT DOWN THE DRAIN. It's poisonous. Put it in something and either take it you your local dump or try and find a friendly garage that will let you put in theirs to be recycled/disposed of safely. Maybe time it so you are having the MOT done by them at the same time
Alternative idea for preventing freezing of washer bottle..
Depending on the value of the resistor it will either get luke warm or hot. I have one in my van but cannot remember what the value is. Can anyone suggest a suitable resistance value for 12v supply?
The cost of this resistor is about £2.50 so 'all in' is going to be about £5 and you will never have a frozen washer bottle again.
Another alternative is to buy some heater pipe and extend it around the bottle. Dependent entirely on the vehcile type and suitability, but the pipe is a lot more expensive than a wire-wound resistor. Don't know why vehicle manufacturers' have not thought of this before
- Buy a 10watt resistor from RS Components. Solder two wires onto it, and drop it in your washer bottle with the wires leaving through a tight hole in the cap.
- Ground one end with a ring spade to the chasis or body work.
- Connect the other end to either the rear-heated window relay/switch or just connect it to a fused switch somewhere inside the car.
Depending on the value of the resistor it will either get luke warm or hot. I have one in my van but cannot remember what the value is. Can anyone suggest a suitable resistance value for 12v supply?
The cost of this resistor is about £2.50 so 'all in' is going to be about £5 and you will never have a frozen washer bottle again.
Another alternative is to buy some heater pipe and extend it around the bottle. Dependent entirely on the vehcile type and suitability, but the pipe is a lot more expensive than a wire-wound resistor. Don't know why vehicle manufacturers' have not thought of this before
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff