Frozen windshield washer help

[baroth1]

It seems that everytime it drops below freezing, I don't get anything to spray from my windshield wipers. I use straight wiper fluid, not diluted and it's still the same thing year after year... Of course I don't think about it until I'm driving down the road and the spray from the guy (or gal) in front of me is hitting my windshield.

 

Is this something common to my truck, or is there something simple I am missing here?

 

The truck is a 2002 Silverado Z71 half ton.

 

Thanks,

 

Brent

[foghorn23]

I'm not sure if you're using the blue stuff or not, but if so, make sure you don't have the summertime formula. It's only good down to 20 degrees. You might want to try the Prestone or Rain-X brand; I think both are available @ Wallyworld. I assume there's nothing wrong w/the pump system since it works above freezing? Good luck.

 

vroten

[jjrobo]

Make sure you are using winter formula and not summer. Or maybe you have a lot of the old summer formula in the tank.

[burgundyz71]

If it's frozen now and you don't have a garage you can dump some dry gas in and thaw it out. Thats what the local garage does.

[pwall]

Check the container that the windshield washer fluid came in.

If it is truly a 'winter mix', it will have the temperature that it's good for on the label.

No temperature listing, then it isn't for winter.

 

Colour of the fluid doesn't really matter, at least up North. I've see blue, green and red. Most are good for -40, some -45.

 

I put regular washer fluid in both my truck & car last winter (not realizing it wasn't winter fluid). First cold snap, it froze solid. Had to park underground at work for the day to get it to thaw and then syphon it out.

[mrsilv04]

Another thing is to keep the jug of WW fluid tightly sealed after opening it. Once the alcohol evaporates, it freezes easily.

[mmmikkke]

Actually what's happened is you got a heavy wet snow that layed on your wipers, and since it was half melted as it came down, some of it backwashed into the passages on your spray nozzles while they layed there in the snow. As it backwashed in, it displaced the full strength washer solution with very diluted mix of washer solution and meltwater. Then after the storm passed, it got colder then hell, as usual, and the melt-water that had seeped an inch or so into the spray nozzles on the wiper arms froze.

 

Two things can fix this:

 

1. Get out there right when the temperature starts dropping and clear your windshield and run your washers, or, if it's too late for that,

 

2. Try holding your hand or fingers on the place on the spray nozzles where the water comes out, and sometimes your hand has enough heat in it to melt the mostly-diluted washer solution. If not you could try some other means of warming it up but be careful not to shock your windshield with too-hot of water in one spot, or you'll shatter it.

 

In both cases, you just have to get out the part of the solution that has been diluted by the heavy wet snow. Dry snow does not cause this problem.

[TA462]

I use to have that problem on a 94 Cavalier, every time the temperature dropped the washer fluid stopped spraying. I use to just buy the cheap fluid and was told that was my problem. I switched to Rain-X washer fluid and will never use anything else ever again. Once you use Rain-X once you will never buy anything else ever again. Most of the road crap that sprays on your windsheild just simply beads up on blows off so in reality your only using half the amount of washer fluid then if you used the cheap stuff. Try it, you will be happy you did.

[drumset5994]

I use to have that problem on a 94 Cavalier, every time the temperature dropped the washer fluid stopped spraying. I use to just buy the cheap fluid and was told that was my problem. I switched to Rain-X washer fluid and will never use anything else ever again. Once you use Rain-X once you will never buy anything else ever again. Most of the road crap that sprays on your windsheild just simply beads up on blows off so in reality your only using half the amount of washer fluid then if you used the cheap stuff. Try it, you will be happy you did.

I can attest to this. I use the stuff with Rain-X in it, i think maybe Prestone? I used it one winter because i was trying to see if they made a product that eliminates road spray. IT WORKS!! I pay the extra $2.50 or whatever it is to get the stuff...and it honest to God works!!

[baroth1]

Just an update on this issue.

I found the fluid in the resevoir was actually frozen. I poured boiling water into the resevoir and pumped it back out with a small transfer pump, then filled it again and squirted it through the entire system. Once the tank was empty, I filled it with the rainx brand ww fluid (good to -25 degrees), squirted that entire tankful through the system to get rid of any residual water. Refilled the tank with the rainx and it worked fine for 2 days. The temp dropped to single digits on the second day and it quit again. It looks like the lower portion of the tank is frozen again. It really stinks having to carry a sqeeze bottle of ww fluid in the cab, just in case...

 

I've been driving for over 26 years and can't remember having this issue with any other vehicle.

 

Thanks for the previous advice, any new insight?

-BAR

[pwall]

Reading thru your post, I'm not sure if you emptied it completely.

Thaw it out again but syphon all the contents. Then re-fill with the stuff with the lowest temperature rating.

Up north, the stuff we use is good for -45C (which is -49F). ;)

[z85violator]

i'm wondering if your washer fluid pump has water in it? when it gets cold the pump freezes?

[95Sierra2500]

This shouldn't be a problem in Ohio. It's been below zero up here the last few days and my washer fluid still works fine (rated to a measly -25F). Sounds like something else is going on in your system.

[baroth1]

Reading thru your post, I'm not sure if you emptied it completely.

Thaw it out again but syphon all the contents. Then re-fill with the stuff with the lowest temperature rating.

Up north, the stuff we use is good for -45C (which is -49F). ;)

 

You may have a point there, I do not know how deep into the tank the pump draws from. Tell me though, where do you get this fluid that's good down to -45 degrees? No where I have looked has anything like that.

 

Thanks,

BAR

[pwall]

If your truck is like mine (and I'm sure it is), the container in the truck will hold the entire 4 litres. So it's possible you got a bad batch of washer fluid. So it would be best to get it all out and replace with known good stuff.

You'll know if the stuff you're putting in is good if it isn't frozen sitting in the garage.

 

Regarding the -45, maybe it's not available where you are. Here up north (Canada), it's the most common winter washer fluid.