Ford windshield washer fluid freezes up

Ok, it was 15 degrees F tonight, but while flying down a dark unlit highway, I felt a need to clear my windshield which was covered in salty road spatter, could not see well. I hit the windshield washer button, and the wipers wiped, but no fluid came out. The fluid in the jug is the fluid that came with the car when brand new from Ford. You think Ford would have put in some decent fluid! I guess the dealer puts in the fluid... cheap bastards, they must have put in some cheap stuff mixed with a lot of water. So, my wipers then smeared the dirt across the windshield resulting in a condition that was quite dangerous... could hardly see at all. I know better than to attempt to use the windshield squirters when on the highway (I usually do it only when at a red light), but I figured, heck, the car is just about brand new, everything should work, and I had another half-hour on the highway with really no where to pull off, so I put my faith in my new Ford and hit the squirter button. I finally had to pull off the highway and wash the windshield with some snow. I could see that ice had formed over the squirter nozzles. Tomorrow I need to siphon out whatever crap is in the washer jug and put in some good Prestone winter washer fluid and flush it through the system. On a related note, my sister took her Subaru into the dealer for some service recently. I normally do all the work on her car, and the last time I had it, I had filled her windshield washer jug with 100% good winter Prestone stuff. She never had a problem. Anyhow, the dealer gives her the car back and says "as a favor, we topped off all your fluids". An hour later, she is on the road at night in the salt and slush, and the squirters freeze up and are useless... the damn dealer must have dumped WATER in the reservoir! Gee whiz, man. Well, my tip of the day... go fill up your windshield washer jug with 100% good Prestone winter de-icer washer fluid, and keep it topped off at all times so that your dealer or anyone else cannot add any water or el-cheapo washer fluid to the jug. You will be happy you did so when you really need those squirters to work! Another tip... use 100% Prestone winter de-icer fluid all year round, because if you throw some water in during the summer, there's a good chance you'll forget about it and never use it all, then the winter comes and your washers are dead. It's worth the extra $4 per year or whatever to keep yourself from potentially getting onto a very dangerous situation. If you lose your vision for even three seconds, you could hit something like a tree or a person.

Reply to
GT-Vert-03
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Yep, blame the dealer. And you're right, they probably watered it down.

Thanks for the reminder. Some people tend to forget about stuff like this until they need it, and by then it could be too late.

Reply to
Garth Almgren

You poor, poor soul.

Dana (it's "only" 45F here and misted lightly today)

Reply to
Dana Myers

Um, it may not be frozen fluid provided the jug is still located under the fender where the condition of fluid cannot be seen. Often, when I kept my mustang outside, the fluid would just evaporate in the system and the whole thing would need to reprime itself. I'd hit the button and there would be nothing. Continual attempts eventually got fluid out. It would generally work fine from that point forward.

But consider yourself lucky. The second or third day I had my mustang after buying it new I had to drive in the snow. The wipers started to malfuction....

Reply to
Brent P

OK.... so you had ice built up over the washer nozzles.... how is that the dealers fault? It certainly wasn't the dealer that was too lazy to clean off your hood. You have just found out that the washer pump just isn't very powerful (nor does it need to be) and it doesn't take much to plug off the jets.

Of course it always looks better if we can blame someone else.....

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

Put a bit of rubbing alcohol in it.... helps it clean better, and helps prevent freezing

Reply to
SVTKate (mobile)

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Yes, that should definitely help lower the freezing point. I believe the good Prestone de-icer washer fluid does have alcohol in it, so ultimately, it's probably best just to use that stuff. I've found it to work very well in almost all conditions.

Reply to
GT-Vert-03

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The jug was full, and there was fluid present at the nozzles. I'll bet that the fluid in the jug did not freeze, but the nozzles near the windshield did freeze up. When I first hit the button, a little fluid pissed out, shot up maybe two inches, then that was it. I had hit the button quite a few more times in desperation since I could barely see where the heck I was going, but no more fluid came out. The nozzles became encrusted in ice. This is merely due too washer fluid that did not have a low freezing point.... probably 50% cheap fluid and 50% water which is what a lot of people throw in during the summer.... this type of mixture will probably barely make it to 30 degrees F before freezing. The irony is, when you look at your Ford manual, they make a big deal about using all the special Ford approved fluids in the car... ok, fine. But yet in the washer jug, the dealer must have thrown in some water with just a touch of blue-stuff in it, causing instant freeze-up. I need to hope that the washer pump and system did not get damaged. If so, the dealer WILL fix it because it's their fault. Does it make any sense at all to EVER put ANY fluid that would freeze as high as say 30 degrees F into an automobile??? (Maybe if you live in Florida, but I'm in the north-east and my car originated from this region.) Well, as long as the system is not damaged, I guess it's just a minor thing, I'll siphon out the shit and put in some good fluid (I'm lucky that I have a garage that stays above 35 degrees F so I will be able to work on it... today it's about 10 F outside.) I'm sure if the car sat outside all day parked, the washer jug would freeze and split. I think I am justified in saying that the dealer did a negligent thing by putting in fluid that would freeze so easily. But then again, I usually do not expect anything better from the dealer. Nobody on the planet will ever treat YOUR car like you would. I think that is a universal law that has yet to be proven otherwise in the history of the earth.

Reply to
GT-Vert-03

The dealer put in sub-grade washer fluid (probably water) that did not have an adequate freeze point.

Reply to
GT-Vert-03

dangerous yeah.. They might have put the correct stuff in, but it only requires a small piece to freez in the line and it's blocked.

Thank god I don't have that problem here... 75 high today... ah, gotta love AZ. Don't you feel bad driving the new car in the salt crap ?

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Reply to
Rein

Been more than once I've had washers freeze off.... no big thing, it's all part of winter driving where I live. The washer pump is a very low pressure pump....

You have absolutely no proof of any wrongdoing by any parties, so what gives? Seems modern society is hell bent on finding scapegoats for all their ills.....

Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net

Reply to
Jim Warman

Heh. I took a set of tires, V-rated Yokohama sport tires, to Costco to mount on my Mazda Miata. They wouldn't do it. They wouldn't mount them because the V-rated tires are downgrade from the OEM W-rated tires that came on that particular model (Special Edition - though the exact same engine and drivetrain is in every Miata, including base models).

The reason they wouldn't do it? Someone once had tires mounted on their SUV at Costco, then crashed later on due to tire failure. They named Costco as a defendant because Costco had mounted 118MPH tires on an SUV when the stock tires were 130MPH tires. Costco had downgraded the tires.

I know speed-rating isn't about speed, it's about tread stability and heat dissipation. But, someone help me understand why a 150MPH tire isn't way more than adequate on a Mazda Miata? OK OK My Miata is probably into mid-high 14-second quarter miles, but that didn't matter...

Dana

Reply to
Dana Myers

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You're correct about modern society looking for skapegoats, but in my case, I am just commenting about a new car with a flaw. The flaw is that the windshield washers did not work in the cold weather, a time when they are most needed. I have no proof of exactly WHO put in the bad washer fluid that allowed the system to freeze up, but it was someone at Ford or the Ford dealer... unless of course some hooligans broke into the dealer's lot one night and added some straight water to the washer jug as a prank. I just siphoned out the washer fluid that came with the car from Ford... it was of blue-ish color... I put it in a coffee can and left it outside... after an hour it was frozen nearly solid, a hint of slushiness, but solid enough that I could turn the open coffee can upside down and nothing came out... was pretty much solid through and through. I refilled the jug in the car with that Prestone yellow de-icer washer fluid which is supposedly good to -34 degrees F. I do feel that a wrongdoing was ultimately done here, if you wanna get technical... someone put fluid into the washer jug that had too high a freezing point. Or would one say it is MY fault for not checking the freeze point of the fluid in my brand new car before going out on a cold night??? This is not the type of thing one thinks about after buying a brand spankin' new car. With all the modern technology these new cars have, full computer control, variable valve timing, "smart" transmissions, etc, the LEAST they can do is get the windshield washers to WORK... all it takes is some fluid with a low freezing point, simple enough. Ford should specify a washer fluid that is essentially the same as that mega-duty Prestone stuff... and maybe they do... but if so, it wasn't in my car when I got it. What if someone had put antifreeze coolant into the radiator of too high a freeze point and THAT froze? Would this not be the fault of someone? Finally, this windshield washer business is a MINOR issue and I have already typed way too much about it here (sorry!). However, I feel it IS an issue that people should be aware of, and be prepared to deal with. From now on, any car I ever get my hands on, new or used, one thing I will do is flush and refill the washer system with good low-freeze-point washer fluid. In this way I will avoid having to pull over to the side of the highway at

3:00am in 15 degrees F to wash my windshield by hand with snow... probably not the most pleasant and/or safe thing to need to do.
Reply to
GT-Vert-03

Personally, I think someone should be smacked upside the head for making a complaint that thw washer fluid froze in 15 degree weather. Snag a clue already...

Reply to
WindsorFox[SS]

GT-Vert-03 wrote: I do feel that a wrongdoing was ultimately done here, if you

I think you should be barred from owning a car period....

Reply to
WindsorFox[SS]

I feel for ya. My mom's new Chebby Tracker's washer fluid tank was full of nothing but water. Going across the mountain after dropping my brother off at Job Corps she hit the button and nothing came out. Boy, was she p.o'd!! Took it to the dealer and asked what the deal was and the salesman that sold her the car personally made sure correct stuff was put in-free of charge-and wrote up the service department for not making sure everything was right.

I finally ran out of fluid in my car. Didn't realize I'd used that much since getting it.

Reply to
Greg B.

So this is where ford guy's like you hang out when your not in Dodge land? Dodgem!

How come you not > Been more than once I've had washers freeze off.... no big thing, it's all

Reply to
Ford Hemi's??

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Reply to
Rein

Yo.... is that Barry I see lurking in there????

I stumbled across this group back when I was thinking of my third Mustang...... Since the new scooter, I may have to put a lid on the idea but momma's tossing around the desire for a ragtop. mechanic Jr. is likely going to get the Exploder when he gets his steering papers.

As for JetBoy....... I can't say that I'd belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member. You should know me and rules by now....

Jim

Reply to
Jim Warman

A convertible top up there? when would you use it! You and momma must be plenty hardy! Barry A. Lee

Me I'm a w> Yo.... is that Barry I see lurking in there????

Reply to
ClassicMopar!

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