Tip to lower your washer fluid freeze point

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Sun Nov 15, 2009 9:39 pm

Today I realized that I had summer (bug and sap) washer fluid in my truck, so I added a bottle of “HEET” to lower the freeze point. It’s a cheap way to make sure that your fluid is ready for the winter. Plus, one bottle of "HEET" can really cut through the frost/sleet/snow/ice.

Wasatch15 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:52 am **Posts:** 242

Sounds good but does it cause any problems with the windshield seal? The transit company I work for was using a windshield wash with a high concentrate of alcohol one winter, it was eating up pumps and the windshield seals. :shock:

LibertyGuy · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 7:14 pm

If it eats up your seals and pumps I can imagine what it would do to your paint if it splattered on your hood. Why bother adding anything to your washer fluid? Aren't most fluids -25 or -35 degrees winter ready anyway?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:20 pm

LibertyGuy wrote:

If it eats up your seals and pumps I can imagine what it would do to your paint if it splattered on your hood. Why bother adding anything to your washer fluid? Aren't most fluids -25 or -35 degrees winter ready anyway?

Yes, most universal fluids are rated for -15, -25, or -35. However, there are a few summer washer fluids that don't have the alcohol added, instead they have bug and sap solvent that's not rated for winter use.

yakers · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:25 pm

Those 'summer' mixes are about all that is available in Southern California unless you really seek out a 'winter' mix.

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:25 pm

Wasatch15 wrote:

Sounds good but does it cause any problems with the windshield seal? The transit company I work for was using a windshield wash with a high concentrate of alcohol one winter, it was eating up pumps and the windshield seals. :shock:

HEET contains methanol, which is what most washer fluid is made from. As a matter of fact, some people use -25 washer fluid as their water/meth injection setup in diesel trucks because it's made up of 50% water and 50% methanol.

valvestem · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 222

Good idea to make a homegrown washer fluid for winter, HEET, tap water, and maybe a little liquid soap. Not good for the wax job, but a clear windshield takes precedence IMO.

Boiler · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:45 am

I'll stick to my low temp rainex winshield washer fluid year round. A gallon seems to last me forever. I think I added fluid once this whole year and I wasn't even dry then.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:01 pm

With all the slush on the roads in my area I go through a gallon of washer fluid each winter. I've never really had a problem with freezing fluid. Be careful at the quick lube shops because some might just use water to top off your fluid. [past experience]

Boiler · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:50 pm

sleeve84028 wrote:

With all the slush on the roads in my area I go through a gallon of washer fluid each winter. I've never really had a problem with freezing fluid. Be careful at the quick lube shops because some might just use water to top off your fluid. [past experience]

I guess I'll chug through some this winter for sure. I got my jeep at the end of the winter last year. I did face some freezing windshield though, but not as bad as some people. We had about 8" of snow one night, and when I merrily went to work at 6 am the other people that ventured out were pulling over just about everywhere to scrape their windshields. One guy did it on an overpass bridge and I thought that was about the dumbest thing I saw that day. Well except for a prius stuck at a stoplight up to its door in snow.

Blue KJ in PA · **Posted:** Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:03 pm

You could also toss in a little vinegar rather than the HEET and have the same freezing pt depression without the paint issues...although your truck will smell like saurkraut

valvestem · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 222

sleeve84028 wrote:

With all the slush on the roads in my area I go through a gallon of washer fluid each winter. I've never really had a problem with freezing fluid. Be careful at the quick lube shops because some might just use water to top off your fluid. [past experience]

Yep, my wife had her Subie serviced at dealer one time, and they top off all the fluids as an SOP. The washer fluid was frozen in the lines by the time we got home.

rhinocharg · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2010 5:06 pm

Good information. I just had a problem with this on Saturday going over Donner Summit. They sand the roads up there and the washer fluid kept freezing, not a safe condition and man was I throwing out the Fbombs. Good thing the wife wasn't with me.

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:43 pm

on the topic of rain-x bug stuff, the orange kind

i hate that stuff, i'll never use it ever ever again

stuff was streaking my windshield bad

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:58 pm

My bottle has a hole I can't seem to fix. I've been without washers for two winters. Luckily, I have a black belt in driving and sentence fragments.

Neatus · **Posted:** Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:57 am

Freezing? What is that?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:23 am

Neatus wrote:

Freezing? What is that?

Freezing is something that you might experience when you drive up to Flagstaff in January. :mrgreen:

stoutdog · **Posted:** Wed Jan 27, 2010 1:48 am

dieselenthusiast wrote:

Neatus wrote:

Freezing? What is that?

Freezing is something that you might experience when you drive up to Flagstaff in January. :mrgreen:

x2 I'm up there every other week. COLD! :SOMBRERO:

There's nothing like going kayaking in January....

oldMountainMan · **Posted:** Mon Feb 08, 2010 4:45 pm

Wasatch15 wrote:

Sounds good but does it cause any problems with the windshield seal? The transit company I work for was using a windshield wash with a high concentrate of alcohol one winter, it was eating up pumps and the windshield seals. :shock:

It shouldn't be a problem. Heet is mostly methanol. Winter washer fluid is methanol and water.

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:58 am

i had been running the 0 degree fluid, had it freeze three times so as soon as it warmed up and thawed i used it up and replaced it with the -25 stuff

Tip to lower your washer fluid freeze point

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