Author Topic: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out  (Read 3079 times)

michaelC

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Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« on: January 23, 2019, 11:02:19 PM »
Hello everyone!
I'm in abit of a pickle here.  My car isn't able to pump out any screen wash for either the front or back nozzles.
About 2mths ago, I had filled up the screen wash part with Autogylm "Ultimate screen wash" liquid.  And I specifically left it nearly undiluted so that it SHOULD be performing even at -45deg C as it says on the back.  I'm not sure what happened - fact is, nothing's ejecting out from the nozzles.
And there's no blockages on the nozzles, so I'm not sure where the problem is.
Does anyone have any similar experiences, or tips to suggest?

Many thanks!
Michael

smilertoo

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2019, 11:51:40 PM »
mine seems to freeze even though its supposed to be good to -5c, works ok once the car is warmed up.

michaelC

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2019, 12:41:39 AM »
mine seems to freeze even though its supposed to be good to -5c, works ok once the car is warmed up.
May I ask what brand of screen wash you used, and how diluted did you make it?
Unfortunately, even when the car got warmed up, the screen wash still failed to get pumped out.  :(

John A

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2019, 07:16:21 AM »
My washers failed once, transferred some fluid from the bottle in the garage into the cars bottle, and they worked again  ::)

culzean

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2019, 08:31:00 AM »
I get the -25degC stuff and leave it undiluted because I have a theory that if you leave it in for a while the anti-freeze part evaporates off ( it is usually methanol which is volatile ) - you can probably rejuvenate it by tipping  some methylated spirit into the washer bottle.   Even if the stuff stays liquid in the washer bottle it can often freeze in the nozzles which are exposed to airflow ( wind chill ).

whatever you do do not put radiator anti-freeze ( ethylene glycol ) in your washer bottle as it will destroy anything it comes into contact with.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2019, 08:35:46 AM by culzean »
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

richardfrost

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2019, 08:42:12 AM »
whatever you do do not put radiator anti-freeze ( ethylene glycol ) in your washer bottle as it will destroy anything it comes into contact with.
or do what I once did with a company Mondeo in the '90s. Which was to put screen wash fluid into the radiator!

123Drive!

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2019, 10:05:47 AM »
Any noise from the motor, Michael? If there is then most probably is the frozen screen wash. If no noise would be the motor. Get a hair dryer and blow warm air around the base of the washer bottle. Add undiluted screenwash and hopefully it will be ok.

smilertoo

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2019, 01:07:22 PM »
mine seems to freeze even though its supposed to be good to -5c, works ok once the car is warmed up.
May I ask what brand of screen wash you used, and how diluted did you make it?
Unfortunately, even when the car got warmed up, the screen wash still failed to get pumped out.  :(

Container of premixed stuff from Aldi, dirt cheap but does the job.

Jocko

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2019, 01:14:22 PM »
Container of premixed stuff from Aldi, dirt cheap but does the job.
Not if it freezes with a relatively minor frost!

smilertoo

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2019, 03:24:31 PM »
About the only time i ever 'wash' windows is on or just coming off the motorway, by which time engine is hot. I suppose i could pay extra for fancy wash but who has £5 spare, that's a least a few hundred meters driving distance.

Spencer69

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2019, 06:45:21 PM »
Hi, Maybe an old trick but haven't read in above posts so here goes.....Vodka! For the past 5-6 years I have always added a measure of vodka (cheapest you can find from either Aldi or Asda £5 a quarter bottle). This is usually enough for 3-4 of the large screenwash container-5 litres I think-so maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of a quarter bottle of vodka.

Always seems to have worked and since using method never experienced frozen screenwash. Suppose worst effect is that sometimes (depending how much vodka you have put in) when you use screenwash, you can get a whiff of vodka...try explaining that to a copper who pulls you over...it isn't me, ossifer, it's the car that is pi..ed :-)

culzean

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2019, 09:23:32 PM »
Methylated spirit much cheaper than vodka and I have used it before many times, also meths will help remove insects in summer.
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

Jocko

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #12 on: January 25, 2019, 06:40:06 AM »
Methylated spirit much cheaper than vodka and I have used it before many times, also meths will help remove insects in summer.
Especially in Scotland, with our minimum pricing of alcohol!.

richardfrost

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2019, 09:53:44 AM »
also meths will help remove insects in summer.
Does it get them drunk to the 'mellow' stage when they just want to wander of home?  :D

culzean

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Re: Help! Screenwash isn't pumping out
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2019, 10:15:40 AM »
also meths will help remove insects in summer.
Does it get them drunk to the 'mellow' stage when they just want to wander of home?  :D

Maybe,  but I am always shocked by the amount of fat that comes out of insects,  this is always more noticeable on my motorbike visor,  where one insect strike can make it hard to see out of one eye, and if you wipe it it can spread  even more.. no wonder birds get fat in summer.  When I used to wear an open face helmet and RAF type goggles I had a big fat bee hit my cheek at about 60, made a tidy bruise ( could have been worse if it had been flying away from me and I hit the end with sting in it first  :o

Insects hit a sloping windscreen at an angle and may bounce off,  but with a vertical visor that splat straight into it and spread out..

On my motorbike I once had a big fat woodpigeon resolutely flying towards me down the centre of the road,  as I watched to see if he would swerve he didn't seem to be deviating as he got closer I realised we were on a collision course and jinked sideways,  the pigeon hit my handlebar mirror and there was a burst of feathers,  - other bikers have had pheasants do the same flying trick but luckily missed at the last minute,  a heavy pheasant could do you a lot of damage and I doubt meths would help ....
Some people will only consider you an expert if they agree with your point of view or advice,  when you give them advice they don't like they consider you an idiot

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