Freezing up washers

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 11 Dec 2003, 09:03

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by AndersDK

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Homer
.... not had much trouble with freezing jets since my BX days. That tube round the front wiper was a nightmare. [:(]
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- why ?
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Too much exposed thin tubing, it would often work fine when starting the car but after a few miles on the motorway the windchill would freeze it.
I would guess UK temperatures are actually much milder than DK. -10 would be pretty exceptional outside the highlands of Scotland. Our position on the edge of the Atlantic keeps the temperatures up.

Nigel Darwell · Post by **Nigel Darwell** » 11 Dec 2003, 18:06

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by FFX-DM

I have searched the forum and not found any metnion of this, so I thought I would see how other people cope with the old frozen up washers? I have heard various Heath robinson solutions, such as coil the pipe round something hot to heat up the washer fluid. Putting 100% alcohol in the washer bottle, all sorts of stuff. What's everybody's favourite technique? Anybody done any interesting bodges oops, I mean 'modifications' [;)] ?
I had the frozen up washers blues this morning and it reminded me of the hell of driving South on the A1 into a low sun with trucks spraying salt all over my screen. Last time that happened, I had to keep sticking my arm out of the window and splashing evian water onto the screen!
Can one get heated washer jets for the ZX? That would be my first choice, as I just love a gadget!! [:p]
BTW, I don't think that the high proportion of alcohol cleans the windscreen very well, even though it doesn't freeze, and I have had problems even when usingh neat screenwash in the past in any case. Overproof jamaican run perhaps? meths?
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NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 11 Dec 2003, 18:44

Hang on a minute, I'll just go and fetch my latest 5l bottle of undiluted windscreen washer fluid. Ah yes, 60 - 70% Ethanol, 30 - 40% Isopropanol. To be mixed 1:1 for protection down to -30 deg C, 2:1 down to -18 deg and 3:1 down to -10 deg. Plus the fact that my Swedish specification XM TD12 is fitted with heated washer nozzels, do we have a problem?
As Anders has rightly said, it's a way of life in Scandinavia - its not a case of IF you're going to be hit by frost so much as when. The dilutions mentioned above don't appear to do any damage to the paintwork (not noticable after 10 years, anyway). One thing you need to be aware of is that if you have -10 deg and mix the solution for that temp, you are going to get a right frosty windscreen, even with heated jets - the wind chill adds another -10 at least.
And before anyone asks what you do if the temp is lower than -30, I can tell you, the air is so dry at that sort of temperture that you don't have any problems. I once experienced -38 deg C at a skiing resort in southern northen Sweden (sounds strange - but if you look at a map of Sweden you will see that everything above Stockholms latitude is coloured green - thats right its 95% forest)and while the cold took your breath away, there was absolutely no moisture at all - tehy don't even bothe salting the roads - firstly salt woun't help at those temps and secondly snow at -30 is quite sticky so no problems!
Have a nice warm Christmas! (I hope so, I'm coming over to me mums next week - in St Austell).
//NiSk

allmond · Post by **allmond** » 11 Dec 2003, 23:47

Yep, my Xantia Exclusive definitely has heated nozzles which seem to solve the problem.
Jamie

sooty · Post by **sooty** » 13 Dec 2003, 00:27

I dont have problems with my ZX washers freezing and I travel daily on the Motorway on the frosty mornings at about 6.30am, by using 50/50 washer strength or higher. Its cheap enough, when you buy it undiluted.
Sooty

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 13 Dec 2003, 00:39

I havent stuck any windscreen washer fluid in yet (I have a huge 25L bottle of it right next to the car aswell!!) so frozen jet in the morning is quite common for me. lol
The worst I've had here in the UK has been when my old man decided it would be a good idea to pour warm water out of the kettle onto the windscreen to clear it while I wasn't around, ready for me. That was fine until I came to drive down the road - thinking that he had scraped off the ice - the wind chill factor froze the screen and wipers solid! I stopped got out and it was nigh on impossable to scrape it off! So now I start the car, get the wipers & heaters going and leave it for about 10 mins, by the time i come back, not only is the windscreen clear, its nice and tosty inside aswell!!!
R

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 13 Dec 2003, 01:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by rossnunn

So now I start the car, get the wipers & heaters going and leave it for about 10 mins, by the time i come back, not only is the windscreen clear,
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Just be warned, a number of people doing that last year came back to find not only was their windscreen clear but so was their drive.
By which I mean some toerag had cleared off with their car.
And it is of course illegal to leave your car unattended with the engine running on a public road.
The best solution to a frosted winscreen is of course to clear all the junk out of the garage. [:D]

pwatson · Post by **pwatson** » 13 Dec 2003, 05:56

Yep, my wife's Xantia Exclusive has heated washer jets (could the same be fitted to your Zx?), but then my Decosol washer fluid says it will prevent freezing down to -57 deg. If it's colder than that I ain't going out!!

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 13 Dec 2003, 22:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">By which I mean some toerag had cleared off with their car.
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AAAh thats true, but out where I live - if they did nick the car, I would beable to see them driving off for the next 3 days!! - Flat You See. [:D]
When was the last time I saw a car go past my house......
About....erm....3 maybe 4 days ago??
lol aaaahhh the countryside.
Ross

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 14 Dec 2003, 04:28

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bamber

[:D] Had to laugh, Alan S giving advice about frozen washer jets........in Australia! Whats the temp out there at the moment Al? 40+...........Then again, Anders doesn't have frozen washers in colder latitudes than the UK![:o)] Or is it just me?
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Well Dave, at present it's about 9am and around 30 degrees with I'd estimate 90% humidity......sheesh, what I wouldn't do for a cool morning!!
Having said that, we can also get some wild variants here too. Whilst it may not hit some of those wild low temps being quoted, we do get a very big chill factor, so much so, I've often had folks from the UK say "it's worse than 'ome" when the winter winds come through, and not all that far from where I am, so believe it or not, we do have to cope with the opposite extremes to what I'm presently sitting in.
The worst thing I ever saw was in Ipswich (Queensland) when I lived there & that was a "black frost." If you haven't seen one of those, you ain't seen nuthin'; and that's coming from someone born in Lancashire!!
Alan S

tonyg · Post by **tonyg** » 19 Dec 2003, 21:43

Hi
I've got a '95 XM exclusive and had another previously. Both have/had heated washer jets and even more amazing, both work, even the S1 car's[:)]
Tony

MW · Post by MW » 19 Dec 2003, 22:11

Forgive me if I've told this story before, but it reminds me of a newspaper report I read about Moscow during a particularly harsh winter, about 15 years ago. Apparently the official state supplier of antifreeze windscreen wash couldn't keep up with the demand during the cold snap, and so all the shops ran out. The Muscovite motorists took to using vodka instead - because at that time it was dirt cheap, thanls to heavy subsidies from Boris Yeltsin's boozy administration.
It wasn't long before the city's drunks wised up to this one, and so it became common to come down to your car in the morning and find a comatose vagrant lying on your bonnet with his lips still firmly clenched round your washer jet.
What to do? The motorists started using washing-up liquid in their washer bottles, in the hope that the disgusting taste would soon put the drunks off. But not a bit of it. Before very long, Moscow's streets were adorned by the spectacle of comatose drunks lying on car bonnets, with attractive green bubbles streaming out of their noses.

Post by **RichardW** » 19 Dec 2003, 22:33

I did a search for a freezing point curve for methanol / water, and turned one up:
http://www.methanol.org/pdfFrame.cfm?pd ... utions.pdf
For -10°C protection you need 17% methanol, and for -20°C 30%. Interesting (to me anyway....[|)]) that above 88% vol methanol the freezing point begins to rise again. I think by that temp LHM would have solidified anyway[}:)]!