Screenwash ......

[bob12]

Took the 745 out for a quick cruise today for the first time in several months. Started on the 'button' although battery clearly needs a charge and everything sweet except .....

..... the water flow to the windscreen front jets (forgot to test the back!!).

Front screen jet in-tank pump working but no water coming out the main supply pipe from the pump which tested at the under the bonnet 'T' piece connection before going off to the jets.

I am pretty sure that the screenwash additive has gone 'all cloudy and gunky' in the tank as my top-up bottle in the garage looked like a milk shake. I know this is a problem with modern ethical additives.

Clearly I am going to have to waste time and energy removing the air filter box etc etc and cleaning out the tank and checking the pump.

If anybody can recommend a screen wash additive that does go all modern and 'crapy' I would welcome recommendations.

Cheers,

Bob

[V8XCV]

I would recommend running high alcohol content screen wash, basically anything rated to -10C. I use that all year round and stops bacteria and things growing in the tank. I quite like the comma xtreme

Also helps keep the wipers from getting summer grease I find.

[Laird Scooby]

White vinegar (preferably the NBC stuff - no yeast as it's not brewed) is also good for helping to keep the system clean, perhaps once or twice a year depending on use. Just add a pint to the washer bottle and top up with water.

Remember the pre-Windolene days> Water, a shot of vinegar and all your house windows nice and clean! Same applies and it also helps remove limescale too.

One of the "ethical" things that still works! :thumbs-up:

[Ian21401]

I had a similar problem many years ago when I first owned a car with the washer bottle hidden in the wing. I had made up a 5L bottle of diluted wash fluid which I kept on the garage. At that time I was using Comma fluid. After a while my washers ceased working. I found that the inline filter was completely clogged and I could not clear it so I removed the filter until I was able to obtain and fit a replacement. A check of the bottle in the garage revealed that the made up solution was full of crud as you described so I checked the fluid bottle in the car and found it to have the same problem. I gave the system a good clean through and tried Halfords concentrate which I diluted depending on the expected ambient temperature. I have not had any further problems. The premixed bottle in the garage does not deteriorate over time.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Ian21401

I had a similar problem many years ago when I first owned a car with the washer bottle hidden in the wing. I had made up a 5L bottle of diluted wash fluid which I kept on the garage. At that time I was using Comma fluid. After a while my washers ceased working. I found that the inline filter was completely clogged and I could not clear it so I removed the filter until I was able to obtain and fit a replacement. A check of the bottle in the garage revealed that the made up solution was full of crud as you described so I checked the fluid bottle in the car and found it to have the same problem. I gave the system a good clean through and tried Halfords concentrate which I diluted depending on the expected ambient temperature. I have not had any further problems. The premixed bottle in the garage does not deteriorate over time.

Once upon a time we didn't have these problems. That was before the eco-greenie-tree-huggers got involved. Most screenwash additives had little or no effect on nature and another thing, trees and plants thrive on Carbon Monoxide - a gas the eco-greenies are protesting AGAINST!

Plant more trees, bushes and plants, bring our hedgerows back and keep running petrol cars! Oh yeah, give us back some proper screenwash that doesn't turn to snot in the bottle!

[capt jack]

Avoid methylated spirits for sure. Many years ago someone I knew had a brand new Cavalier SRi as a company car. We both worked for a pharmaceutical firm at the time, where meths was in plentiful supply (don't ask!). So Pete (the flash geezer Sales Manager type) dutifully kept the SRi's washer bottle filled with the stuff.

After about a year he came into work one wet morning shiny suit and shoes all decidedly damp.

The meths had quietly destroyed the windscreen rubber seal.

Exit stage right one chastened flash git...……….

Jack

[Zebster]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Once upon a time we didn't have these problems. That was before the eco-greenie-tree-huggers got involved. Most screenwash additives had little or no effect on nature and another thing, trees and plants thrive on Carbon Monoxide - a gas the eco-greenies are protesting AGAINST!

Plant more trees, bushes and plants, bring our hedgerows back and keep running petrol cars! Oh yeah, give us back some proper screenwash that doesn't turn to snot in the bottle!

Gosh, that's quite a rant LOL! Exactly what component of screen wash do you believe has been outlawed by these 'eco-greenie-tree-huggers'? I actually liked your earlier suggestion of making DIY screenwash including a suitable vinegar, as I am generally disappointed with the cheap screenwashes found in supermarkets, etc and was thinking of making my own (I understand IPA is a useful addition). The stuff Volvo use at service time seems pretty good, but relatively expensive.

PS - nothing thrives on carbon monoxide. I think you meant the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Zebster

Gosh, that's quite a rant LOL! Exactly what component of screen wash do you believe has been outlawed by these 'eco-greenie-tree-huggers'? I actually liked your earlier suggestion of making DIY screenwash including a suitable vinegar, as I am generally disappointed with the cheap screenwashes found in supermarkets, etc and was thinking of making my own (I understand IPA is a useful addition). The stuff Volvo use at service time seems pretty good, but relatively expensive.

PS - nothing thrives on carbon monoxide. I think you meant the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

That wasn't a rant, that was a minor whinge!

To be honest, i don't know which component has been "outlawed" by the tree huggers but given that most other things that used to be good and now under-perform (think Creosote and similar) it seems reasonable to think something was in there that was a bit "naughty".
The main problem is i never knew the mix in the "old days" and not being the worlds best chemist, i wouldn't like to try mixing my own.

With the vinegar, for normal use, i think it would be something like an egg-cupful to a bottle of washer fluid. How effective that would be i don't know but adding a pint to a washer bottle once a year has kept the gunge down for me and the nozzles clear.

I'm glad to see you actually read the post and spotted my deliberate mistake! You're right, it should be carbon dioxide but did you notice there was a bit of tongue in cheek irony in my post? Denouncing tree huggers etc and then advocating bringing back our hedgerows?

As for putting IPA in, that would probably work well. As per Capt Jcks post about his colleague that used meths (aka methanol, not far removed from Propanol or IPA), don't overdo it as it's a good solvent, Just enough to make it effective. I've also noticed most of the better screenwashes these days seem to have a strong smell of alcohol in them - whether that's methanol (meths) or propanol (IPA) i don't know but if you can work out the dilution to give good degreasing without attacking the glass bonding agent as happened to that guys Cavalier or the paintwork, you should be on a winner.

Something i have found that works well is Toolstations Glass Cleaner. Mainly meant for widow cleaners i think, it usually comes with a spray trigger in a 1L bottle. Only takes a little to clean the windows on the house and when i ran out of screenwash some time back, i added a small amount to a full washer bottle - probably about 50ml at the most. Worked very well!

https://www.toolstation.com/sx-glass-cleaner/p85116

That's the stuff, on my guess of 50ml per washer bottle full, that's 20 washer bottles worth for about £3 which in my mind is a lot cheper than normal screenwash and does the job very well!

[bob12]

Actually I was hoping that some folks could recommend a high alcohol (IPA) content brand.

Bob

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by bob12

Actually I was hoping that some folks could recommend a high alcohol (IPA) content brand.

Bob

Have a look at the Toolstation stuff Bob in my post above - if you don't like it as screenwash, it's great for cleaning your own windows!