Anybody have problems with it flowing in freezing weather? It's really not that cold, but in the last few days when it has been below freezing, only a few drops come out. There were no problems in warm weather.

I topped it up a few months ago and probably haven't really used a lot so far.
I am wondering if the factory fill isn't that great.....

I had wondered about the design before and I guess my suspicions were correct.

 

Are you using a summer mix of washer fluid? Should have the freezing point labeled on the container.

 

I am assuming by the OPs comments he is using whatever the factory had filled the car with... I've been fortunate enough to have only seen the snowflake on the dash light up once or twice... I do know I bought fluid good to 0 F for my refills though.

 

not sure if factory fill or dealer fill. I would bring the car inside then either drop a plastic tube into the tank and empty then refill with fresh washer fluid.

I think all washer fluid in Canada is good to -35c at a minimum

Why winter windshield washer fluid can still freeze on your car - The Globe and Mail


From the -40c web site

In Canada, the summer windshield washer fluid sold in hardware stores and gasoline stations is a detergent for washing smeared bugs and dirt off the windshield of your vehicle. During the fall you are suppose to replace the summer windshield washer fluid with winter windshield washer fluid before it freezes into a solid block of ice in your vehicle's reservoir tank. The winter windshield washer fluid is formulated to remove the slush, ice, road salt and dirt that is splashed up on your windows from other vehicles. The winter windshield washer fluid may have a cold temperature rating anywhere from -20 °C to -45 °C advertised on the label of the plastic jug. The colder the temperature rating the more difficult it often is to find that brand and product in hardware stores and gasoline stations of the more populated southern areas of the country.

My experience has been that winter windshield washer fluid is most useful when the outside temperatures are near 0° Celsius. The farther the temperature drops below 0° Celsius the more likely the odds that the windshield washer fluid will do the opposite of what it is intended to do. In cold temperatures it often freezes to your windshield and wiper blades making a big icy mess as it blocks your vision of the road ahead. Windshield washer fluid also has a tendency as the temperature gets colder to freeze and block the thin tubes leading from the windshield washer reservoir tank in your vehicle up to the spray nozzles on or near the windshield wiper blades. The labelling on the winter windshield washer jugs does not seem to take into consideration and warn you that the windshield washer fluid will freeze due to the wind chill effect that the front of your vehicle experiences as it is travelling down a road in cold temperatures.





there are some errors in the web site, the washer fluid freezes on your windscreen not from wind chill but from the methanol evaporating rapidly.

 

At least they didn't call it the 'windshield effect' like a former colleague of mine.

You're right that that the glazing over is from the alcohol evaporating leaving the water and solvents behind. Most experienced drivers know not to attempt spraying fluid until the windshield is fully warmed.

The OP is taking a risk by allowing his system to freeze due to inappropriate fluid. I'd park the car in a heated garage and pump/siphon out all the existing fluid then replace it with the good stuff.

 

I got it at Home Depot and it was rated at -30 or -35C.
Can I access the front and or rear tank to pump it out or should I just be real generous in spraying on the weekend when it is going to be above freezing and raining?

 

I had this same issue on the few days this week that we dipped to the -30C level. Since we came back up to -2C, the fluid is flowing no problem. I'm convinced it's the design of the wipers -- but my plan is to just drain the current fluid and put in the RainX winter fluid -- just to see if that makes a difference.

 

Yeah, probably the methanol had evaporated in the tubes. May be with this design, I just need to spray every week or two to get fresh fluid in the pipeline. Sorta like running your a/c every now and then.

Thanks Zach.

 

No such issue reported on any other cars with a similar design. If it did evaporate in the tubes, then fresh fluid would just push out the 'bad' in just a few seconds.

 

0degF might be enough or TX, but I buy the -25degF blend based on my experience in the upper midwest. We get below zero on the very rare occasion here. It is most likely that the dealer blend in the summertime is no more than +20degF.

 

Thanks. Don't know the cause then.
Will monitor the situation.

 

The methanol/water mix is freezing. Fill the reservoir to the top with some -20 degF fluid. That will dilute out the high concentration of water that you have now.

 

Just pee in the tank. It should be warm enough to melt anything that's frozen.

 

The tubing/nozzles in the wipers of my XF freezing is a common occurrence for the past 3 winters. Doesn't matter what fluid goes in the reservoir. I don't have a solution, but I have to think it's a crappy design.

 

The hole is too small for me to fit ........