I thawed out my washer fluid with methyl alcohol

[Tonka]

... am I in trouble?

Coming home from my trucking company's yard in northwest Iowa, a 535 mile trip that was about 80% snow and ice, ... I noticed my washers weren't working.

I was pissed cuz I had just replaced the pump last summer. Eventually the crap on my windshield got bad enough I decided to stop at a gas station and use the squeegie. Well I had to abort because the brakes locked up when I just gently put pressure on them (oops, ... didn't realize I was driving on SOLID ICE at 60 mph) so at the next one I slowed down without using the brakes, .. blah blah blah..

My washer fluid tank was frozen solid. I don't know why it didn't split the plastic tank open but it was bulging out pretty good. Since I was at a truck stop, I got a bottle of air brake de-icer which is methyl alcohol. (I think it's also the same as HEET brand gas line antifreeze)

I put the whole bottle in my washer fluid tank, and though my engine was not over-cooling, I also got some zip ties and blocked about 80% of my grille with cardboard to help increase engine compartment temps and thaw out the washer fluid tank.

The reason my washer fluid tank froze at 5 degrees (or warmer) was because when I changed the pump, I re-filled that tank with the green stuff that's made for dissolving dead bug guts off the windshield, not the winter stuff that's got glycol or whatever mixed in it.

Does anyone know if that methyl alcohol I put in there is going to eat away at my plastic washer tank, the rubber hose, or if it'll eat up the paint on my truck? It took about another 100 miles before the tank thawed and my washers started working again, and I'm sure a lot of it ended up on the body metal.

 

[dvsj67]

I cant see it being an issue.. i mean.. it doesent hurt the syn-flex on your brake system nor your glad hand rubber.. I cant see it doing any damage as long as you dont go crazy with it..

What kind of rig are you running? More importantly whats under the hood

(sorry im a truck and coach mechanic)

 

[adsm08]

Well washer fluid is mostly methyl alcohol, so I'm gonna guess that you will be OK.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Well winterwasher fluid is mostly methyl alcohol, so I'm gonna guess that you will be OK.

fixed

 

[Tonka]

I cant see it being an issue.. i mean.. it doesent hurt the syn-flex on your brake system nor your glad hand rubber.. I cant see it doing any damage as long as you dont go crazy with it..

I did go crazy with it. I poured the whole bottle in the washer fluid tank.

Usually when I'm having trouble with the air brakes on a semi-trailer, I just pour a tiny bit, less than what would fill a shot glass, into the red glad hand on the tractor hose, re-connect it to the trailer, then release and set the trailer brakes a few times and it clears up any ice in the system.

Our mechanics are in disagreement with each other. You can always get them to start arguing if you wait until a certain two of them are next to each other, then ask one of them about air brake de-icer. One of them says it's fine, the other says not to use it at all, because it will dry out and crack some rubber seals in the Hendrickson auto-dump air ride system. I use it sparingly.

What kind of rig are you running? More importantly whats under the hood

(sorry im a truck and coach mechanic)

2010 Kenworth T-660 (mfg in 2009 so it ain't got the DEF garbage on it) with a Cummins ISX, 475 horse I think. 13 spd trans, 3.42 rear ends. It's got some balls, and will hold a 6% grade at 50 mph, 1500 RPM with a gross weight around 75k.

Well washer fluid is mostly methyl alcohol, so I'm gonna guess that you will be OK.

If it was mostly methyl alcohol, it wouldn't have frozen up. I thought glycol was the main ingredient in washer fluid. But this stuff that was in there was green stuff that was meant for using in the summer to clean up the streaks left by dead bugs.

 

[adsm08]

If it was mostly methyl alcohol, it wouldn't have frozen up. I thought glycol was the main ingredient in washer fluid.

The blue stuff is methyl. You are thinking of ethelyne glycol, and that is the toxic stuff in anti-freeze. Some manufacturers are starting to use ethanol or glycol because they don't let off the explosive vapors like methyl does, but for years pretty much all of it was methyl.

We use bulk stuff at work. The drums have big old tox and flammable vapor stickers on it with a label that says "methyl alcohol produces flammable vapors. Drum may explode when empty. Keep away from open flame."

 

[PhantomOfTheBumpside]

What's to worry about? A little paint blister, a little cracking to your windshield molding... doubtful you'll have any trouble... want to have some fun add igniters to your cowl infront of the nozzles for flamethrower type window clearing.


You know I'm kidding, right?

 

[Snoranger]

No, its not going to hurt anything. I've done it whenever I had a bottle freeze up.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

Really sucks when ya have to spooge yer whiskey in the lines to get where the **** yer going. Good yer set, Alaska stuff is sweet.

 

[brinker88]

Yea definitely wont hurth anything. You have rubber and nylon air lines on a big rig, rubber for the gladhands, rubber inside the brake canisters, etc, etc. You'll be fine

 

[Mark_88]

What gets me is the little jets on my Ranger get moisture in them and they freeze up over night...have to use a pin to clean them out sometimes...was looking for some kind of shield to put over it but that's more work than it's worth...might try the same trick if I have to do it again...I used to carry lock de-icer but I haven't restocked it since the last one disappeared...

 

[straycat]

It is in the 40's today. We have had upper 70's to low 80's most of the past week...what is snow?? lol

 

[UpStandingMember]

We're in upstate New York, and we haven't had that much snow here this year either.

Do you guys think a heater might work? For in the future I mean. Or is it not worth it? Anybody have one?

Here's a link, it's at the bottom of the page.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fr/full.aspx?Page=135

 

[Tonka]

want to have some fun add igniters to your cowl infront of the nozzles for flamethrower type window clearing.


You know I'm kidding, right?

If you knew me, you'd be careful about giving me ideas like that

What gets me is the little jets on my Ranger get moisture in them and they freeze up over night...have to use a pin to clean them out sometimes...was looking for some kind of shield to put over it but that's more work than it's worth...might try the same trick if I have to do it again...I used to carry lock de-icer but I haven't restocked it since the last one disappeared...

I always carry a propane torch in the winter, in the big truck. I've had my trailer padlock and door latches get laminated with ice before.

For washer fluid jets that have ice in the tips of the nozzles, take a propane torch and wave it back and forth quickly, across the little hole the fluid comes out, for about 3 or 4 seconds til you see liquid, then quickly get back inside and hit the washers to flush the jets before it can re-freeze. That's kind of hard to do with an 18 wheeler because I have to climb up on top of the tire to reach the washer jets. With a car or a pickup it should be no problem. You can probably do it with one hand holding the torch, the other reaching inside the vehicle if the washer button is on the turn signal lever.

 

[Mark_88]

Propane torch sounds like fun...I tried a Bic lighter to no avail...lol...couldn't strike the dang thing because my thumb was so cold...I've broken a few of those nozzles over the years trying to bang the ice off them...not a recommended procedure...