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Frozen windshield washer nozzles! anyone else?

7K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  haar 
#1 · (Edited)
The last 2 days here in New York have been quite cold(25 degrees). Each morning, (approx 0600hrs) I left for work and attempted to clean the windsield. To my surprise..... NOTHING. Frozen solid.

Anyone else encounter this problem?

By 1400hrs..... they work properly......

None of my other cars have had this problem at the same parking location.
 
#2 ·
If you have not refreshed your fluid since it was "warm" out, you may still have a "diluted" water based fluid....

Switch to any "deicer" type, (make sure its the type that is alcohol based) and use it straight up... Do not dilute (it is safe, the fine print on the bottle tells you in the winter to use it undiluted....)

And if this not the case, sorry I can't help you. I have not had this type of problem and live upstate from you where most days I am happy that it gets to double digits.........
 
#3 ·
Thanks!!! I wasn't even thinking along those lines.... right away I was thinking design flaw....

Silly me.....winter windshield washer fluid....
 
#4 ·
Mine froze on a recent trip to Vermont. I got them loose by holding my hand over the nozzle and idleing the engine in the sun. They started to intermittently freeze and thaw as we drove through the moutains and valleys. I watched the outside tempreture. Was freezing up at 12 degrees and thawing out at 15. Ran all I could out of the tank when I could and added strait solution. Worked fine the next morning at 3 degrees!

The quick-change oil places fill you up with diluted solution.
 
#5 ·
I had that problem with my civic... and I used a different de-icer... took car of the problem...

I did have the nozzles partially block in my RL, but they cleared rather quicky when I engage the sprayer...

Luckily, it did not get too cold in Richmond, VA as compared to other areas I lived.
 
#6 ·
Same thing happened to me in Upstate New York with the factory washer fluid in there on the brand new Ridgeline. After the temperature warmed I added a lower temperature rated washer fluid and the problem disappeared never to recur. The bottles have a temperature rating on them - I think most are good to -20 degrees which is what I use. Incindentally, the washer jets seem to get covered with snow and ice easier than with my other vehicles. When cleaning the windshield off I make sure to brush the jets clean or else they're prone to freezing up or being blocked. On my other cars I don't have to worry about that as much.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, I started a thread on the same issue a while back. For me it came out that the original Honda (whatever they put in at the factory) washer fluid was freezing somewhere inside the lines (it wasn't frozen in the bottle) or at nozzles themselves. I had to drain all the fluid out (just ran the washer for a while until nothing was coming out), and put in a -40 fluid (it was dipping to -30s here las month), never had that problem again.
 
#9 ·
Unfortunately, the RL does not have heated washer jets.

However, the system uses a check valve which keeps the hoses between the jets and the check valve filled with washer fluid in order to avoid freezing. If you pull the hose off one of the jets and see no fluid spillover, replace the check valve.
 
#12 ·
My washer fluid nozzles froze up this morning with straight "blue" washer fluid of the winter flavor. The temp was 17 F, guess that had something to do with it. I did notice that the heater wiper zone was working but isn't close enough to keep the noozles from freezing up. Guess I'll try some heated up washer fluid as a deicer.
 
#14 ·
sbohio said:
I'm in Ohio and have the same problem. Still have the factory supplied fluid in the tank
I don't think that your fluid is still good. I would expect some degree of alcohol evaporation after all this time since shelf life of this product in a sealed container is only 2 years.
 
#15 ·
its just the tips of the spray nozzles freezing up. run your finger over them in the morning and youll be fine. went thru that when we had the wicked cold snap here in november. although if your running diluted washer fluid that would be it also. but if you have straight washer fluid my moneys on a drip freezing on the tip.
 
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