I accidently put Windshield Wiper fluid in the Coolant Reservoir

Maintenance/Repairs
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21

You would be better off to siphon the fluid from the reservoir than to flush it with water. To flush the reservoir with a hose would put the fluid on the ground and leave the reservoir overfilled.

22

I got rid of some washer fluid by pouring it into a radiator once and the water pump seal went.

23

I did this accidentally as well, but caught myself just as I was just beginning to pour. Should I be concerned with the small amount of windshield fluid put into the anti freeze res???

24

I think itā€™s simply less obvious in the menu that a post is old. Iā€™ve responded to a few old ones too, and it took some discipline to stop doing it. It takes a conscious effort to actually check to ensure that a thread isnā€™t old before opening it. Well, I still make an occasional mistake, but Iā€™, getting better.

25

If is was small, I wouldnā€™t be worried.

26

Thank you for the input I appreciate it, I figured since it was such a small amount it wouldnā€™t cause much of an issue.

27

Mr. Triedag hit on it. Zerex was ethylene glycol and Zerone was alcohol, the cheap stuff. Too much Zerone could affect the accuracy of an antifreeze tester but if you are concerned, an added large dollop of glycol will not hurt.

28

@Wha_Who It seems to me that the Zerone alcohol antifreeze would boil at 180 F. It seems to me we used 160 degree thermostats back then as we didnā€™t use pressure radiator caps. The temperature gauge in.my 1948 Dodge was marked in degrees and with ethelyne glycol was supposed to run at 180. 212 was at the top of the scale. I think my 1947 Pontiac had the same scale. We didnā€™t have the.problem of windshield washer fluid as most cars didnā€™t have windshield washers.

29

I accidentally poured a quarter of a gallon of wiper fluid into my coolant reservoir. Will this do harm?

30

Did you not read any of the posts on this thread?

31

Suck out as much as you can with an old baster or something. At least thatā€™s what Iā€™d do.

32

truck belongs to my son, o called him. never made such a mistake!

33

Hey I put windshield wiper fluid in my coolant reservoir, Iā€™ve driven it a while since I realized what Iā€™ve done. Have I ruined my engine?

34

not likely. Read the earlier posts, most likely youā€™ve just diluted the 50/50 mix a little bit towards more water. If youā€™re really concerned about it, drain out the cooling system and replace with fresh coolant

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