frozen washer jets

[Sir Chad]

anyone got any way of getting heat into screen washer jet lines to accelerate thawing? screenwash isn't acting as much of an antifreeze.
I was thinking of winding a few coils of washer tube around radiator feed pipe - bus is watercooled - anyone tried this?
cos it's grim darn sarf.

[kevtherev]

There should be a recommended mix ratio for winter.

Mine don't freeze with it

[Mocki]

mine is wound round the rad pipe, it still dont stop the actual jets freezing, but it helps....

[Mr Bean]

Yes my front washers on the Mondeo have stopped working but the rear works OK. Bet it isn't so simple as freezing though. I would imagine it wouldn't be beyond the wit of man to thread a length of resistance wire up the pipe and joints to form a kind of linea electric blanket effect. Now if this as a regular problem I guess I would have a go at it but so far our winters are about as wintery as our summers. Leastways down here in the sophisticated South. (Says he in response to the acusations of being a Southern Jessie)
Cheers
Ken
Pull the wire off a 240V one Kilowatt electric fire element and one 20th of it will glow red at 12V. So about one 5th will probably be about right. Test it and it should be just warm to the touch. If you can thread that along the tubes and shove the unused wire round a bobin into your washer bottle you might have a basis for experimentation. You won't electrocute yourself on 12V but I take no responsibility if you set your vehicle on fire or perperate some other disaster.

[camper man]

fill your water bottle up with vodka then they never freeze up

[Ye Olde Syncrospares]

when you finnally get a t4 it wont be a problem,heated washer jets,cj.

[chippieshaun]

when you finnally get a t4 it wont be a problem,heated washer jets,cj.

Wouldn't have thought that was standard though , even on a T4.
I've got a T5 for work and my washer jets froze this week......

[mike the van]

If the jets themselves aren't heated then the only real answer I have found is to use neat washer fluid and remember to pump it through so there isn't any water in the pipes to freeze up.
VW seems to now make heated jets an extra, but were standard on a 1990 POlo GT and a 1990 Golf CL I had, but not on 98 GTi spec MkIV Golf. Even neat fluid gave up last week with -11c driving near Inverness. Mind you was Wickes own brand, usually really good but suppose -11c?

Didn't dare go out in the T25 Aircold as the washer bottle is exposed and cold and not within the engine bay and warmed by the engine .

Mike
1491
2.0l AC

[Titus A Duxass]

Here's an expensive solution to this problem - http://www.windshieldwiperheaters.com/

[Mocki]

there is a really simple temp improovement for really cold conditions that i have used.... a old store card/crdit card/ tescos point card, cut it in half, then take one half and cut it in half again, apply a little heat with a lighter or flame or heat gun, bend it in a 90 deg making it rightangled and using some double sided tape stick it just infront of the washer jet, it makes the super cooled air (the bit containing the wind chill factor) go round the jet and helps stop the freezing....... it sounds silly, looks silly and you wouldnt want it there all the time, but it works......

on another note, add a little glicerine to the washer bottle.

[campervanman]

Methylated spirits.
Does the job and gets rid of all of that accumulated grease on the screen at the same time.

[Sir Chad]

Thanks all - I'm going to put a couple of coils around the radiator pipe for now.

[dwayne]

there is a really simple temp improovement for really cold conditions that i have used.... a old store card/crdit card/ tescos point card, cut it in half, then take one half and cut it in half again, apply a little heat with a lighter or flame or heat gun, bend it in a 90 deg making it rightangled and using some double sided tape stick it just infront of the washer jet, it makes the super cooled air (the bit containing the wind chill factor) go round the jet and helps stop the freezing....... it sounds silly, looks silly and you wouldnt want it there all the time, but it works......

on another note, add a little glicerine to the washer bottle.

what a great idea , had my jets freeze when i was driving along , they were fine when I left

[Syncro G]

Think yourself lucky its not the accelerator cable freazing. Mine froze again this morning and it took about 20mins of idleing before the engine temp got up enough to thaw it out. Good job the cable runs next to the coolent hose or it'd never get going.

Haven't had the jets freaze though.