I put oil in windscreen washer bottle...idiot

[Captain Jack]

No i didn't have the pump off yet. It was far too cold to do anything so all I managed was to ensure that the tube was clear.

[rapport25]

Hi Captain,

The weather has been shocking and my washers have been freezing up over the last few days. I have been filling 2 litre bottles with warm water and taking them with me in the car just incase it drops to stupid tempertures and I have no washers. Word of advise make sure your car is stationary befor squirting it over your screen or you will get soaked

Tempertures are around -5 today. So a quick investigation is bottle/pipe washers frozen. Easy solution. I purchses 3 litres double strength screenwash. Removed washer jets and small connecting pipe left to soak in warm water to melt ice etc...

My nex tip fill your kettle and boil add boiling water to washer bottle and keep pressing your washers and it will eventually melt the ice and washers will start to work. Add more warm water to bottle and do the same again so any crap or ice will be completly gone.

Next thing to do is make sure washer bottle is empty and add 1 litre of pure screen wash press washers a few times then refit washer jets and re connect pipe squirt washers so full concentrae of fluid is present. I have added the other 2 litres and diluted to protect to -15. Fingers crossed no more frozen washers .

Hope this helps Rappy

[steve_earwig]

-15? Not strong enough surely! How about...

-65 Polar expedition anyone??

[rapport25]

The screen wash I purchased protects to -23 I have diluted it down to around -15

[rapport25]

The lowest it has dropped is around -10 by me.

[totaleclipse]

have you pumped any of the oil thru?

oil could go for the seals inside the pump.

[Captain Jack]

I haven't seen any oil come through, so I assume not. Anyway, the new pump is only £9 from Bay of e, so not a big loss - just another thing to sort out

[Captain Jack]

Result! Went outside with intent to remove the pump and inspect it, but first, I thought I'd check the bleeding obvious first - the fuse. To my amazement, it was blown - a quick replacement had the washers working in a jiffy.

Moral of the story: check the bleeding obvious first (and don't put oil in the windscreen washer bottle)

[Bailes1992]

Can I just ask how you managed to do that?
The washer bottle is on the bottom left hand side of the engine bay and I gather your oil is around the center of it?

Find it pretty funny myself sorry

Glad its fixed though

[Captain Jack]

Can I just ask how you managed to do that?

I had 2 identical size bottles in my boot, one with oil, the other with water. It was dark and freezing and I didn't (nor tried to) see what bottle I was picking up. It's only after I emptied the bottle that I looked at it closer and realised it was oil. Duh!

[teamster1975]

Glad it's fixed CJ, I didn't have the heart to take the mick!

[Welly]

Well I'm never going round to Captains for a drink, you wouldn't know what you were getting

[Bailes1992]

Can I just ask how you managed to do that?

I had 2 identical size bottles in my boot, one with oil, the other with water. It was dark and freezing and I didn't (nor tried to) see what bottle I was picking up. It's only after I emptied the bottle that I looked at it closer and realised it was oil. Duh!

Oh that explains that
I thought you were aiming to top your oil up and missed

[Captain Jack]

Today was not a good day. While doing the national speed limit on the M4 at 7am, the screen was getting a little dirty from all the road spray around. I thought "I'll use my newly fixed washers". As soon as I switched it on, the screen got completely plastered in oil mixed with soapy water mixture. The wipers then made the matters 100% worse. I couldn't see ANYTHING!

I pulled over on the hard shoulder twice trying to scrape the crap off the screen with an ice scraper. That didn't work. First stopped at Oxford J13 services to try and wipe it off somehow.. but it was freezing cold and was quite hard work. Didn't help the fact that they didn't have any screen wash there (other than water). Neither did Membury services 10 miles west. I was driving nearly blind.

Through blind luck (literally), managed to get to my Thornbury office and washed the screen with some Fairy liquid - did the job. Got home tonight and gave it a proper scrub. Also, drained the tank, so hopefully no more oily crap in there....

What a plonker...

[DaiRees]

I don't feel like I've had the piss taken enough yet, please try harder everyone.....

What a plonker is right!! Numpty!