Screenwash - wtf?

[I-S]

Ok, I'm starting to get a combination of freaked out and pissed off with screenwash in the galant.

Why you may ask?

I've not put screenwash in it in some time. The last time anyone else could have done was on the 1st of february. I've used the screenwash quite a bit since then. Today I did a few minor attention things to the car, and one of them was to top up the screenwash.

Except that I couldn't. It was full to the brim. :inquisiti

I put the ignition on and gave it a squirt to the back window, and the level dropped a little. Now, I've used it far more than that since the beginning of february.

So what on earth is going on? The only thing I can think of is that there's some sort of rainwater catchement, but somehow I just can't believe that. Perhaps some sort of blockage in the system, but not quite sure how...

Anyone?

[Kieran]

Was it full to the brim - you could see the water, or was it just that the pink lollipop was saying it's full? The lollipop might be a little too bouyant?

[I-S]

The fluid was right up to the top of the pipe. What pink lollipop?

[Kieran]

The fluid was right up to the top of the pipe. What pink lollipop?

Oh. THe one that's in the filler neck. It's a bit of foam that floats and bobs up and down to indicate the level in the reservioir. Sure my GLS used to have one too.:inquisiti

Back to the problem..... Errr dunno?! Only thing I can think of is an airlock? But that'd be really unlikely I think.

[I-S]

I think it's probably supposed to have a float of some sort, but it's not been there as long as I've had the car.

I was wondering about an airlock... but where would the air come from? Would really have to be impressive to keep the fluid up in the filler neck of the tank and yet still be able to wash both screens.

[n13l pm]

:inquisiti Interesting.. my screenwash has not been topped up since I got my car last year May. I remember it being on minimum since October but cant really remember checking it before that, it still works!! I only done about 6000miles and I would classify myself as a average of screenwash..

[Paul Beazer]

It is quite a big tank (5.3litres? runs to check book...)

6.1l for vehicles with headlamp washer
4.5l for those without

[g6acb]

Another wierd thing about the screenwash system, you only get the 'screenwash low' light in the dash on the pre-faclift with headlamp washers

Maybe I'm a bit of a screenwash junkie.... I do a tank a month easy, but then my car is pretty much constantly caked in cack

[RugbyPete]

Im a bit of a nutter with fluid usage, especially when people point and go wow when i do it to the front lamps

sad i know, but from then on you wanna show everyone, and its not even anything you cant get on say a 406 diesel !

[Beastlee]

Im a bit of a nutter with fluid usage, especially when people point and go wow when i do it to the front lamps

sad i know, but from then on you wanna show everyone, and its not even anything you cant get on say a 406 diesel !


Do they pop out :inquisiti ? If so you get that on 405 Mi-16s and I always enjoyed washing the headlamps. Units move out and poof, a big spray of water all over the lens.

[Nick VR4]

I topped up mine today been using it quite a bit the pink float was still at the top I managed to get about 3/4 pint in it :speechles:speechles:speechles

[I-S]

Today I looked at it again and there was no fluid in the filler pipe.

So I poured in half a pint. Still nothing.

So I poured in a pint.

Then another. And another.

And another half. That got it back most of the way up the filler pipe. Then I bounced the car on its springs and some bubbles came up and the fluid level dropped.

This thing is odd. I didn't use the screenwash much since sunday but now there's room for 2 litres?

My lethal screenwash recipe is as follows: 1 5 litre container of halfraud's premium pre-mixed screenwash (the pink stuff). Use 1.2 litres of it during summer. For winter strength, add 1 litre of Comma concentrated screenwash (blue) and half a bottle (250ml) of Rain-X screenwash additive. The resulting mixture when poured into a glass container (ie the jug I used to fill the tank) actually seems to GLOW. It's not blue and it's not pink and yet manages to be both at the same time.... scary.

[g6acb]

I think you should be checking for leaks (of the liquid type, not the novelty welsh vegetable type)





// sorry - just read this through from the start and it don't make sense - 6 weeks use and you can't fill it up, a few days and you can sink a few pints in to it???


do you stop filling when the bubbles appear or when liquid spills out ??? (ooh er)