R56 Winscreen Washer Frozen?

[tee-bee]

Hi all,

I'm currently in DE with my R56 Cooper S and at this moment the windscreen washer does not work, I assume due to winter temperatures.

I was wondering if any MINI drivers out there can give some advice to get it working again?

1) Do I need to top up the engine coolant tank with more anti-freeze? But I assume the cockpit instruments will indicate it is low on anti-freeze?

2) Purchase a bottle of windscreen washer fluid and mix it 50/50 with water in the washer reservoir?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[adam_Randell]

your coolant should be fine, yea id probably mix a 50/50 or even maybe stronger. i got about a 20/80 mix in mine and i washed my windscreen....and the water at the end of the washer jets froze so i couldnt wash it again for the rest of the journey!

[crossbytje]

aren't it heated jets, like the wing mirrors?
Never had the problem of frozen jets, maybe there's just some dirt in it?

but offcourse, you may never fill the washer fluid tank with just water!

[adam_Randell]

Quote: Originally Posted by crossbytje (original)

aren't it heated jets, like the wing mirrors?
Never had the problem of frozen jets, maybe there's just some dirt in it?

but offcourse, you may never fill the washer fluid tank with just water!

you get heated jets in vis pack.

[TonyFoy]

I posted about this a week or so ago with the same issue on an R53 S. Heated Washerjets a complete waste of time as rest of the system not insulated.

My driver side window is also not working and going back Wednesday (run out of window motors) and the jets still not operating. Seeing a lot of wiper motor issues as well being posted (mine failed last winter).

I am thinking that the Mini electrics seem to prefer burning motors rather than fuses in this cold spell.

[jle4]

I had exactly the same problem coming back from Redpoint, Wester Ross beyond Inverness the other year. It was -4 or less for much of the way but sunny, dry and no snow. My screen was getting covered in muck and to clean it we had to keep stopping at services and in between my passenger had to lean out of the window and throw water over from a bottle.
At Aviemore I put 50/50 windscreen wash and boiling water in and it worked for 7 minutes of the journey before freezing up again! There were 2 other Minis with the same problem stopped at the services.
This year it's not been a problem as it's so crappy on snow I can't get it out of my ungritted road but our trains are running just fine. Horses for courses I guess. I'm currently researching all season tyre options

[ran-o-matic]

Isn't winter washer solvent available in the UK? In the US the stuff is rated for -35 to -40 and is pre-mixed so you pour it right in.

[ran-o-matic]

Quote: Originally Posted by tee-bee (original)

Hi all,

I'm currently in DE with my R56 Cooper S and at this moment the windscreen washer does not work, I assume due to winter temperatures.

I was wondering if any MINI drivers out there can give some advice to get it working again?

1) Do I need to top up the engine coolant tank with more anti-freeze? But I assume the cockpit instruments will indicate it is low on anti-freeze?

2) Purchase a bottle of windscreen washer fluid and mix it 50/50 with water in the washer reservoir?

Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

The engine coolant system and windscreen washer system are not connected.

If your washer system is already frozen, you will need to thaw it and pump out the water that is in it. Add winter solvent. An incandescent work light placed under the bonnet may thaw it out if you can do that and are careful. As long as nothing is damaged, the wash pump will pump the system free of water quickly. What temp is it outside? Even most summer washer solvents should not freeze until it gets to around -20 DegF.

I don't see the heated nozzles as freeze protection but rather as windscreen ice clearing aids.

[saint2000]

I've had the same problem in the hire mini I've got, no heated jets etc, best way to sort the problem seemed to be leaving the car running til it reached normal temp, then by magic they started working again!

[Putte]

My MCS 09 have no problem with freezing, even in -30C. I use window washing fluid that wont freeze before -35C. The car doesn't like the cold that much though

[Prowse]

Common problem - the washer fluid freezes in the small pipes.

People I know use a 75-100% anti-freeze solution. We recently used a 50% solution and that froze solid - didn't thaw after a one hour drive. The problem seems to be the location of the washer bottle - it doesn't get thawed from the engine heat.