Stupid Auto Question

[VladtheImpaler]

Clearly, I know nothing about cars. During the recent cold spell, my coolant leaked out, so the incredibly stupid question I have is... should I just refill it with windshield washer fluid?

[HalifaxDrunk]

Umm, perhaps you should replace it with engine coolant not washer fluid. There must be a reason your radiator leaked, did you check your hoses?

How to Check & Refill Engine Coolant : How to Drain Engine Coolant

[burn_this_city]

Get your car towed to a mechanic.. If you overheat the motor you might as well junk the vehicle. Chances are a hose or your rad is leaking.. Putting washer fluid in it wont really hurt anything, it just wont cool the car as well..

[GoinAllTheWay]

Ya man, get that checked out pronto. If your coolant wasn't up to the job of dealing with the cold, it's possible the fluid in your radiator actually froze and cracked the rad. I actually had an engine almost overheat in -35 weather due to the coolant freezing in the rad.

When you say your coolant leaked out, do you mean all of it?

[Locke]

Dont put windshield washer fluid in it.

You have to find out why it leaked out first, if its a hole in the rad, you have a few options, if a hose is leaking you'll have to replace it.

In the summer you could just put water in it, no big deal, but in the winter, especially at sub-zero temps stick with proper coolant.

[burn_this_city]

Also, please clean up the green snow and sh*t if its all over the ground.. Nothing like letting 10 liters of coolant hit the bow river.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Locke

Dont put windshield washer fluid in it.

You have to find out why it leaked out first, if its a hole in the rad, you have a few options, if a hose is leaking you'll have to replace it.

In the summer you could just put water in it, no big deal, but in the winter, especially at sub-zero temps stick with proper coolant.

Or do the macho Red Dawn thing and pee in it.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Or do the macho Red Dawn thing and pee in it.

Imagine the smell if you had a leaky heater core..

[Dion]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Also, please clean up the green snow and sh*t if its all over the ground.. Nothing like letting 10 liters of coolant hit the bow river.

Or someones dog or cat licking it up which would kill them.

[Eric Vail]

I once had a low coolant, and so I simply filled it up and didn't worry about it. Later I discovered after blowing my engine, that the head gasket had gone and the collant was mixing with my oil. My engine was not getting proper lubrication and was now toast.

Get your coolant problem checked out because it could lead to a wrecked engine.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

I once had a low coolant, and so I simply filled it up and didn't worry about it. Later I discovered after blowing my engine, that the head gasket had gone and the collant was mixing with my oil. My engine was not getting proper lubrication and was now toast.

Get your coolant problem checked out because it could lead to a wrecked engine.

A good way to test for this.. Run the car outside on a slight uphill slope. If you see green coolant dripping from the exhaust after a few mins you've got a blown head gasket.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

so the incredibly stupid question I have is... should I just refill it with windshield washer fluid?

Last night I brought this up to a buddy who is a mechanic. A couple of key points he reminded me of:

Antifreeze/coolant provides lubrication as well as rust protection. Windshield washer fluid does not.
The boiling point of w/w fluid would be extremely low. Different types of alcohol have boiling points between 64 to 80 degrees C. With alcohol being the prime ingredient in w/w fluid, I wouldn't count on it have a BP higher than 75-85. My car runs it's coolant at 90 degrees, so water would work better than w/w fluid.

So I know you've already been told not to use it- now you know why.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Last night I brought this up to a buddy who is a mechanic. A couple of key points he reminded me of:

Antifreeze/coolant provides lubrication as well as rust protection. Windshield washer fluid does not.
The boiling point of w/w fluid would be extremely low. Different types of alcohol have boiling points between 64 to 80 degrees C. With alcohol being the prime ingredient in w/w fluid, I wouldn't count on it have a BP higher than 75-85. My car runs it's coolant at 90 degrees, so water would work better than w/w fluid.

So I know you've already been told not to use it- now you know why.

I'm pretty sure as the system pressurizes it raises the boiling point. Thats why you can run straight water during the summer. Still though, washer fluid isnt a suitable replacement.

[AvsJerk]

Don't put windshield fluid in your radiator...it's an even thinner viscosity than antifreeze so it will probably just leak out too. What you need to do is find something thicker, like maple syrup...that should fix it right up. I also seem to remember a McGyver episode where he had a radiator riddled with bullet holes, Mac cracked a couple of eggs into the radiator and the heat from the engine cooked the eggs and sealed the leaks...so maybe try that if the maple syrup doesn't work.