Orange, All Season stuff, good for zero degrees. I'm thinking with wind chill, zero was not good enough.

 

Add me to the list. My 2015 F-150 not spraying...my wife's 2014 Focus spray's fine.
Both sit outside. both have the same fluid. $5/gallon de-icing fluid.

I copied the TSB above. my brother in law is my Ford Salesman.

I'm gonna tap him in the nard's until he gets it taken care of for me!!

 

A time-honored method of achieving results.
May not be appropriate for all dealership interactions . . .

 

On your next service visit to the dealer, make sure to ask what kind of windshield washer fluid they plan on using. Verify before leaving what kind they filled the reservoir.

Usually, the dealer adds the cheapest fluid at 35 degrees it will freeze.

Just a User beware!!


biz

 

If the rating on the bottle is -20° It will become shush much warmer but not solid enough to cause damage. A little slush in a small line without moving fluid may not free itself.

 

I've had the same thing on my 2015 and my friend on his 2016. Something isn't right. I've put new -20F Fluid in and it's freezing at +15 F. Something is definitely wrong with the design. it's a safety issue when the salt makes it hard to see out the window. Not sure what Ford changed but major issue.

And putting booster in for $4 a bottle at 15F is crazy. I've never had to do that before with any truck or car I've owned.

 

It's not the fluid it's the check valve..

 

I’m running the same stuff and my nozzles are frozen all the time. Pisses me off actually. Never had a vehicle with this problem and have lived in the same town/climate for 43 yrs. it’s a Ford F-150 issue on these newer trucks. My 2013 never had an issue.

 

Called my Ford dealer and there is a TSB out on this problem. they have to reroute the hose line and supposed to fix the problem.

Not sure who is going to pay for the work....

 

im surprised in wisconsin theyre not carrying the -50 formulas.. theres 2 older tricks to help lower the freezing point of the washer fluids.. (neither is recommended in this day and age for a specific reason..)

1. Pour a bottle of 90% rated or higher (if you can find it) rubbing alcohol into the washer reservoir. Rubbing Alcohol has a freezing point of -128*F (not sure how big the reservoir is on the 2015+ f150's are.. so you may need more. this was the measurement for the smaller 1/2-3/4 gal tanks)
2. Pour 1-2 bottles of Iso-Heat (yellow bottles found in just about any store with an auto section)

Disclaimer: I am in no way telling you to do this to your vehicles. I take no responsibility in any damage or dissatisfaction with the results.


The reason these methods are no longer advised is because both these substances are flammable items. but have been used to prevent washer line freeze ups. but consider this, washer fluids rated for below freezing use contain a 40-50% methanol to water mix ratio depending on how cold they are rated.. the colder the rating the more methanol thats in them. ones rated to 32-40* tend to contain a 24-30% methanol to water ratio. what is methanol?? a flammable substance.. but if you pay close attention to enough of the window cleaning products youll find the main ingredient in rubbing alcohol is in there.. same with the iso-heat.


racers who wish to make cheap water/methanol boost juice for their supercharged and turbo charged engines will grab below freezing rated washer fluid and spike it with the iso heat to get them to the preferred 50/50 mix.

wow... just realized how old the original thread was... lol was in the new post thread section..

 

What isn't recommended in this day and age or, what is the alternative?

 

unfortunately its hard to tell if thats meant to be sarcasm reading the post.. which i get it if it was... but answering the question anyways in case someone is really wondering.. adding the alcohol and iso-heat isnt recommended anymore because they're flammable substance.. "omg my window caught fire"... but if your having a problem an old school solution will work and there's no other solutions then i agree what else you going to do? live with the problem you cant fix because its not advised?

 

One of the biggest problems with the supposed -15 washer fluids is that they get that rating by using methanol (please don't use isopropyl alcohol as some have recommended - it is NOT friendly to rubber, paint and some other system components).


You squirt your windshield and everything seems fine. The check valve in the line closes and the fluid that is trapped in the spray nozzle undergoes alcohol evaporation. Frozen nozzles! (sounds vaguely painful).


If you live in an area that gets seriously cold, spend the bucks and get a fluid that contains propylene glycol which is what they deice aircraft with. Or, if you're seriously cheap, yank out the check valve and replace it with a piece of plastic tubing. That way the fluid drains back into the bottle after each spray. Personally, I use Prestone winter wash and have never had a problem.


There are also a couple of companies that make washer fluid heaters that go in the fluid line. I installed one on my F350 years ago. Only problem was finding a spot near the washer bottle to install the unit and that fact that it draws 70 amps when you hit the washer button so it has to be wired directly to the battery with some hefty cable. But it does look cool on sub zero days when you hit the washers and out comes a stream of steaming fluid.

 

I've been using windshield washer fluid for many years, it's never caught fire. If it was a hazard we'd have heard about it by now.

 

the old school tricks do work.. by time you've added it to the larger capacity tanks that are on vehicles today its so thinned out its not going to harm the things.. but if you wish to add more methanol it can be bought at most performance car shops..

which btw.. the prestone washer fluids for their winter mixes are mostly methanol. it only contains less than 1% ethylene glycol (antifreeze). 60% water and less than 1% silicon..

many of those fluid heaters also have drawbacks of their own.. some will heat the fluid hot enough that when the heated fluid hits your windshields it causes to crack from the sudden shock of the heated fluid on the cold windshield.. in addition to that they can also melt the plastic Y/T fitting ntm nozzles used on vehicles today..

wasnt referring to the washer fluid by itself.. was referring to the old school additions to it which is why its not recommended to do it anymore..