Freezing washer jets?

Today I had the privilege of driving my new 2020 Taco in the snow for the first time. Living in Colorado, this is one of the reasons I drive a 4wd truck.

Took my kid to dance practice about 45 minutes away. During that drive the drivers side washer jet didn’t work. Not a big deal as the roads weren’t too bad yet. I knocked some ice off and poked the jet with a pen tip. Took a sec but then it was working again.

The drive home was longer with rapidly diminishing road conditions. No ice had built up in the meantime so I gave the washers no thought and got on the freeway. Neither jet worked at all! There was no ice or other blockage visible from the cab. I managed to make it home without having to stop and fix it. I’m going to figure it out tomorrow (fuggin cold out now).

Anybody have a clue what’s up though? I’ve had washer jets blocked by ice before but no vehicle I’ve ever had had the washers just stop working. Is there something stupid about the jets or does Toyota use freezing washer fluid? I thought all washer fluid had anti freeze properties to it?

 

Some washer fluid is rated to a lower temp then others. I'd start by buying new fluid and go from there.

 

If that happens again pour room temp water on the jet which doesn't work and try them again. Sometimes water from melted snow will plug up the nozzles

 

Only certain washer fluid won’t freeze. Your lines are probably just frozen from the factory fluid.

 

No. In my area, they sell "summer" washer fluid that freezes at 32F, and "winter" washer fluid that freezes at -30 to -40F depending on brand, just varying percentages of alcohol content. "Summer" fluid is a bit cheaper and is advertised to clean bug splatter better (though I haven't noticed a difference). Not sure what the factory fill is, and it may be different from the Toyota-branded washer fluid at the dealer parts counter.

 

I always use 20/20. Never had a problem even below 0.

 

You are new to a location with below freezing temperatures?

You need winter washer fluid blend that doesn’t freeze.

 

I’m not new to the area. It’s a new truck. Purchased here in CO. It does seem likely that it’s the fluid freezing. I was just caught off guard as that’s never happened to me before and I’ve been doing this stuff for a long time.

I’ll try a different fluid tomorrow. High is supposed to be about 15. Should make for a good test.

 

Up in we use -40°C windshield washer fluids. Some use summer fluid that works better for bugs and stuff like that. Myself I'm using year round the super cold kind so the lines and pump don't freeze.

 

I'd try blowing back from the jets to the reservoir, being careful not to blow out the pump. Could be a small piece of something that snuck into the reservoir when refilled. I'd also empty the reservoir and screen the contents thru a filter just for ha-ha's. If there's any kind of crud in there, I'd bust the dealer's stones. Rinse thoroughly and refill with a lower freezing point.

 

Fluid in the tubes leading to the jets freeze before the fluid in the reservoir, and if it already frozen, adding winter washer fluid won’t melt the already frozen fluid inside the tubes and nets. If you idle the engine for 15mins after it heats up, heat from the engine will most likely thaw the tubes.

or park inside a heated garage for half an hour or so.

 

Dealer probably topped off fluid with water or used summer blend 32 degree washer fluid. Happened 2 times to coworker's of mine.
First was a new CRV serviced in Denver at a Honda dealer. First 0 degree day (yes they can happen in October at 9000') washer fluid tank froze and cracked. Dealer replaced at their cost, still cost him time. Another coworker moved from Florida and her car had same summer fluid, we were able to thaw it with heat lamp and -20 winter fluid.
I always look at what temp washer fluid is rated at after this.

Regardless is your still seeing this thread tonight run the windshield washer sprayer until empty refill with -20 fluid tomorrow

 

I always just add the left over popov vodka to the reservoir and it keeps it liquid. It also smells like vodka when u clean up the windshield so you can always blame the “alcohol smell” on your truck when u get pulled over .

 

Haha it'll work!
I had an Eagle Talon back in the day, the damn door locks were always frozen! I was a bartender, so I'd bring a bottle of rail vodka out, worked every time. Probably should have looked for fix, but what 20 something year old has time for that?

 

Definitely frozen tubes. Every year, when I was stationed in a cold climate, I would have to educate my new troops coming from warmer climates about making sure their vehicles were winterized. It never failed that one of them wouldn't listen and I'd get a call "Sarnt I can't get the ice off my windshield" or "man that drive was crazy. I was basically blind because nothing was coming out of the windshield sprayer."

The tubes freeze faster than the reservoir, keep that in mind as well.

 

Up in the great white north , you gotta make sure youve got that summer stuff out of the resevoir before it gets too cold or your resevoir will crack in half from ice expansion .

 

Couple of years ago I helped somebody get into their car by dipping their key into a big blob of hand sanitizer (we always keep that in our vehicles)...they washed their car the night before.

 

wind chill factor

look at the graph for outside temp....... then speed o vehicle

windshield fluid is sold with anti freee solutions of various type

some are not good as they dont freeze yet they dont clean salt/muck off the windshield

in VA it gets cold yet not like the midwest or mountains

i use WINDEX...........straight Windex

hasnt let me down yet

 

Windex contains water with nothing to keep it from freezing. The MSDS states that it will freeze at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Also, original Windex contains Ammonia, which will dry out and ruin any rubber components it comes in contact with, like the windshield washer hoses, the rubber trim around your windshield, and possibly the windshield wipers. They do make an ammonia free version.

 

I live at 7000' in south-central Colorado, use orange RainX 2-in-1 De-icer with bug remover fluid all year, on numerous vehicles, for over 20 years, and never had the washer bottle to sprayers freeze up.