First Hard Freeze - Ford Designers Will Make You Pay a Hard Price

[Wazzat]

I saw a gator frozen in a pond in South Carolina on the news this morning. Apparently, the hybernate when the waters get this cold. I did not know that.

It might explain our gator teams/athletes performance the past couple of years in certain sports.

I believe that to be an inaccurate statement. Well, maybe partially accurate. If in fact the gator truly was in SC, then it must have been at Hilton Head Island, which is pretty close to Savannah, GA, which means it wandered from Gainesville, FL - obviously looking for Burrito Brothers fresh ? guac and enchiladas. Poor lost Gator . There is, and always will be, next year ???

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[Bucko]

I believe that to be an inaccurate statement. Well, maybe partially accurate. If in fact the gator truly was in SC, then it must have been at Hilton Head Island, which is pretty close to Savannah, GA, which means it wandered from Gainesville, FL - obviously looking for Burrito Brothers fresh ? guac and enchiladas. Poor lost Gator . There is, and always will be, next year ???

Had to be accurate; it was on the news.

 

[RWT]

FYI, 2 for $4 at Tractor Supply.

 

[Robins21]

NORMAL. Every vehicle that I ever have had has done that & I have been driving since 1975. You have to make sure you have the winter washer fluid in it for cold weather. Like RWT posted before me use the proper fluid in the washers & it will not freeze.

 

[sajohnson]

From the OP (post #26):

"I truly wish there were more to this story.
They sell a summer and a winter formula for the washer fluid here in Texas.
Says right on the label +32F.
I bought a few gallons of the summer mix (it was probably less expensive), and had filled the reservior with the last of it by fall.
I didn't even think to cycle it out as I've never had this issue happen either.
We had a very hard freeze here last week (single digit).
The driver's side spray nozzle mounted on the hood split right down the middle.
That didn't just happen coincidentally the same night of the freeze.
Best I can figure, the design leaves fluid in the nozzle from the last spray, I suppose, to keep the line primed.
Like I said in the beginning, I get it, I should have changed the fluid.
Lesson learned, and I will never buy the summer formula again.
It's a bit annoying they sell a difference at all."

~~~

In hindsight, it's easy for someone reading that to think/say, "Well *I* would never do that!"

Maybe not, but there can be no doubt that many intelligent, conscientious people have.

It's like someone saying, "I would never leave the garden hose running when filling the kids' pool, or forget the pot of pasta on the stove." OK, but we know stuff like that happens. People forget things -- major and minor -- all the time.

Knowing that, engineers are constantly trying to make products that rely less on human intervention. Using things like tire pressure, oil level, and oil life monitors for example.

Unless/until we have "washer fluid freeze point monitors" it makes sense to use fluid with a reasonably low freezing point -- like the commonly sold -20*F fluid (or lower in northern tier states).

Here's a good thread on this exact subject:

 

[coopny]

In New York, the only time I've seen +32F wiper fluid is the summer edition of Rain-X, with the promise that it contains additional compounds to clean off bug splatter from the windshield.

Everything else I've seen on store shelves, including basic stuff at grocery stores, discount stores, auto parts stores, etc. is rated to minimum -20F.

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