Very seldom do I use my washer fluid, but when I do it stinks - really bad. It does not smell like cleaning chemicals or what not, but more like rotting, mildew, or a dead animal (something of that sort). It is a really bad smell. I have only used Rain-X All Season fluid, and I cannot remember the last time I re-filled. More so, I have only bought one jug since November 2008, and have yet to run out (hints how much I use it).

Question: Why would the fluid stink? Anyone else have this problem?

Also, how should I go about cleaning the washer fluid tank and/or draining the current fluid? Thanks in advance.

 

turn recirc on so air doesnt come from outside and flush out your washer fluid lol

 

I think it is mildew/rotting which is why it smells like that... I never use mine either so I just removed the whole tank it's in my closet lol.

 

Yeah, likely something growing in the tank. You need to clean it out. You can either remove the tank, or you could try to clean it out while it's still in the car. You'd have to improvise on that, probably something like get all the nasty fluid out, run some vinegar/water through it, then refill with fresh fluid.

No idea how you can go so long without using it. I go through tons of fluid. In the winter as much as a gallon a month.

 

Haven't used mine since I moved down here. Like you, I used to go through a gallon a month in winter, easily. Sometimes it seemed like every time I was gassing up, I'd have to buy another bottle of washer fluid. Damn road salt.

The calcium chloride they use in some areas is even worse. It doesn't eat your car as badly as regular salt, but it is much harder to get off.

 

I'll try to just flush it out this weekend and clean with it in the car. In the event this does not help, I will attempt to remove the tank and clean it that way. I guess I should just use the fluid more often.

 

I go through so much in the winter too. The other night we had snowstorm Dana come through with 12-18" of snow and i had crap all over my windshield so I sprayed them and wiped and all of a sudden my wiper snapped off and was left with only my passenger side wiper in the middle of a blizzard lmao. I haven't had to on my lancer, but on some of my other cars I had to take out my resevoir and clean it like otter said with vinegar, there was mildew build up in mine.

 

I have never had this problem with any other vehicle, but the smell is just ****ing horrible. I will get to this some time this weekend.

 

I would pull and empty that reservoir and give it an old fashion, home made distilled white vinegar cleaning solution AND never use Rain-X again.

 

There's nothing wrong with Rain-X's washer fluid. It's all I use.

 

Why?

 

Half-heartedily joking of course, but. . . .

If you've only had Rain-X in the resevoir and it's been in there since Nov. 2008, then there is a high probability that an ingredient in Rain-X created a mini-meth lab in your resevoir.

Rain-X All-season windshield wash with bug remover actually has a pesticide in it that I'm betting fermented due to the heat in Texas and the length of time in the resevoir.

Just an educated guess along with an opinion.

 

That made me LOL.

Thanks.

I was drinking.

Now I need to clean-up...

 

^^ I see what you mean. For those that have removed the tank, how easy/hard was it?

 

This is an issue that happens with many cars with pretty much any brand of fluid. The fluid itself isn't going bad, it's crap that starts growing on the sides of the reservoir. It's very humid in there and it's an ideal place for mold/mildew to grow.