So whos been using windshield washer fluid on their Meth kits?

 

nobody does?

 

It's really common and people have been using WW fluid. Some may concern about the blue dye left on your intake manifold may cause harm, I honestly not sure....plus WW fluid ain't that much cheaper than getting pure methanol and mix it with distilled water 50/50.

 

If you go to www.enginerunup.com you can find pretty good write-ups with the benefits of using windshield wiper fluid. They cover the differences between each and what to be on the look out for. It's pretty dang good. You'd be surprised.

 

From everything that I have read from engineers, you should NOT use WW fluid because it could clog your nozzle (depending on type used). This apparently can happen after the WW fluid dries on the nozzle, leaving deposits (similar to why folks recommend distilled h20). IMHO, you would likely be fine, especially if you keep an eye on it, but it would be easier to just run straight denatured alk...Most recommend running either 100% denatured alk. or 75% Meth / 25% distilled h20...

 

As far as the clogging of the nozzle, you're right, it depends on the type you use which is why you should read the MSDS for each brand. There are clear guidances out there as to what to look for and what to stay away from. From my understanding, the windshiled wiper fluid (again depending on which type used) can actually keep your combustion chamber and nozzle pretty clean. Here is something that is posted on the Engine Runup website.

Engine Runup information: Some engines get the best gains from straight water, and some with straight methanol, and some with a water/methanol mix. How much methanol, well that is up to what your engine prefers, and every engine is different. We recommend to start with straight water, and then see the results. Then, try a 10% meth/water mix, being sure to purge the straight water from the lines, and then see the results. Do this for 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50%, etc.... If during this process, you notice your performance decrease, then don't try any higher of a mixture. Revert back to the previous amounts and use what works best. If you are going to use a water/methanol mixture, the easiest (and cheapest) is to buy the blue windshield washer fluid that is used during winter time to prevent the fluid from freezing. It may sound cheap ($1.29-$1.99 per gallon), but it is just as good as any methanol/water mixture you would make otherwise. The blue is just a dye, and an extremely insignificant amount (<1%). Some of the washer fluids, such as RainX, contain cleaning additives, but this is easily determined by shaking the bottle and seeing if it suds up like soapy water. If it does, don't buy it, but if it doesn't, then it is good to use. There are many different brands out there, but they all have common amounts of methanol for their respective temperature rating, regardless of the brand. We have many MSDS's (Material Safety Data Sheets) from different companies to support the following data, but only one per temperature rating is available for viewing, which is representative of all the brands (within a few percent) that produce that specific temperature rating.

+20 F Washer Fluid - Contains approximately 7% methanol.
0 F Washer Fluid - Contains approximately 23% methanol.
-10 F Washer Fluid - Contains approximately 28% methanol.
-20 F Washer Fluid - Contains approximately 35% methanol.
-25 F Washer Fluid - Contains approximately 38% methanol.
-50 F Washer Fluid - Contains approximately 62% methanol.

 

thanks pure_evo

 

Why would ww fluid clog the nozzle of your alky kit, but not the nozzle of your windshield sprayers?

 

It doesn't. There are just many rules of thought out there...theories if you would about things that no one really confirms or denies.

 

Is there any difference between distilled water and windshield wiper fluid other than the blue dye in the wwf?

 

distilled water = pure H2O

WWF = dye + surfactant/detergent + water + methanol in varying concentrations + glycols

run your own mix of methanol/water to ensure consistency

 

I prefer either running 100% denatured alcohol or 100% methanol. If I had to choose one over the other, I'd go the methanol route. There are several ways to have it shipped to you if there is none available in your location. I know you'd get different opinions depending upon who you ask but mine is methanol is the way to go.

 

Great info learning alot thanks