[Gumpajim]

What kind of juice are we to run in winter? Window washer fluid?

Jim

[bitabur]

Either keep it empty (or half empty, as the manual suggests), or run a mix of water and pure alcohol, with enough alcohol that it won't freeze.

You probably won't need the spray in the winter anyway though....

[mkewrx]

Is there an easier way to take the water out ofthe tank other than keep pushing the i/c button?

[Xman]

probably not any easier way. I can think of some good excuses to have to keep spraying

[bitabur]

How hard is it to disconnect the bottle and take it out....?

[mkewrx]

I will be trying that this weekend. Looks like the temperatures around here are going down like mad!!

[bitabur]

That should be a good thing.... at least from an IC point of view....


cold temps = no need for water spray.

[crashsti]

i was just at the dealer and they brought up draining the I/C water tank. i was going to do it anyway, just run it dry. while there the mechanic mentioned that some people have asked about running winshield washer fluid or the water/alcohol mix. now...i was given a really good reason not to run the water/alcohol mix. the line from the tank to the intercooler runs through the inside of the car. now alcohol is flammable, as is windshield washer fluid. if say something sparked or there was a fire that would burn as well and although it may not be catastrophic it could be bad enough. just run the tank dry, if its cold enough that water will freeze you won't need to spray anyway.

[bitabur]

yea, probably right..... alcohol burns cold though.

[ValvetrainEngineer]

For the first winter, I'm going with the mfg recommendations and just keeping it half full (this is the easiest solution). IF something breaks due to ice expansion, it's under warranty. I wouldn't advise running the pump dry, generally pumps don't like to run dry and you may have to prime it to get it started next year...

[mx270a]

While you may be able to get the pump dry, you won't get all of the lines dry. There will always be some amount of water still in the lines. Hopefully not enough to do damage though.

-Lance

[crashsti]

the pump is more than likely self-priming. where i live i am not going to be needing the water spray over the winter anyway. i did'nt run the tank dry either, just until the light came on. of course now i have to look at the darn I/C spray light. i think this is more of an issue in places where it gets below freezing at night and hot during the day. Like the desert.

[abdi]

I put a mixture of 70% distilled water and 30% methanol. This is what Delta Airlines and the Air Force use to keep water from freezing in airplanes. It's safe enough to use without having to worry about combustion in an accident or some kind of crazy event. I will run this all year long. Methanol evaporates really fast, helping dissapate heat away faster, than just water. I would think that if you use a similar mixture with alchohol you could attain the same results.
Tell me what you guys think?

[Xman]

sounds good, but not really necessary. Definitely wouldn't hurt anything that I am aware of.

What I don't understand is why would anyone need the I/C during cold periods??? The whole point of the I/C is to cool the intercooler which already is fed by a giant hood scoop feeding it cool/cold air. I would think the water spray to be a mute point when it's cold outside. No? If the air is below freezing then logicaly the water will be warmer than the air or else it will be frozen.