View Full Version : so how bad did i screw up?
marntson
08-26-2006, 10:09 AM
so last night i was out preparing the truck for our road trip, was getting really late but i was almost done. noticed the new gallon of windshield cleaner in the garage, so i went out and started topping the tank off. after puoring just shy of half a gallon into my coolant reservoir i realized what the hell i was doing.
so my question is how bad is this for your engine? i am going to get it flushed, just hoping i dont do any damage on the way.
lesson learned here..... when youre really tired and your brain says stop working on the truck and go to bed.....DO IT.
blktbz
08-26-2006, 10:11 AM
ouch...i dont know if you should drive it..maybe drain it in your driveway, cause once the stuff gets flowing, who knows what damage migh be done...but windshield washre stuff is highly diluted, mostly made up of water....its hard to say, im sure somebody will now, those were just my initial thoughts and reactions.:)
WildRich70
08-26-2006, 10:15 AM
Drive it and see what happens then tell us about it ...But in all truth Drain it buddy ....It may delay your trip but do not tell this to anyone ,people will laugh ...lol Like I did reading your post ....Hope you have a good road trip after
MTPockets
08-26-2006, 10:29 AM
If it's the blue stuff, all the alcohol should boil off, leaving behind some water and blue dye. I wouldn't worry about damage, but would do a coolant flush ASAP.
Joel
marntson
08-26-2006, 10:37 AM
yeah i really didnt want to tell anyone one but i figured i would brighten your guys saturday with a good laugh first thing in the morning. i did let it idle for about 20 minutes last night then drove it around the neighborhood a couple times. the temp guage was slightly higher than normal(barely noticable), but other than that it ran fine.
i am taking it to get flushed in about a half hour soo i guess we will never know the long term effects of this:raspberry
thanks guys for all the help in the past with mods and maintenance, glad i could repay you in laughs:D
sincerely, mike (trailvoy comic relief squad)
tblazed
08-26-2006, 10:51 AM
I would have simply disconnected the coolant reservoir hose at the radiator filler neck and drained it out before I ran the engine, and rinse out the reservoir with a garden hose. Then refill with 50/50 Dex Cool water mix. Only way it would have mixed in the engine cooling system was when you ran the engine up to temp then shut off, it would draw the washer fluid mix back into the radiator as it cooled.
Menthol
08-26-2006, 11:31 AM
How bad did you screw up ! they say when you do that, you engine disintegrates at the 80 mile mark after. So how long is you trip?:D
I agree with Tblazed providing you realized your mistake prior to starting the engine. Just disconnect it from the radiator, drain it, and fill it back up. You can purge the rest of the system if it makes you feel better.
Don't worry I know someone that put hydraulic fluid into an oil servicing cart. We ended up pulling 16 hour shifts for the next 3 weeks fixing his mistake (on F-16s). That guy probably felt like an idiot and he had some people pissed off at him.
ghoster
08-26-2006, 12:09 PM
I've NEVER done anything that silly.....really....never....I swear it!:D
My favorite similar story involves my first wife. I got home from work one day and she tells me her car was low on oil. She tells me she filled it up so everything is fine now. knowing my first wife as I did, I asked her exactly where did you fill it up? She said she unscrewed the cap on top of the engine that said "oil" on it. That was a sigh of relief because I was expecting to here she poured it in the gas tank or radiator. I asked if she was sure it was full, and she said yes. So about an hour later I decided to go check the car out. As I am heading to her car, I pass the trash can by the garge and notice it was FULL of empty oil bottles. I knew that couldn't be good. I opened the hood of the car and everything appeared to be fine. I unscrewed the oil fill cap, and sure enough it was full. She had poured oil in until she could see it through the hole. That took a while to fix. :cool:
I bet OPEC really loved her. At least you should have been able to use the oil again.
ghoster
08-26-2006, 12:13 PM
I bet OPEC really loved her. At least you should have been able to use the oil again.
yeah...I ditched that wife and kept the car.:D
I've NEVER done anything that silly.....really....never....I swear it!:D
My favorite similar story involves my first wife. I got home from work one day and she tells me her car was low on oil. She tells me she filled it up so everything is fine now. knowing my first wife as I did, I asked her exactly where did you fill it up? She said she unscrewed the cap on top of the engine that said "oil" on it. That was a sigh of relief because I was expecting to here she poured it in the gas tank or radiator. I asked if she was sure it was full, and she said yes. So about an hour later I decided to go check the car out. As I am heading to her car, I pass the trash can by the garge and notice it was FULL of empty oil bottles. I knew that couldn't be good. I opened the hood of the car and everything appeared to be fine. I unscrewed the oil fill cap, and sure enough it was full. She had poured oil in until she could see it through the hole. That took a while to fix. :cool:
My wife did the same thing to the lawn mower several years ago. Oil coming out of every concievable crevice!!!
My wife did the same thing to the lawn mower several years ago. Oil coming out of every concievable crevice!!!
My neighbor did that to her lawn mower a couple weeks ago. She comes over to my house, knocks on the door, and says," I filled my lawn mower up w/ oil 'cause it was low; now there is oil coming out everywhere! Do you think you can fix it?" :eek: :yes: :rolleyes:
MTPockets
08-27-2006, 10:02 AM
I would have simply disconnected the coolant reservoir hose at the radiator filler neck and drained it out before I ran the engine, and rinse out the reservoir with a garden hose. Then refill with 50/50 Dex Cool water mix.....
:duh: Yeah thats true! Had the OP not run the truck, all you'd have to do is address the overflow bottle! The squirter juice would have just stayed isolated in there.
Joel