speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

Has anyone else had this issue?

I ran blue -20F washer fluid through my FJO water injection kit for a few years, and I was injecting it right around where the power steering pump is. Overall it was fantastic, and I noticed when I broke the engine down that for once I didn't have little cracks next to the spark plug holes on the inside of the housing.

However, I did notice deposits in the throttle body, like a blueish-white powder from the fluid pooling and evaporating, along with some pitting over time. Also, it got into the threads of the air bleed screw and seized the screw. I ended up breaking the throttle body trying to get that screw to move. I replaced the throttle body and haven't run WI again until I figure out a solution.

For a while now I've been using the washer bottle. I've thought of having a separate tank made and getting a new washer fluid bottle, because I'd like to keep the wipers and fluid functional. But I'd also like to just keep using the bottle. I'm planning on starting to mix my own water/meth and see if it still leaves deposits. I'm also wondering if I can use that mix on the windshield so I can keep using the washer bottle.

Does anyone have any experience with using a homemade water/meth mix as washer fluid and/or have issues with blue washer fluid or homemade water/meth mix leaving deposits and corroding anything?

Shainiac

iTrader: (7)

I run the red -30F stuff and have noticed the inside of piping and throttle body have white residue. I haven't had any real issues so to speak. My IAT sensor still reads exactly the same as CLT when the engine is dead cold and responds normally when hot. Ill have my engine apart in the next few weeks for a refresh and porting and Ill chime in if I see anything weird.

speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

I never noticed any issues with the IAT sensor, just with pitting from the residue.

How long have you been using that mix? Where do you have your injector? Which kit are you using? Thanks for your input! I'm interested to see what the inside of your engine looks like.

Shainiac

iTrader: (7)

I've used it for the last 6 months, driving the car 300 miles a week and using over a gallon of fluid. I'm using the AEM V1 kit with a coolingmist 550cc injector.

rotaryfreak3

I believe methanol is the ingredient used in washer fluid to keep it from freezing, so you should be able to put a 50/50 water/meth mix in your washer reservoir. I'm pretty sure I've heard of people doing that before.

speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

Ok thanks for the info!

Yes it is. I probably won't go that high, maybe about 30% meth/70% water like the washer fluid usually is. My only concern is since water and meth are pretty much the only two ingredients of the washer fluid I was using, I fear that my homemade mix will still leave the same deposits resulting in the same corrosion.

I was wondering if a homemade water meth mix would be OK to use on the windshield, but I guess it should be since that's pretty much what washer fluid is anyway.

Shaman

Washer fluid has things other than water and methanol. Diesel haulers have done used oil analysis and found alot of "new" particles after running washer fluid. I have experienced the same thing that you have with your mix. The simplest way to avoid it is distilled water and methanol mix.

If I ever install a kit that has a failsafe, I will use a distilled water meth mix only.

lOOkatme

iTrader: (19)

Just go with the distilled water and meth mix, let me know where you get it and I will get some as well.

3 gallons meth/2gallons water is a 50/50 mix per weight.

Banzai-Racing

iTrader: (11)

I only run Boost Juice which is Snow Performance’s proprietary mix of 49% methanol and 51% water

speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

Interesting. I'm sorry to hear you've had the same issues, but I'm also glad I'm not alone haha. I'll be running distilled water/meth then.

Yeah that's what I'm going to do. I called Lanier's about a year ago already, they have it for a decent price, we just have to bring our own containers.

I'm not sure I want to do 50/50. I was thinking about staying close to 30/70. The seals in the pump are only good to 50/50 so I'm not sure I want to chance wearing those down. And this is mainly as a safety net too, not so much trying to make power with it.

If I decide to do close to 50/50 I would look at using this. Snow Performance is kinda local to us anyway. I'm guessing you don't have any issues with deposits like I've had?

Sgtblue

iTrader: (16)

Thanks for posting. Good to know. Typically I only run distilled. The car goes up for the winter in a heated garage but for the "just in case" scenario I run some washer fluid in before I put it up. Assuming that residue is the detergent they use which is probably not doing my filter a lot of good either. Maybe I'll just drain it instead.

speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

Yeah might be better off doing a water/meth mix for the winter. Although some don't seem to have a problem with it.

Shainiac

iTrader: (7)

Just a little update:
I tore me engine down for street porting this winter.
The intake ports were clean and did not have the same reside the intercooler piping had. My guess is because of all the fuel being injected.
The engine looked pristine. This is my first time tearing down a water injected engine and I have to say I'm impressed. It looks like it just came out of the parts washer. Zero carbon anywhere but around that corner seals, and that's probably because I reused old side seals and springs!

Anyways, I will probably continue to use washer fluid, simply because its cheap and available everywhere. I go through a lot of fluid and my house is 40 minutes from my workshop where I would have to mix and store an actual 50/50 mix. I can pick up -30F fluid at the gas station for $3, so kind of hard to argue against.

GoodfellaFD3S

iTrader: (213)

^That's what I've seen when tearing down engines at IRP using washer fluid, including my own.

On my CYM I'm seeing lots of residue in the greddy elbow and TB, but I'm confident the engine internals are squeaky clean

speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

Rich, are you seeing any corrosion where that residue is? I had a really light blue residue, but it was kinda eating away at the metal under that. And it seized the air bleed screw on my old throttle body. I've always loved the results inside the engine though. I want to keep using something, but I don't want to keep going through throttle bodies.

Shainiac

iTrader: (7)

So a little update,
My intercooler has been off the car for a few months while I build a ported engine and upgrade the turbo. When I was cleaning everything up to reinstall, I noticed that the end tank that I was spraying washer fluid in had a lot of corrosion.
It may not be easy to see, but I drilled and tapped the cold side end tank of my little water-air intercooler. Granted, it performed great, I'm a bit worried of how gross the inside of this thing looks. Everything down stream of the nozzle has a thin, white residue that will come off if you rub it, but the border of what saw washer fluid and what didn't looks like it's rusty. I'm assuming the white residue is aluminum oxide, but I have no idea where the red rust would come from. This is after about 6 months of use and approx. 20 gallons of -30* washer fluid. I'm really not sure if this is simply from the methanol or from the detergents in the washer fluid. Either way, the inside of this engine looked pristine.

The hot side of the IC look brand new, as you can see.

Moving forward, I'm switching to pre-compressor injection and straight water. I think this will still provide the knock resistance I'm looking for with little to no downside. I'm also switching to a much much larger heat exchanger and an intercooler with twice the core size to get back any chemical intercooling I'll be missing without the methanol.

speedjunkie

iTrader: (3)

Just be sure to add a little methanol to the mix in the winter, or drain the system. I initially used distilled water but switched to washer fluid after my first winter. It froze and broke the pressure sensor. First (and only) time I've ever seen water come out of an electrical connection lol.

That's weird that there would be rust on aluminum.

Also, I've always been leery about spraying into the turbo because of the erosion of the compressor wheel over time.

TheAsset

iTrader: (11)

I've been spraying distilled water only, I've read about people having issues with the 'Boost Juice' leaving residue as well.

Makes me want to run E85 and not run any sort of auxiliary injection at that point. Although I'd really like to run the 'Boost Juice' as that seems pretty straight forward.

I'll keep on sifting through threads.

Shaman

I'm on E85 and run water methanol as well. Still at 30% meth for winter temps, and reduction of surface tension.

TomU

iTrader: (11)

Would a solenoid help this condition? About to install an AEM unit and opted to forgo a solenoid as the injector has a built in check valve. But is that sufficient?

lOOkatme

iTrader: (19)

I am making my own meth/water mix at 3 galls meth to 2 gals water (by weight mix it is 50/50).


I will report what I get after this summer of driving around on it.

Howard Coleman

iTrader: (6)

Fred Oberbruchner, the "O" as in FJO where he and his brother Fred (as in FJO) told me they have a house drag car, a 1500 hp Camaro, that they run on gas and "bug juice."

at the time i was running 100% meth as AI injectant and if i were to have gone 50/50 i would have bought some distilled water and mixed my own.

i asked him if the windshield cleaner presented any problem. he said that besides water and alcohol it contained soap and a color tint and neither, because they were minimal, presented a problem.

"Overall it was fantastic, and I noticed when I broke the engine down that for once I didn't have little cracks next to the spark plug holes on the inside of the housing. ... The engine looked pristine. This is my first time tearing down a water injected engine and I have to say I'm impressed. It looks like it just came out of the parts washer. Zero carbon anywhere"

i ran my motor for four years on 100% meth and pump. i do think that both water and meth work to keep the internals clean, here's my rotor after four years exactly as it came out of my motor:



now compare to three motors all run on E85, well tuned with two of the "best" E85 premixes:



i am back on good old gasoline and my Alkycontrol 100% meth AI and will shortly prove that in the 500/600 power level gas is just as good as E85 without the E85 crapola.

Howard

Shainiac

iTrader: (7)

Howard,
When i pulled apart my engine for porting over the winter, my rotors looked exactly the same after several months on “bug juice”. I was a bit concerned when I pulled the charge piping and manifold when the engine was in the car. The white residue I saw on the intake parts wasn’t visible on the intake ports or any of the cast iron parts. Part of me thinks it may have just been aluminum oxide from the methanol but the cast iron parts are also exposed to a lot of gasoline that could wash the white powder away.
I also worry that the detergent additives in washer fluid may be counteracting the oil premix. Although my housings looked decent, I’ve considered switching to straight water moving forward.
Do you think straight water / 93 oct. is capable of 600whp reliably?

rotaryfreak3

It has been done by multiple people already. Rice, Raceonly, Green Brothers, etc.

DriftDreamzSS

iTrader: (4)

I was directed to this thread when I discovered my car was having related problems. Im spraying distilled water only with nozzle mounted in the elbow and my car developed oxidation/white residue buildup so thick around the primary throttle plate and in the bypass air port that it significantly effected idle stability, starting and low rpm drivability performance. Do you guys that see this stuff clean at specific intervals to prevent it or what? Im just trying to get a handle on it as I wasn't aware this would be a side affect of AI, it sounds like only positive results and the magic fix for a rotary but now Im finding out there is more to the story. I dont mind a periodic cleaning just interested to hear what others are doing.