# I put windshield washer fluid in my coolant tank
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 16, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896 "2020-05-16T01:55:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896/1 "2020-05-16T01:55:25Z")
I was out and when I put it in I was in a hurry. A couple of days later I got the warning light that I was out which I thought couldn’t be right, but when I checked the tank was down to less than an inch. That is when I realized my mistake.
So I filled both. So my car was running on windshield wiper fluid as a coolant for a couple of days. No harm was done, it’s mostly water. Not that one should do that for any length of time.
The only reason I don’t feel like a complete idiot is that when I went to Google and typed in “I put windshield wiper fluid in…” it auto-filled with "my coolant tank. "
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### Author:  [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896/2 "2020-05-16T02:00:07Z")
Better than vise-versa.
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### Author:  [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896/3 "2020-05-16T03:21:14Z")
Been there, done that. You’ll be OK.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2020, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896/4 "2020-05-16T05:27:36Z")
I don’t think I’d worry too much about it. I’d probably fill it up with water and drive it for a day or two, drain that and refill it properly.
> [@](#):
>
> That is when I realized my mistake
I would imagine you could smell your mistake as soon as you took the radiator cap off. Now, I don’t know what hot wiper fluid smells like, but hot coolant is pretty distinct.
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### Author:  [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2020, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-put-windshield-washer-fluid-in-my-coolant-tank/853896/5 "2020-05-16T07:12:35Z")
I’m not worried. I must have put a half a gallon into the coolant tank and it’s all gone, burned away after just a few miles of driving. But thank god I did not go on a long drive after making this mistake. Could have ruined the whole engine.
Reminds of of the time when I was 16, driving an MG Midget (piece of crap), from Radford to Roanoke, VA, on Interstate 81, about 40 miles, to get tickets for a Bob Segar concert. Broke down on the highway halfway there, there was no oil. I had completely forgotten to check it. Probably for days. Engine completely destroyed.
The good news is that it led to me getting a '66 Mustang. White with black interior, white lettering on the tires.
I wish I had the VIN number, I would track that car down much like the Steve McQueen Mustang was finally tracked down, and I would buy it just for old time’s sake.
It is probably in a junk yard collecting rust, much like I am now, at 57.
As Neil Young sang, Rust Never Sleeps. But maybe it’s creep can be slowed down.