Meth % in commonly available washer fluids
 

Anyone have any good info on this? I'd been using the supertech "blue" fluid and recently picked up a few gallons of the Supertech "yellow" (-30*) fluid, which should be a little richer, does anyone know the % of these?

If we could get some sort of list going of which contains what I think it would be very useful.

Here's a link to a posting on another forum which has the answer:
http://www.enginerunup.com/can-i-use...d-/info_22.php

Additionally, they have links to the MSDS forms for each. It's probably safe to say that washer fluids from different manufacturers will have similar percentages of methanol for a given temperature rating, since a manufacturer will tend to use the minimum amount required to achieve the stated rating.

I'll add that depending on the cost of washer fluid in your area you may actually find it cheaper to buy straight Methanol (in the form of racing fuel) from a speed shop or drag strip in your area. I found it at a local VW based hot-rod shop for $4.99 per gallon (VP brand M1) which makes it cheaper than the -20 washer fluid I saw recently in Reno, NV after you dilute it down.

Nice link, seems my -30 should be around 41% then.

i dunno 40% seemms kinda high on my home mix 40% seems alot stronger then WW fluid. hell 30% seems stronger i would wager it is more like 10% depending on the brand. ive had some stronger than others. so a few might be 30-40% but i dunno. + they go by % in total mass where as i go in% via effective volume. so i would have to do the molar math to figrue how i stack up on there scale. anybody know the chemical formula for mehtanol?

CH3OH, 32.04 g/mol. Density 0.7918 g/cm^3.

Wikipedia is our friend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanol

Since water has a density of roughly 1, I'd guess it would be sufficient to say that to achieve 30% methanol by mass you would mix roughly 38% methanol by volume.

thanks.

does this help? found it while looking on Devils Own forum.

Attachment 209950

Help? I think that = /thread! Great find sir!

so this is the one example on the internet of a "noob" "digging up an old thread" that was a huge success!?

I have 24 gallons of the Splash -20*F, the first one on the list. Bought 24 gallons for 14 bucks a while back. Glad I now know the % meth in it. Just need to turbo my car and put WI on it...

55 gallon drum of mine only has bout 15 gallons left lol :P

Magna my man! Start a thread and let us know what have you've been up to. I see it hasn't been grammar classes! :giggle:

I for one have decided that MSMjohn isn't much of a noob!

Good job!

Just picked up some splash -25 deg windshield washer fluid at Walmart for $2 a gallon. It has red dye in it. Splash -25 deg windshield washer fluid is 41% methanol according to the chart above. If you shake the bottle up the bubbles go away in few seconds just like water.

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/5...104/180828.jpg

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/5...104/180842.jpg

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/5...104/180811.jpg

I like this thread. I'm going to sticky it for a while.

/\ great idea...didnt know methanol was so easy to get and cheap before this thread

HEET is 99% methanol. I bought a 4 pack at Walmart for $4.95. Here is what a 4 pack looks like.

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/5...105/141511.jpg

http://media4.dropshots.com/photos/5...124/134749.jpg

http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/5...105/141532.jpg

so it comes out to roughly 15 bux a gallon? not bad for 99% i guess...you can buy 100% meth online for about 22 plus shipping, so this is much cheaper.

I guess this is showing the newbness, but what's the advantage of going with a higher concentration of meth? I've been looking for a safe way to increase timing for a more responsive motor with more bottom end torque.

The adavantage is an octane boost and your shit doesnt freeze as readily in the winter.

If you want to check Meth concentrations on walmart products check this out

Material Safety Data Sheets

you can also see if it contains products other than water and meth.

I found some more windshield washer we can use at K Mart

Here are some pictures of it

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/5...7/b_200526.jpg

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/5...7/b_200831.jpg

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/5...7/b_201044.jpg

Here is the MSDS

http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/msds/256131.pdf

At K Mart I bought splash -30 de-icer premium windshield washer it is.

38% methanol by weight
41% methanol by volume

When I shook it up the bubbles went away quickly. Just water & methanol & a little bit of red die in it.

It was $3.49 per gallon.

Home Depot is currently carrying Winter Warrior De-Icer washer fluid. It's rated at -30 and doesn't stay foamy when shaken. It's made by South Win LTD but they dont have MSDS on their website. Searches suggest 40%ish.

oh wait, found the msds at home depot

Water 50- 70 %
Methanol 30-50 %
Propylene Glycol 1 -5 %

The last item suggests it's a bad idea. I will try to find something else.

OT - thanks for the reminder. I'm pretty sure my folks who are watching over my Miata back in Jax have been filling the reservoir with distilled water, and it does drop below freezing some nights.

What does the shaking and checking for bubbles do?

Check for soap?

Look at the MSDS safety sheet for any juice you want to run in your engine. As Y8s said above, it will state what the actual contents are. Shaking doesn't necessarily tell you what's in there.

FWIW I've been rocking Peak -20 for several months and it works. Yay.

Update to Wal Mart MSDS link:

Wercs UPC/Barcode - Powered By The Wercs

Super Tech 0°F Washer Fluid is commonly available in my area for $1.88/gallon. MSDS says 25% Methanol by weight with no other hazardous components. That equates to ~31% Methanol by volume. Not bad. Think I'll start using it.

FYI:
1 Gallon of Water = 8.35 pounds
1 Gallon of Methanol = 6.6 pounds