Help! My gf put antifreeze as windshield fluid

[nickyp1020]

So i got my 4d badlands about 3 months ago. up to now no one has driven it other than me. I came home from a BAD day at work and needed to run errends. my girlfriend said that she would do them for me if she could drive my truck (somthing shes been begging to do) i was so tired so i just threw her the keys, in disbalef she comes back and had the following conversation with me.
"i topped you off with the green windshield stuff cuz you were low"
what green windshield stuff? whindshield wiper fluid?"
yes"
"green? not purple or blue?
"yeah the green anti freeze stuff from the gas station"
"babe.... show me the fucking bottle"


turns out, its anti freeze. she put ANTI FREEZE IN MY F&&&&&& WINDSHILD WIPER TANK. SO this leaves me wondering, how do i fix this? can i fix this or do i just kill her?

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[flip]

Pull the pump, flush with clear water, pull lines off, fill with washer fluid, run until you see blue again, reinstall lines.

 

[Razorbak86]

First, don’t use the windshield washer. Tape it in the off position.

You or your dealer can access the windshield washer bottle from inside the front passenger fender well by removing the fender liner. It’s pretty easy. Just 4 metal bolts and about 12 trim panel connectors.

EDIT1: Posted at the same time as @flip. Follow his recommendations.

EDIT2: Removal and installation procedures from the Workshop Manual are attached below in a follow-up post.

 

[FormerJeepJunkie]

I don’t have a walkthrough, but you basically remove the washer tank and drain it. It’s really not that big of a deal. I wouldn’t run it with coolant in the tank (not 100% sure if you’ll have a chemical reaction with the two)- but I don’t foresee an issue with just draining it, filling and running it through the pump to clean out the lines. Thank her for her effort to make you happy- trust me.

Much better than adding it to the oil or gas

 

[broadicustomworks]

SO many reaction emojis would work here.
Take the tube/hose off of the washer fluid reservoir, drain it.
Rinse, repeat.
A bit of alcohol after a few cycles, then rinse again and repeat with clean water.
Add washer fluid and continue on living with the non-deceased GF.
And take this as an opportunity to teach a few basic car maint items to her, as she apparently has not had much in the way of self-reliance lessons on basic vehicle upkeep.

Remember in the end she was trying to do the right thing, and it's a minor detail and a bump in the road here.
It's not like she put it in the oil or put diesel in the tank...

 

[Roger123]

Pull the discharge "squirter" hose from under the hood (I don't have my Bronco here but I'm assuming there's a hose that attaches to the "squirter"), run into a bucket, push the button to run out the fluid, re-fill with WWF, have her make you a nice dinner and call it a day.

15Min fix at most with no damage or bad things done.

 

[MayhemMike]

I see an additional personality question being used on the Match.com website in the future.

 

[BlueBronco]

Why did she even have the hood open in the first place and who was she showing off the goods too?? Those are the questions you need to be asking.

 

[‘21OBX]

Lol way better outcome than putting washer fluid in the coolant tank or engine oil fill. Drain rinse repeat. Go buy flowers take her to dinner apologize if you lost it and laugh about it for years to come.

 

[d_bearhugs]

I am very very curious how she didn't know what antifreeze was used for. Kind of get how she could read antifreeze and think oh it stops things from freezing but idk I have known since I got a car at 17 that antifreeze was for the engine and wiper fluid was for the wipers.

 

[Bt_ostate]

Drain. Run some dawn through it a couple times then refill and u should be good to go. The dawn will scrub the lines too.

 

[Taltyman]

An inexpensive suction pump would possibly be an easier way to remove the antifreeze. The good news is that she didn't use blinker fluid.

 

[broadicustomworks]

I am very very curious how she didn't know what antifreeze was used for. Kind of get how she could read antifreeze and think oh it stops things from freezing but idk I have known since I got a car at 17 that antifreeze was for the engine and wiper fluid was for the wipers.

To be fair a casual, non-knowing person could be confused.
AF is no longer just green.
WF is no longer just blue.
DexCool and the orange "Antifreeze" washer fluid are close enough in color (and Prestone makes a version of both, pictured below) I can see someone who didn't take the time to check or felt anxious being out of their element making a simple mistake.

 

[shieldsy]

I am very very curious how she didn't know what antifreeze was used for. Kind of get how she could read antifreeze and think oh it stops things from freezing but idk I have known since I got a car at 17 that antifreeze was for the engine and wiper fluid was for the wipers.

My daughter put a full tank of diesel in my gasoline engine. You would have thought the nozzle size difference would have clued her in.

The first of many times I was forced to do a paternity test. Just to make sure we were really related.

 

[Scopebit]

Thank her for her effort to make you happy- trust me.

^^^ THIS! not the end of the world. GL

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