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Any ideas please? I am using a concentrated screenwash mixed 50/50 with water; when it is in the plastic container it smells strongly but perfectly pleasant. When mixed in the reservoir and used on the screen there is a ghastly stink of bad eggs and I really do have to put the aircon onto recirculate to stop the smell. I have drained it all out once and replaced it, to no effect; luckily I drive alone most of the time and don't have to put up with any banter about curries etc!
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I?ve got tablets for my musty smelling screen wash. I haven't actually dropped one in yet so I don?t know if they work and I didn?t buy them in the UK but they?re supposed to eliminate that stale gusset smell you get when you wash your windows. There must be a similar product in Halfords.
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Thanks for that Dave, I'll look for some when I am next in Halfords. Pro Tem I have put in a dollop of Dettol so it now now smells like a clean toilet not a dirty one!
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I think they kill bacteria, if you have no joy at Halfords maybe try a Camping/Caravanning outlet for water cleaner tablets. Just a thought.
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Have you thought about changing the screen wash you use? I say this because I experienced similar problems with the one I used to use. Cleaned the reservoir out several times but within days of it being filled that horrible rotten eggs smell would come back.
I changed brands and never had any problems since.
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or you can buy a huge container of the sterilising fluid used for baby's bottles for under a quid in Tesco...that might do the trick too.
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Thank you smokie! I knew I?d been sterilising something in recent months and I couldn?t pull it to the front of my mind. Baby stuff!
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It's just stagnant water.
You could siphon out the reservoir using a meter or two of hose pipe, and then fill it with some serious drain cleaner, like the foaming type. Make sure it is safe for use with plastic pipes (it will tell you on the back). Then after it has done its job (30 mins to an hour) siphon it out again and repeat. If your technique is good enough you won't get any spillage at all and the reservoir will be completely clean (as a whistle). One way to flush it after cleaning is to half fill then get the siphon tube going (emptying) as well as a hose pipe filling.
When I have done this in the past I also filled it with some hot water and ran this through the system to clear the pipes out. Don?t run the pumps though until the reservoir is fully flushed.
If you can get the reservoir out it would be easier.
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I don't envy whoever has to siphon out the reservoir full of drain cleaner! And I thought a mouthful of petrol was bad...
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Pretty obvious, but before siphoning the tank check whether you can access or remove it! On the Xantia the bottle looks completely hidden but in fact both pumps and the plumbing can be acessed from underneath.
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I've just been using a screenwash that smells like cat pee.
Stinks to high heaven.
Ken.
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Got a 5L bottle of orange aroma'd concentrate in Carrefour for the wife's car. It actually smells like...well, different to regular screenwash. She quite likes it anyway...
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>I've just been using a screenwash that smells like cat pee.
My garage must use the same one. I thought it was my imagination....
V
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I imagine the smell is down to the ammonia ingredient in the screenwash. Try and source an ammonia free one instead.
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"You could siphon out the reservoir using a meter or two of hose pipe" Or you could just use the little stalk coming out of your steering column and have the pump do it for you.
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"You could siphon out the reservoir using a meter or two of hose pipe" Or you could just use the little stalk coming out of your steering column and have the pump do it for you.
Amazing, I had never thought of that. How would you expect a mechanic to empty your fuel tank if he/she needed to? Drive round the block a few hundered times?
To syphon out the reservoir takes about 30 seconds and if you were to flush it a few times it wouldn't take long, to use the motor to achive this would take considerably longer.
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corsa mk1 screenwash bottles seem to breed gunge i always stick the hose pipe in the top and let it run for ten minutes and job done, top up with quality screenwash/water job finished.
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Many thanks for all the ideas and replies! The mystery seems to be solved. A chap in a motor spares shop said that if a 5 ltr can of concentrate had been opened and allowed to stand for a while (a year+) it could still be effective as a screenwash but could go "Off" chemically. I drained the system and filled up with a fresh 1 ltr of concentrate and 2 ltrs of tap water and all is well - no smell or what there is seems to be screenwash and not carp!
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