I accidentally put wiper fluid in the wrong tank. Is this bad?

http://i.imgur.com/QqBT4Vd.jpg

I put some wiper fluid in the tank that says max/min on the side. The white box by the area where the wiper fluid is supposed to go. What is this tank and should I siphon out all the fluid and replace it with what was in it originally?

Thanks.

I'm going to guess that's the radiator expansion tank? Too lazy to get out of bed and go look. If you haven't driven it since, the washer fluid hadn't gone anywhere and should be easy to siphon out and replace with antifreeze.

I drove home from the gas station where I bought the windshield wiper fluid, and I will need to drive to work tomorrow. Is this bad?

DNAinaGoodWay said:

I'm going to guess that's the radiator expansion tank?

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It's definitely the coolant tank.

dtocila said:

I drove home from the gas station where I bought the windshield wiper fluid, and I will need to drive to work tomorrow. Is this bad?

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Yes, probably. I would imagine that the act of driving it turns on the coolant pumps. Charging it definitely does too. IIRC, the coolant loop is used to cool both the motor and for sure, the on-board charger. When you charge, you can hear motor noises and can feel coolant going thru the hoses under the hood.

Without knowing what the service manual says, if anything, I'd want to have the coolant flushed NOW and replaced w/new coolant.

Is it alright if I drive it to the dealer tomorrow during lunch? I'm assuming the dealer can drain it and replace it for a small fee?

I will *guess* that you'd be OK to drive to the dealer, based on the fact that you've already driven it. The main job of coolant is to be like water & circulate. There are additives to prevent freezing in winter (wiper fluid has some too), and it's not winter anyhow. It's also formulated to not boil as easily when it's hot, and wiper fluid most definitely is not. So if you don't want to pay for a tow, I would definitely take it very easy.

But... during lunch? I hope you've made an appointment. If you want to know how much it will cost, call & ask. You can probably have that service done at any garage - doesn't have to be the dealer.

garsh said:

I will *guess* that you'd be OK to drive to the dealer, based on the fact that you've already driven it. The main job of coolant is to be like water & circulate. There are additives to prevent freezing in winter (wiper fluid has some too), and it's not winter anyhow. It's also formulated to not boil as easily when it's hot, and wiper fluid most definitely is not. So if you don't want to pay for a tow, I would definitely take it very easy.

But... during lunch? I hope you've made an appointment. If you want to know how much it will cost, call & ask. You can probably have that service done at any garage - doesn't have to be the dealer.

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My bigger concern would be anything in the washer fluid that could corrode or clog. Nissan didn't engineer and validate the parts and pathways coolant passes thru to instead have random washer fluid.

Service booklet says
"Replace coolant at the interval specified
below. When adding or replacing
coolant, be sure to use only Genuine
Nissan Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant
(Blue) or equivalent with the proper
mixture. (Refer to the Owner’s Manual
to determine the proper mixture for
your area.) The recommended service
interval of the factory-fill coolant
is 125,000 miles (200,000 km) or 15
years, whichever comes first. Subsequent
replacement of Genuine
Nissan Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant
(Blue) should occur every 75,000
miles (120,000 km) or 5 years whichever
comes first.
NOTE: Mixing any other type of coolant
or the use of non-distilled water
will reduce the recommended service
interval of the coolant."

Wouldn't they also need to bleed the system? A lot of the steps traditionally done w/ICEVs doesn't apply to an EV. So, I wouldn't bring it to a random garage.

I have no idea much this would cost and what "small fee" means. My wild guess is somewhere between $70 and $200.

The warning about the coolant is standard stuff. Note that it just says that service life will be reduced, not that anything catastrophic will happen if tap water is used. Washer fluid isn't just tap water, of course, but it isn't extremely corrosive either, except maybe in fuel systems. I'd definitely get that replacement done ASAP, but unless a quart of washer fluid was added, it isn't, IMO, an emergency. And I doubt very much that the "fee" will be "small" - especially if it's scheduled as a rush job.

Was that tank empty when you filled it? You couldn't have put too much in even if it was, it's not that big. I don't think the radiator draws from it unless it's low and sucks some back in as the fluid cools, so you may still be able to siphon it out? How much fluid is in it now? Is it washer fluid color or antifreeze color?