My father was checking up on his car (2019 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 CVT 1.2 i3) and accidentally filled the coolant reservoir with windshield wash. I was alarmed that his eyesight was deteriorating until I checked it out for myself. Everything plastic under the hood is unpainted/uncolored plastic so the w.w reservoir looks exactly like the coolant reservoir down to the cover. The coolant is also blue the same color of wash my dad put in. He used a hand pump to remove all the liquid from the reservoir but did not refill it. Yesterday I checked and added a bottle of water to the reservoir leaving it between low and full. How bad is this for the cooling system? I checked coolant in radiator it is clean but smells burnt and has a slight smell of ammonia. Car has been driven a little over 100 miles in high heat since this happened. Do you think the system should be flushed or would a drain and refill suffice? The car only has around 5k miles and my father does not want to void the warranty, what should we do?
I would flush it out totally and go from there.
100 miles in high heat...I'm not surprised you smell burning.
Forgot to mention car was driven about 50 miles with an empty coolant reservoir. There was a few air bubbles when adding water. It was 90+ with 80% humidity yesterday. I was told about what happened in the middle of the day after my mother has already drove the car.
It should be an easy job everything is easily accessible and there is plenty of working room, the engine is tiny.
Yeah it won't be a hard job to do. If you flush it out and all is well, I would consider myself very lucky. I'll be hoping the best for you.
Yes, well my dad should. It was just whim that they happened to tell me if not this little car would have been a goner.
This is the engine bay, not my dads car stock photo:
Oh sorry I meant your Dad should feel lucky. Glad they mentioned it to you. Yeah that is going to be a simple DIY job...but definitely worth doing. It is good he hand pumped out what he could, but a flush will make sure everything gets removed and filled properly.
Usually, the two plastic tanks are next to each other and are clearly labeled on their caps, washer fluid and engine coolant. Don't feel too bad, it's an easy mistake to make. Fortunately, you caught it early.
