I'm kind of a stickler when it comes to a clean windshield, so when the wiper fluid ran out in the Blue Devil Evo, I went in search of the tank under the hood. Nope, not there, but I did remember the sound of the pump coming from the back seat. Voila, here it is.
I was a little put off by its placement and worried I'd need a funnel to ensure I didn't spill, but it appears Mitsu thought of this. The filler neck is just high enough and sticks out far enough that a jug of cleaning fluid is easily poured into the spout.
One more bonus: No need to find a place in the garage for the remainder of fluid that didn't fit in the tank...it holds an entire gallon; right up to the "FULL" line. Sweet. Now I can wash my windshield at will.
Chief Road Test Editor, Chris Walton @ 23,473 miles
joefrompa says:
11:28 AM, 07/15/09
Nicely integrated. 50/50 solution?
Looks like an emergency relief tube for truckers, by the way :)
Joe
firstwagon says:
11:32 AM, 07/15/09
I thought that was a rear washer tank then remember it doesn't have a rear wiper.
What is that for?
joefrompa says:
11:34 AM, 07/15/09
Weird, when I left my comment there was no "continue reading" drop.
I honestly thought this was the tuned EVO and that it was a methanol injection storage tank, which is often mounted in the trunk. I thought it was very nicely integrated :)
greenpony says:
11:44 AM, 07/15/09
Batteries. Washer fluid reservoirs. Why not just move the whole engine back there and call it a Corvair.
brn says:
12:20 PM, 07/15/09
I'm not sure I like it. It seems prone to spills (by people less coordinated than Chris). Also, there are many people that keep their trunk full of stuff. They shouldn't have to shuffle past a trunk full of stuff just to fill the washer fluid.
Oh, let's not forget the oil change places that top off your washer fluid for you. How careful are they going to be.
joefrompa says:
12:52 PM, 07/15/09
I agree with brn, but Porsche Boxsters have had their oil fill holes in the rear trunk and washer fluid fill holes in the front trunk for the past 13 years, and I've never heard of that being a problem. Maybe Porsche owners and dealers are just more careful though :)
jaguar36 says:
12:56 PM, 07/15/09
Between the nice high filler neck and the giant opening, if you can't fill that tank without spilling, I dunno how you can drive the car without crashing. Looks much easier to me than ahving it under the hood. And I really have no sympathy for people who drive around all the time with their junk full of crap.
firstwagon says:
01:10 PM, 07/15/09
Looks easy for me but I can see shorter people having a problem reaching it. My wife is a foot shorter then me and would likely have to climb into the trunk to fill the tank.
She would not be impressed.
compliance says:
02:15 PM, 07/15/09
"Oh, let's not forget the oil change places that top off your washer fluid for you. How careful are they going to be."
I really hope nobody is bringing their Evo to Jiffy Lube.
audipilot says:
04:03 PM, 07/15/09
How does this design impact the rear seat's ability to fold down? Looking at the pictures, it looks like the Evo's rear seats are fixed. That could get annoying when trying to haul those larger items...
carguy622 says:
04:13 PM, 07/15/09
audipilot: The rear seats are fixed. I believe the battery is behind the other door on the right.
the_big_al says:
05:19 PM, 07/15/09
The oil change places aren't going to know where the washer reservoir is. They'll pop the hood and scratch their heads and look dumb and then put in the closest thing that has an easily removable lid, which will probably end up being the coolant reservoir. I say this because I used to manage a lube shop and had techs that did similar things. Even had one tech dump a whole bunch of 10w30 down the powersteering tube of a Chevy 4.3 blazer. His reply when I told him that was the wrong tube? "well my truck has the dip stick attached to the cap and this is the same motor right? (He did have an S-10 but with the 2.2 motor which did indeed have the dipstick attached to the oil cap.)
jaden82 says:
08:22 PM, 07/15/09
the_big_al,
Wow...just wow. I work at NTB which is a tire shop that also does general services. I've seen some dumb things my co-workers did, but not that dumb!
Despite the fact I've worked on many different models that came in, this is the first I've heard of a washer fluid tank in the trunk. At least if an Evo comes in, I'll know where to look now.
farmerbob says:
02:56 AM, 07/16/09
Jason/Edmunds:
Off topic a bit, but what are the plans "powerwise" to get this Evo closer to your bogey GT-R? Currently, your Evo runs a 12.3 1/4 mile (with cams, tune, intake, exhaust, wheels) so it's getting maxed out already with all the bolt ons/cams. Are you going to do a "drop-in replacement turbo" like the new Garrett 35, or FP Red or Blouch Dominator turbo, the one's that are pushing the Evo into the 10.79 1/4 mile range? Just curious on the power issue.
jace88 says:
06:22 PM, 07/17/09
audipilot- also note the rear seats don't fold in evo x's as there is strut basing between trunk and rear seats.