6 Most Common Fluid Leaks From a Car Transmission Fluid Leaks
A car leaking fluid could become a dangerous situation if not repaired
promptly. In this article I will cover the 6 most common fluid leaks
form a car, from the fluid leaks that will leave you stranded, to the
ones that should be leaking. Yes some fluids should leak naturally
from your car and we will cover that as well. With that being said,
let’s try to figure out what fluid is leaking from your car and what
you should do about it.
Is that your car leaking fluid?
First and foremost, make sure the fluid leak is coming from your car
and not the vehicle that was parked in that spot before you got there.
Just get down on one knee and look under your car, grab a flashlight
and take a good look, you don’t want to worry about a fluid leak if
it’s not even coming from your car. If the fluid is coming from your
car, we need to determine the fluids color.
The best way to figure out the fluids color is to slide a white piece
of cardboard or a piece of plywood under your car and let it drip.
Once your car has leaked fluid onto the board, it will enlighten you
in two ways, one, it will reveal a color and it will give you a good
idea about where the fluid is leaking from. First, without moving the
board, notice where the drips are on the board, from this you can look
up under your car and see exactly where your leak is coming from. Once
you have a clear view of where the fluid is leaking from, remove the
board and check the color.
6 Most Common Fluids That Leak from a Car
The 6 most common fluids that leak from a car are; oil, transmission,
coolant, water, differential and power steering. I left brake fluid
out because it’s not common for it to leave a puddle under your car,
if you think you might have a brake fluid leak,
it will give more than enough information on common brake issues. Just
for quick reference, brake fluid color is clear to amber and it has a
smell like fish oil. It may sound weird but it’s the only way for me
to describe it. Take the brake fluid reservoir cap off and smell the
cap, does it smell like fish oil? Well it does to me.
Oil leaks
If you have an oil leak, oil is light amber to dark brown, depending
on how well you maintain your car. If there is an oil leak, chances
are that it will be under the engine, I know common sense tells you
that, but now you have to know where your engine is located. Don’t
laugh, on a front wheel drive car, your engine could be located on the
front left or front right, depending on where the transmission sits,
heck the transmission could be in the rear of the car if you’re
driving a Porsche or a VW bug or blah blah blah. Once you figure out
the oil is dripping from the engine, all you have to do is locate the
leak, you might want a mechanic to look at it if you can’t find
exactly where it is leaking from. Oil leaks can get pretty involved
sometimes like a crank shaft seal under the timing cover, and other
times they can be easy to spot like a valve cover gasket.
Coolant or anti-freeze leaks
Coolant is very tricky now because of all the colors it comes in, it
use to be green in most cars but now it comes in a variety of colors,
it all depends on manufacturer or vender of the coolant. Honda uses a
blue coolant, Mercedes uses clear, Toyota has red coolant and I have
seen orange and green and all the colors of the rainbow. Coolant has a
sweet smell and also a sweet taste, not that I want you to taste it
because it’s poison, I have had the experience of tasting it a few
time in my career, not by choice. A coolant leak could be anywhere
because of all the coolant hoses that surround your engine, you even
have coolant hoses that enter your car. The most common coolant leak
is your radiator and that would be located behind the grill in the
front of the car. If you suspect you have a coolant leak, you will
usually smell a sweet smell in the air like candy, take a quick glance
at the coolant overflow tank, it is usually see-through and it has
high and low markings on it. If it’s empty, let your engine cool
completely and look in the radiator, if you don’t see any coolant, you
may have a leak. (Do not remove the radiator cap on a hot engine, it
could blow hot coolant or steam in your face and cause severe burns)
Automatic or manual transmission fluid leaks
Automatic transmissions use red or pink fluid, a good sign of a
transmission leaking is the transmission will start to slip and
eventually the car will not move at all. Manual transmissions use gear
oil or just regular motor oil, Honda cars are the only cars I know of
that used regular motor oil in their older standard transmissions. The
new Honda standard transmissions use Honda Standard transmission
fluid. Honda also has their very own automatic transmission fluid, if
you don’t use Honda automatic transmission fluid in a Honda automatic
transmission, you will compromise shift quality and void your
warranty, so I recommend following Hondas guidelines and use their
recommended fluids to avoid problems.
The most common transmission fluid leak on a front wheel drive car is
from the axle seals. On a rear wheel drive car it would be the output
shaft seal. If you see red or pink fluid under your car, pull the
transmission dipstick and check your transmission fluid level. Check
the owner’s manual for the proper way to check transmission fluid,
different manufacturers have different ways of checking transmission
fluids, some manufacturers don’t even let your check the fluid, like
the last Honda passport model had no way of checking the transmission
fluid, weird!
Differential fluid or hypoid leaks
Differential fluid, hypoid or gear fluid is very thick , it looks like
honey but it smells like a heavily greased Mac truck sitting at a
truck stop. If you get this stuff on your hands the smell doesn’t go
away for days. Gear oil is dark brown or dark amber if it’s new or
clean. If your rear differential is leaking or your standard
transmission has a leak, this is the fluid you will find dripping.
Gear oil can also leak at the wheel bearing seals or rear axle seals,
sometime you will see oil being slung from the center of the wheel all
over the rim of the vehicle, dust will collect on the wheel and turn
black. If you have a 4 wheel drive, gear oil can leak from the front
axle as well. The smell alone will enable you to determine if it’s
gear oil or not.
Power steering fluid is very hard to describe because some
manufacturers use transmission fluid and some use their own brand of
power steering fluid. Honda recommends their brand of power steering
fluid and its color is light amber. Power steering fluid has a unique
smell; it smells a bit like burnt oil. If you think you might have a
power steering fluid leak, the first place you should look is at the
reservoir. The reservoir will have high and low markings and you
should easily notice if the fluid level is low, also a good sign of
low power steering fluid is; the power steering pump will whine when
trying to turn the steering wheel, or the steering wheel will feel
tight when turning in a parking lot or at low speeds. The most common
place the power steering will leak is on each end of the steering
rack. The steering rack has end seals on both sides of the steering
rack; they are the first to start leaking because they go through the
most wear and tear.
Water dripping from your car
The three H’s, hazy, hot and humid, is what causes the most common
complaint of fluid leaking from a car. Just like the air conditioner
hanging out a window of a home or business, it needs to drain the
moisture it removes from the air. An air conditioner in a car works
the same way; it removes the moisture from inside the vehicles
passenger compartment and drains it on to the ground under the car,
via a rubber hose. This hose is usually located in the foreword end of
the passenger compartment on the passenger’s side (near the
passenger’s feet area) or the middle of the cabin. If you have a newer
minivan or large SUV with front and rear climate control, it’s
possible to have 2 evaporators and 2 air conditioner drains, one in
front and one in the rear.
On very humid days, the water will pour out of the air conditioner
drain like a faucet until the cabin humidity is almost gone. It’s best
to keep the recirculation button in the on position whenever you use
the air conditioning system (see my hub on How to defog car windows
fast) If you leave the fresh air button on, it will continue to drag
humid air in and overwork the air conditioner. This won’t cause any
problems, but the air inside the vehicles cabin will never reach
optimum temperature. Sometimes when it is extremely humid, the air
conditioner will be on high and you can actually see fog coming from
your vents. If you ever experience this phenomenon, reach over and
push the recirculation button, you’ll be glad you did. It’s not a
problem; it’s just humidity coming back into your vehicle’s passenger
cabin, if you recirculate the cabin air through the air conditioner,
it will have less humidity each pass through the evaporator, and your
air conditioner will be working at maximum efficiency.
Don't use leak stop for anything!
Well, I think I covered the 6 most common fluid leaks the best I could
without being too long winded. I have one last tip; I do not recommend
using any leak stop products unless it is absolutely necessary. These
products do more damage to your cars drive train, and it will be a
temporary fix that could cause a permanent problem, do your car a
favor and avoid using them at all costs.
If you have any questions about a fluid leak in your car, just leave
me a comment and I will respond quickly. I need to ask you for a
favor, if you found this information useful, please vote the article
up, if you know someone who would benefit from this information, share
it on Facebook or Twitter, it's easy, and I would really appreciate
it. Just push the "Like" button or "Tweet" button at the top of the
page. Thank you for all your help
A car leaking fluid could become a dangerous situation if not repaired
promptly. In this article I will cover the 6 most common fluid leaks
form a car, from the fluid leaks that will leave you stranded, to the
ones that should be leaking. Yes some fluids should leak naturally
from your car and we will cover that as well. With that being said,
let’s try to figure out what fluid is leaking from your car and what
you should do about it.
Is that your car leaking fluid?
First and foremost, make sure the fluid leak is coming from your car
and not the vehicle that was parked in that spot before you got there.
Just get down on one knee and look under your car, grab a flashlight
and take a good look, you don’t want to worry about a fluid leak if
it’s not even coming from your car. If the fluid is coming from your
car, we need to determine the fluids color.
The best way to figure out the fluids color is to slide a white piece
of cardboard or a piece of plywood under your car and let it drip.
Once your car has leaked fluid onto the board, it will enlighten you
in two ways, one, it will reveal a color and it will give you a good
idea about where the fluid is leaking from. First, without moving the
board, notice where the drips are on the board, from this you can look
up under your car and see exactly where your leak is coming from. Once
you have a clear view of where the fluid is leaking from, remove the
board and check the color.
6 Most Common Fluids That Leak from a Car
The 6 most common fluids that leak from a car are; oil, transmission,
coolant, water, differential and power steering. I left brake fluid
out because it’s not common for it to leave a puddle under your car,
if you think you might have a brake fluid leak,
it will give more than enough information on common brake issues. Just
for quick reference, brake fluid color is clear to amber and it has a
smell like fish oil. It may sound weird but it’s the only way for me
to describe it. Take the brake fluid reservoir cap off and smell the
cap, does it smell like fish oil? Well it does to me.
Oil leaks
If you have an oil leak, oil is light amber to dark brown, depending
on how well you maintain your car. If there is an oil leak, chances
are that it will be under the engine, I know common sense tells you
that, but now you have to know where your engine is located. Don’t
laugh, on a front wheel drive car, your engine could be located on the
front left or front right, depending on where the transmission sits,
heck the transmission could be in the rear of the car if you’re
driving a Porsche or a VW bug or blah blah blah. Once you figure out
the oil is dripping from the engine, all you have to do is locate the
leak, you might want a mechanic to look at it if you can’t find
exactly where it is leaking from. Oil leaks can get pretty involved
sometimes like a crank shaft seal under the timing cover, and other
times they can be easy to spot like a valve cover gasket.
Coolant or anti-freeze leaks
Coolant is very tricky now because of all the colors it comes in, it
use to be green in most cars but now it comes in a variety of colors,
it all depends on manufacturer or vender of the coolant. Honda uses a
blue coolant, Mercedes uses clear, Toyota has red coolant and I have
seen orange and green and all the colors of the rainbow. Coolant has a
sweet smell and also a sweet taste, not that I want you to taste it
because it’s poison, I have had the experience of tasting it a few
time in my career, not by choice. A coolant leak could be anywhere
because of all the coolant hoses that surround your engine, you even
have coolant hoses that enter your car. The most common coolant leak
is your radiator and that would be located behind the grill in the
front of the car. If you suspect you have a coolant leak, you will
usually smell a sweet smell in the air like candy, take a quick glance
at the coolant overflow tank, it is usually see-through and it has
high and low markings on it. If it’s empty, let your engine cool
completely and look in the radiator, if you don’t see any coolant, you
may have a leak. (Do not remove the radiator cap on a hot engine, it
could blow hot coolant or steam in your face and cause severe burns)
Automatic or manual transmission fluid leaks
Automatic transmissions use red or pink fluid, a good sign of a
transmission leaking is the transmission will start to slip and
eventually the car will not move at all. Manual transmissions use gear
oil or just regular motor oil, Honda cars are the only cars I know of
that used regular motor oil in their older standard transmissions. The
new Honda standard transmissions use Honda Standard transmission
fluid. Honda also has their very own automatic transmission fluid, if
you don’t use Honda automatic transmission fluid in a Honda automatic
transmission, you will compromise shift quality and void your
warranty, so I recommend following Hondas guidelines and use their
recommended fluids to avoid problems.
The most common transmission fluid leak on a front wheel drive car is
from the axle seals. On a rear wheel drive car it would be the output
shaft seal. If you see red or pink fluid under your car, pull the
transmission dipstick and check your transmission fluid level. Check
the owner’s manual for the proper way to check transmission fluid,
different manufacturers have different ways of checking transmission
fluids, some manufacturers don’t even let your check the fluid, like
the last Honda passport model had no way of checking the transmission
fluid, weird!
Differential fluid or hypoid leaks
Differential fluid, hypoid or gear fluid is very thick , it looks like
honey but it smells like a heavily greased Mac truck sitting at a
truck stop. If you get this stuff on your hands the smell doesn’t go
away for days. Gear oil is dark brown or dark amber if it’s new or
clean. If your rear differential is leaking or your standard
transmission has a leak, this is the fluid you will find dripping.
Gear oil can also leak at the wheel bearing seals or rear axle seals,
sometime you will see oil being slung from the center of the wheel all
over the rim of the vehicle, dust will collect on the wheel and turn
black. If you have a 4 wheel drive, gear oil can leak from the front
axle as well. The smell alone will enable you to determine if it’s
gear oil or not.
Power steering fluid is very hard to describe because some
manufacturers use transmission fluid and some use their own brand of
power steering fluid. Honda recommends their brand of power steering
fluid and its color is light amber. Power steering fluid has a unique
smell; it smells a bit like burnt oil. If you think you might have a
power steering fluid leak, the first place you should look is at the
reservoir. The reservoir will have high and low markings and you
should easily notice if the fluid level is low, also a good sign of
low power steering fluid is; the power steering pump will whine when
trying to turn the steering wheel, or the steering wheel will feel
tight when turning in a parking lot or at low speeds. The most common
place the power steering will leak is on each end of the steering
rack. The steering rack has end seals on both sides of the steering
rack; they are the first to start leaking because they go through the
most wear and tear.
Water dripping from your car
The three H’s, hazy, hot and humid, is what causes the most common
complaint of fluid leaking from a car. Just like the air conditioner
hanging out a window of a home or business, it needs to drain the
moisture it removes from the air. An air conditioner in a car works
the same way; it removes the moisture from inside the vehicles
passenger compartment and drains it on to the ground under the car,
via a rubber hose. This hose is usually located in the foreword end of
the passenger compartment on the passenger’s side (near the
passenger’s feet area) or the middle of the cabin. If you have a newer
minivan or large SUV with front and rear climate control, it’s
possible to have 2 evaporators and 2 air conditioner drains, one in
front and one in the rear.
On very humid days, the water will pour out of the air conditioner
drain like a faucet until the cabin humidity is almost gone. It’s best
to keep the recirculation button in the on position whenever you use
the air conditioning system (see my hub on How to defog car windows
fast) If you leave the fresh air button on, it will continue to drag
humid air in and overwork the air conditioner. This won’t cause any
problems, but the air inside the vehicles cabin will never reach
optimum temperature. Sometimes when it is extremely humid, the air
conditioner will be on high and you can actually see fog coming from
your vents. If you ever experience this phenomenon, reach over and
push the recirculation button, you’ll be glad you did. It’s not a
problem; it’s just humidity coming back into your vehicle’s passenger
cabin, if you recirculate the cabin air through the air conditioner,
it will have less humidity each pass through the evaporator, and your
air conditioner will be working at maximum efficiency.
Don't use leak stop for anything!
Well, I think I covered the 6 most common fluid leaks the best I could
without being too long winded. I have one last tip; I do not recommend
using any leak stop products unless it is absolutely necessary. These
products do more damage to your cars drive train, and it will be a
temporary fix that could cause a permanent problem, do your car a
favor and avoid using them at all costs.
If you have any questions about a fluid leak in your car, just leave
me a comment and I will respond quickly. I need to ask you for a
favor, if you found this information useful, please vote the article
up, if you know someone who would benefit from this information, share
it on Facebook or Twitter, it's easy, and I would really appreciate
it. Just push the "Like" button or "Tweet" button at the top of the
page. Thank you for all your help
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