How can car owners determine which kind of fluid is leaking from underneath the car?

Experienced car owners will bend down every day before starting the vehicle to see if there is some oil leakage under the car. If you find that the original dry ground has a small puddle of unknown liquid, then it is likely that there is an oil leak in some part of the car.

There are generally three possibilities for fluid leaks: one is the aging of the seals, the second is caused by failure, and the third is the damage caused by the chassis bump. The problem of fluid leakage can be small or large, one depends on whether the leakage is critical fluid, and the second depends on the amount of leakage. If it is just a small stall of air conditioning condensate, then it is normal. If the leak is brake fluid and other safety-related fluids, then attention must be paid to the early repair. As an inexperienced car owner, what is the best way to quickly determine which kind of fluid is under the car in the first place? The easiest way is to find a piece of white paper, dip it in the oil on the ground, and then judge it based on its color and smell.

The freshly changed engine oil is usually a transparent amber color; with the increase of mileage, the color will gradually turn into dark brown, generally to about 10,000 kilometers when it becomes black. Rub your fingers together, and you’ll find that it’s particularly smooth and hard to wipe off. Oil may seep out from the front or rear of the engine at the seal, or it may leak from the oil pan, and due to the responsible engine structure, it can be said that the engine has the most oil leaks. The first thing to do after finding an oil leak is to check the engine dipstick to see if the level is located above the minimum. If it is already below the minimum, remember to add 1 liter of oil temporarily before taking the car to a repair shop for treatment.

The location of the transmission is usually against the left rear of the engine compartment. The transmission fluid is usually red-yellow in color, relatively clear in color, very smooth in texture, and generally thinner than the engine oil. Transmission oil leakage is 90% caused by the aging of the seals, and the owner is not very good at checking the fluid level. Once the transmission leakage is serious, the light will cause shift frustration, and the heavy will damage the transmission because the transmission repair costs are often very high, and the repair sequelae are more, so if there is a transmission leakage must be timely inspection and repair, to avoid expanding losses.

Steering fluid is only available in cars with hydraulic power steering but not in cars with electronic power steering. The power steering fluid is usually red in color, and in some models, it is shared with the transmission fluid. You can find the cap of the power steering fluid in the engine compartment and open it to check the level. Lack of power steering fluid will generally cause the steering wheel to become heavy and make a clicking noise.

Antifreeze has the largest variety of colors, pink, blue, green, and yellow, so judging by color may not be accurate, so it is best to judge antifreeze by smell and texture. Antifreeze emits a sweet smell and has a texture more like water than oil, with little lubricity. Antifreeze leaks are usually found in the radiator at the front of the car and at the hose fittings nearby. Please check the coolant overflow tank to see what is in the radiator. Is the overflow tank empty? Maybe you have found your problem. The antifreeze level can also be checked yourself, and there is usually a translucent antifreeze jug in the engine compartment with a scale printed on it. Note that you should never open the lid of the jug when the car is hot. Because of the high pressure inside, rashly opening the lid will burn you like opening the lid of a pressure cooker, remember!

Brake fluid is close to the color of motor oil and has a slippery texture, so it is easy to get confused with motor oil. However, brake fluid is corrosive, so the smell is much more pungent than motor oil. If the fluid on the ground emits a pungent metallic smell, then it is brake fluid. Brake fluid is vital to the safety of the car’s brakes and generally leaks close to the four wheels from the brake distributor pump. If there is a brake fluid leak, it is best not to continue driving, and it is wise to call for help and have a tow truck take the car to a repair shop.

Only in the summer, if there is a small puddle of colorless and odorless liquid on the ground, do not panic. It is just air conditioning condensate, which is a normal phenomenon. But if there is a lot of condensate on the ground, then you need to check whether the car’s air conditioning system has problems that cause the condenser to freeze.