Few things can ruin your day more quickly than spots on the garage floor. The best way to tell which fluid is leaking from your car is to grab a white paper towel or white cloth and dab up some of the fluid so you can see its true color. United Auto Care is going to list the different colors of automotive fluids below to help you identify the leaking fluid.
Blue
If the fluid is blue, it’s probably the windshield washing solution that is put in your car when it is assembled. The only other blue automotive fluid is coolant, so check your radiator overflow container to make sure the color of the fluid isn’t blue. If it is, your automobile is either leaking windshield washing solution or coolant. If it isn’t, your vehicle is leaking windshield washing solution.
Brown
Brown fluid can be tricky to diagnose. Brake fluid is brown, motor oil is brown, differential oil is brown, and old transmission fluid is brown. Consider where the fluid is leaking from. For example, if it’s leaking from behind the wheels, it’s most likely brake fluid. If it’s leaking from underneath the engine, it’s probably motor oil.
Green
Green, blue-green, or neon green fluid is antifreeze/coolant. We don’t recommend that you drive your automobile when it is leaking coolant. This can cause the engine to overheat.
Orange
Orange fluid can also be engine coolant or aging transmission fluid. If the fluid is leaking from the center of your automobile, it’s transmission fluid. If it’s leaking from the front of the engine, it’s probably coolant that has rust particles in it because your radiator is corroded.
Pink
Pink fluid that is leaking from the center of your automobile is a sign that your vehicle has serious transmission problems. Do not drive your automobile if it is leaking pink fluid. The fluid is pink because it is being diluted by engine coolant.
Red
Red is another popular color. Brake fluid is red if it isn’t brown, transmission fluid is red, power steering fluid is red, and engine coolant can be red. If you see puddles of red fluid on your garage floor, don’t drive your automobile.
Yellow
Finally, you’ve probably seen yellow antifreeze/coolant below and it’s hard to mistake this color because it’s neon. Again, driving your automobile with low coolant can make it overheat.
United Auto Care in Flowery Branch, GA, can help find your automotive fluid leak and fix it. Call us today.
