Puddle under car... Help?

Question

Ok... I admit I know very little about cars. I need to know what the possible causes of what appears to be an anti-freeze puddle under my car could be. And how do I know for sure what the liquid is if I'm not sure?
I park under a carport and it hasn't rained so I know it isn't water.
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
Peace

It's under the whole front end so it's very hard to isolate exactly where it came from.
Thanks for everyone's input so far.

Answer 1

Hi Peace,

There is a taste test you can use too if you are up to it. Antifreeze is sweet tasting (reason dogs like to lap it up) but the smell test is probably better. You can do this by comparing the smell of the stuff on the ground with the stuff in the radiator. Do not open the radiator cap unless the car is cool..say overnight as the system would otherwise be under some pressure.

Also, where under the car is the leak occuring. It would help determine the likely spot for the repair. Commom problems are the waterpump, Radiator, radiator hoses and heater hoses. Less common are the heater core, but you smell this inside the car.

I have found that if a person puts a clean piece of "butcher paper" under the car and lets it get wet, it will help a mechanic look in the correct area to diagnose the problem. Take the wet paper with you and show the person where you placed it. It will help them home in on where your problem lies.

Good luck
pas

Answer 2

There are different smells for different fluids and different colors as well. Antifreeze can be Green, reddish/pink, or orange normally. Sometimes it will look clear on the ground though. Get a paper towel or a napkin and sop some up with it and check for color. If it is any of the above colors it is most likely antifreeze/coolant.

There are other fluids that can be a pink in color too. You have transmission fluid and in some cases power steering fluid. There will be less watery than the antifreeze though. Infact their consistency will be like that of Wesson oil or something similar. The coolant will be more like water.

Anything black or brown will most likely be an oil.

Keep in mind it may be from a leak but it also may not be. If you ran your AC for any reason it could be condensation dripping. Also, it could be residual water or engine oil from a recent oil change. Many vehicles have cross members or skid plates under them that oil will sometimes fall onto when the oil is drained. The oil change shop that you went to may or may not have cleaned this residual oil up. Often times the "clean up" of this if to just take water ot windshield washer fluid that is normally on tap and to hose the area down. It is not uncommon that a person drives all the way home and then the residual oil and or water leaks off. The customer usually returns to the shop and the shop checks everything over to make sure that there are no leaks and everythign is sealed up tight.

If you think you do have a leak you should go to a reputable shop and have them inspect for the leak. If you can tell them what fluid you think might be leaking this will be helpful. If you cannot, it would be helpful if you could determine the relative location of the leak and wha the fluid looked, felt, and or smelled like.

Answer 3

Depending on the model of your car and the type of antifreeze it takes, if indeed it is antifreeze, it may be yellow, green, or red with a watery consistancy and a slightly sweet odor.

If it is red with an oily consistancy, that is transmission fluid.

Oil will be light gold to a dark brown or black, depending on how long the oil has been in the crank case, obviously with an "oily" consistancy and possibly a slightly burnt odor, again depending on how long the oil has been in the crank case.

If it is antifreeze, you could have a broken end tank on your radiator, a crack somewhere else in the radiator, a frayed hose or a hole in a hose, the overflow reservoir could be cracked, among other things.

If it is oil, you could have a blown front or rear main crank seal, blown oil pump, a valve cover gasket leak, a cracked block, an oil pan gasket leak, cracked oil pan, cracked timing chain cover or leaking timing chain cover, I could go on.

Take it to a shop.

Answer 4

Put a newspaper under the car. This will help determine the color and location of the leak. Coolant could be red, green or yellow. Transmission fluid is red. Oil is brown.
If its air conditioned it could be just water from your AC , which is normal

Answer 5

Don't mistake air conditioner condensation as a coolant leak. Just stick your finger in it and rub it between your fingers, then smell it. If its oily and reddish and has no strong smell, it's transmission fluid. If it's oily and dark with a strong smell, it's oil. If its not oily, but has a greenish tint, its antifreeze. If its a big puddle of anything but condensation water, I recommend seeking repairs.

Answer 6

Where is the puddle located?
If it's under the radiator, and either yellowish or greenish, it's antifreeze.
Under automatic transmission, reddish color, transmission fluid

Answer 7

Anti freeze has a very distinctive smell and is yellow in color and thin like water, oil of course would be black or greenish and much thicker in consistency. I just blew a water pump so I am becoming an expert.
Good luck!

Answer 8

You could possibly have a cracked radiator or heater core. You really should not drive your car. Have a mechanic take a look.

Answer 9

I often get a puddle of airconditioner condensation

Answer 10

thankyou everyone for answering