Help! I noticed this morning that coming from somewhere up in the front of the vehicle there was a trail in my garage of what I thought was water. I touched it and it as more like thinned out syrup, but really had no smell. My wife then tells me that she was not paying attention yesterday and was about to go over a large speed bump and slammed on the brakes. The master cylinder is full, and darker in color as to the fluid (I know, flush the brake lines...) I did the Rotella oil change a few weeks ago, and noticed the oil was about a quart low. Not sure if this is diff fluid, brake fluid, or oil. My plan is to run the vehicle around the block, then come back and park it over some cardboard to try and isolate what the fluid is and where it is coming from. Any ideas? Suggestions? I have never run into this before, and do not want to damage the vehicle. Please help!

 

was she running the AC? it drains on both sides of the transmission....

 

the defroster also causes the AC to run to dehumidify the air.

 

Thank you for the replies. No, she wasn't. This is actually a little darker than clear. After reviewing it a little closer, it smells like antifreeze. I topped it off as well as the oil and no leak since. Looks to be coming from the valve cover area/ gasket. Otherwise, the engine purrs. I mean, no rough idle, no shaking, nothing. She drove it the other day and thought it had stalled because it was so quiet and ran so well. Is there a sticky or how to on the valve cover gasket removal and replacement?

 

just follow the first part of any of the many head gasket replacement posts

 

Coolant does not expel through valve covers. Heads, yes. Failing head gaskets, yes. If you see it around the valve covers it's more than likely a failing head gasket. Sounds like time to do a pressure test of the cooing system.

 

are you sure that coolant is not leaking on top of your valve cover via the throttle body heater?

 

Hope that it's the throttle body gasket, expect it to be the head gaskets. Clean the engine off completely and source the leaks.

 

Sounds like time to do a pressure test of the cooing system

 

How do I do a pressure test of the cooling system? Is there a tool or special item that I can rent to do this? I can take a picture from where I see the leak. I know it is NOT from the throttle body heater. I fixed that one already. I am attaching pictures



for you to review and let me know what you think.

K