Hi all,

I am doing this for my dad. (see my alias) He owns a 2006 S-type V6 with only 34,000 miles. It is not driven in the Winter and only warmed up once a week or so during the Winter months. Last week he noticed a puddle about a foot across under the engine on the garage floor. It appears to be tranny fluid. The car behaves normal otherwise. This happened once last Winter. Only once. And was never seen again until last week. Any ideas where the fluid is coming from? Is it a major problem?

Thanks!

 

You are a good son.

What color is the fluid? Are you sure its oil and not water from the AC system?

Check the fluids that have dipsticks. There is a how to here that explains how to check transmission fluid. Its kind of a pia for the first timer as there is not a dipstick. You can take vehicle to a trusted tranny shop and have them check it. I would not drive to far though, a blown ZF gearbox is pretty pricey as you can imagine.

 

I should have asked him the color. I will ask him tonight. I see there is no dip stick for the tranny. And no A/C con water as it has not hit temps high enough to use it. Unfortunately, he is 120 miles from the nearest Jag dealer. And 50 miles from a town large enough to have a decent shop.
I just find it odd to have it burp whatever fluid this is and it goes a year between "burps".

 

I think you're leaking oil and/or tranny fluid and the plates on the bottom of the car are catching the leaks. The leaks don't show up on your floor until an accumulation of fluid has built up.

 

It's not good to warm a car up like that - in future if you can, get a battery tender like a CTek

 

So, my dad looked at the "oil" spot on the garage floor a little more closely. It's colorless. He is taking it in next week just to be sure.

 

The only "colorless" fluid would be condensation from the AC system. These vehicles really pump it out.

 

That is true, but coolant leaking from the reservoir or a hose looks very clear on a concrete floor. Until you feel it, identification may be difficult.

 

Blot with white towel or the like, sniff, even taste a tiny bit. If it's a/c it's just water. Anything else and the colour & smell may get you there. Taste will, but isn't too pleasant. Tiny amount won't poison you!

 

David, coolant should have an orangish tint to it.

 

Rick,


True. When my coolant tank leaked, it looked like water behind the front wheel until I got some light on it. It was orange/yellowish.

 

Please convince your dad to stop doing this. It doesn't help the car in any possible way and in fact does more harm than good.

Be aware that the A/C will automatically kick in to dehumidify the interior of the car, not just to cool it. As others have suggested, the puddle may be condensate.