I have a 2003 S Type 4.2. which has a very small fluid leak which began abour a week ago. Occasionally a few drops of a pink fluid are on the garage floor. The location of the drops are passenger side, front of the engine almost directly below the coolant bottle. I have not been able to locate the exact source. The coolant is orange and this leak is pink. I know the power steering fluid is pink. I don't know the color of the transmission fluid. The car is equipped with the ZF six speed. Given the location and color of the fluid, can anyone give me an idea of what may be leaking. Is their a cooler for the PS fluid? What is the color of the trans fluid? I have been monitoring the fluid levels (except the trans of course) and have not been able to detect a change but the leak is very small.
Thanks

 

ZF Fluid for the 6-speed ZF transmission (Shell 1375.4 mineral oil) is golden-colored when it is new, and a bit more brownish-golden after the years go by. Do you know if your car is running the original fluid filled at the factory? It is possible that a previous owner could have replaced the original fluid with one that is colored pinkish-red.

Yes, your coolant should be orange.

From your description, the leak may indeed be your power steering fluid, but I would expect the leak to show up underneath the power steering reservoir, not underneath the coolant reservoir. Although it's possible that leaking power steering fluid could be following the hoses and finally dripping onto your garage floor closer to the coolant reservoir than the power steering reservoir. Pull a couple of drops of your power steering fluid from its reservoir using an eyedropper and put them down on your garage floor next to the leaking drops for comparison. You also want to smell them and rub them between your fingers for consistency comparison....

 

There may well be a PS cooler - on my 2004 STR it's a straight pipe, with sort of tubular metal fins (ends up looking a bit like a bottle washer brush), low down at the very front, visible through vents in the skirt below the bumper. Just behind it is a squat rectangular oil cooler and behind that are 3 full size slim rectangular radiators (a/c, SC, then engine coolant). Yours won't have the SC one.

Apologies if I've figured the above wrongly!

 

That sounds like the leak I had when the DCCV valve went bad... When I wiped up the fluid from the garage floor it looked pink on a towel, yet the coolant is supposed to be "orange". At first I freaked thinking it was transmission fluid, but the color was wrong and it was in the "wrong" place. Next thing I thought was a power steering leak....But the power steering reservoir is on the other side.
Well, take a look down by the radiator on the passenger side and you should see the DCCV valve. If you see a dried crusty residue on it, thats where your leak is coming from. Mine did not fail in the typical way, where there are issues with the heat. It was also such a small leak that the coolant level didn't noticeably drop.

Just my 2 cents....

 

It's the trans. Noticed same fluid on tha passenger when I started to gearbox fualt.

 

How would the trans leak in front of the engine?

 

Is there a trans cooler in the main radiator? (I've not traced pipes yet LOL)

 

I'd bet there is... But.... Well I'm gonna shut up now and drive home in the snow.....

 

I don't envy you that. hmm, you mean it's 95% (maybe 99%) that it's coolant, whether from DCCV or elsewhere. And so do I.

Feel it, smell it. Coolant and ATF are soooo different. Taste them if you dare (don't swallow but do spit!).

 

I am not going there!

 

lol...I think you just did!

 

If you can't ID the fluid by type, not to sure what the location of the drip tells you these days with the underpan. May want to pull the pan and see where it leaks on the pan.

 

Thanks for all the valuable advice. I took a couple white paper towels and caught a few drops of the leaking fluid. I then took a sample from the coolant bottle and put it on the towel. Initially the coolant sample looked orange but after allowing it to spread and dry, much to my surprise, the stain left was pink. I'm pretty sure I have a coolant leak. I have read in other forums that the coolant bottle is notorious for failing. It was also mentioned in this thread that the DCCV valve could be the culprit. What is a DCCV valve? I have seen it mentioned in other forums but not defined. Now to figure out the exact source.

 

The most common source of coolant leaks in these S-Types is probably the plastic hose nipple on the plastic coolant overflow tank behind the radiator. They get weak with age and heat and then they crack easily or even snap completely off. I'd start there. One owner here (I think it was WhiteSTR) rigged up a metal replacement nipple that stayed in place and didn't leak (at last report, anyway), but the safer fix is to replace the entire plastic coolant overflow tank....

The DCCV (dual climate control valve) is probably a close second. Search "DCCV" here on the forum and you'll come up with a bunch of threads that cover this troublemaker in depth, one as recently as today....

 

"I toll you so, Lucy"........Sorry, Just a bit of twisted humor. DCCV stands for Dual Climate Control Valve. It regulates the flow of coolant to the passenger and driver side for dual zone climate control. I highly suspect that is it. Usually when the coolant tank fails there is a larger leak and is accompanied by a low coolant warning. But, by all means check everything. It could be anything from those things mentioned to a loose clamp.

 

A search on
DCCV
finds plenty of info.

 

So I have been attempting to locate the source of the leak and wouldn't you know it, for the last 4 days there is no evidence of a leak. no drips on the garage floor. No wet spots anywhere. All the fluid levels are correct. I guess i'll keep monitoring.

 

Hmm, again what happened to me....... Did you look at the DCCV? Did you see any dried, crusty, residue? With mine it was the little leak. Saw fluid in the lower "belly pan" and the residue on the DCCV. Within a day or so, no more fluid leak. When I took it to the dealer, they said no problem about there not being a leak since as soon as they saw the DCCV they knew it was the culprit. They replaced it and all was solved..... Other than having to add a bit of coolant for a couple of days as the system "burped" some air out...

 

Never had fluid in the belly plan because the pan hasn't been on the car for about 3 months. Can't find any residue anywhere and the leak continues to appear to have stopped.
Thanks for the help. I guess I just continue to watch.

 

Ahhhhh another case of an evasive leak..... Mine was the transmission, dripped for 2 days and then it "healed" itself, haven't had 1 drip in 3 weeks. <--- Ut oh maybe I should not have typed that!