I appears that I have a leak of pink fluid coming from the front drivers side of the car. Can anyone tell me what this is? Take a look at the pick below and you can see the whole where the fluid is coming through.

Help is appreciated!

Ken

 

Hoo, baby.... That's either Transmission Fluid or Power Steering Fluid, depending on where it's coming from. You'll need to do some investigating. Both conditions are fairly serious, but the Transmission could be more costly.

Depending on your mileage, it's probably time to do a Trans Pan and Fluid replace anyway. The plastic trans pans have been known to crack/leak after awhile.
Materials are like $150 for a pan/filter/bolts on places like Amazon. You'll also need a mechatronic sleeve, about $10, and between six and ten quarts of fluid, which prices can vary WIDELY. Labor shouldn't be more than like $300.

 

What does it smell like. Is it slippery like oil or is it just antifreeze. I would suspect it is a coolant leak . Gotta pull the shield to take a better look.

 

It does have a bit of slippery consistency, but no odor. The car has about 42,000 miles on it. I did have the transmission pan replaced due to a leak in Dec '17 at about 40,000 miles.

I guess it's time to make an appointment with the Doctor!

Ken

 

I just checked the Power Steering Reservoir. The level looks to be fine, but the fluid is the same color as the leak. This may be the problem.

Ken

 

OAT Coolant has a distinct odor and if your reservoir is full it's not likely the problem.
When you had your tranny serviced, did they fill it with Lifeguard 6 or something else like Mercon? Lifeguard 6 is golden in color so if that's what they used, that's not your problem either. To Cee Jay's point, the transmission is fully arrears of the under scuttle so you should be able to see if the leak is coming from there without having to remove the under scuttle.

Take JT's advice and remover the under scuttle to get a better look.

Can't explain to reservoir being full but it does certainly look like PS fluid and almost certainly is if all your fluids are OEM.

 

The radiator drain plug (which is plastic) is accessible via the hole. Most likely, the rubber gasket has failed and antifreeze is leaking.

With my 2007, the rubber gasket failed a year ago, and I bought a replacement from the local hardware store.

 

I took a picture looking up through the whole. Is this the radiator drain plug you are talking about? This must be the leak.

Ken

 

Yes. Zoom in on your photo to see the rubber gasket has broken and bits are visible on the edge of the black plastic screw plug. Use a large flat blade screwdriver to remove the plug if you DIY.

You can pay your dealer a three digit amount, or go to your local hardware store and buy a neoprene gasket for $0.25 to repair the problem.

 

Yep, someone over tightened the plug and squeezed the gasket out. I'm surprised the plastic head didn't break and pop off.

Idgit's...

 

Well easy fix but no odor? This forum is full of complaints of coolant smell. Congrats on finding it though.

 

The real trick is if you can talk your significant other into it, have her hold a vacuum hose over the expansion tank to draw a slight vacuum on the system while you swap the gasket. Done correctly neither of you will get wet.

 

That's sexist.

 

I brought the car into my local Jag specialist. It was the Radiator Drain Plug. Total cost of the job was $177. Probably the cheapest repair I've ever had on the car other than replacing the windshield wipers.

Thanks for everyone's help!!!

Ken