Fluid Question

[gertie508]

We just had 24" of snow the other day, so I had a lot of shoveling to do to get my P5 out. After I drove the car out of the spot to another, I noticed a trail of yellow drops in the snow from where my car was parked. My daughter asked if my car peed! So my question is, do we have a yellow fluid that we put into our cars and if so what is it for?
Because now I am having highway issues with my car. If I go over 55 my car shakes so badly. I took it for a car wash to get the extra snow off, but it still does it??? Any suggestions?

 

[RMW Guy]

Wow, that's a strange one.

A brand of brake fluid MAY have a slight yellow tint but I have have only used clear, blue, or gold. Check the level anyway to be sure.
Anti-freeze/coolant is typically green or orange. Again, check the level.

Power steering is usually clear, trans fluid is red so they are probably excluded.

What brand of washer fluid do you use? Maybe that brand is tinted yellow although most is blue or green.

As for the shaking-is it felt through the steering wheel or your buttocks? Typically, a shake at speed is tire related. Did you have the problem before the car got buried in snow?

Sorry, that's all I can think of right now.

 

[gertie508]

I thought it was rather weird myself. I'm not mechanically inclined but I do know the basic fluids. It puzzled me. My washer fluid is pure blue. So I know it's not that. I did check the other fluids and they all look great. The shaking didn't happen until after I dug the car out of the snow. I can feel the shaking throughout the whole car, mainly through the steering wheel though. It feels as though my engine and front wheels are going to fall right out of the car.

 

[tweety2300]

Are you sure its not the roads/ snow under the car? An animal could have got under your car and relieved its self

 

[RMW Guy]

Snow gets packed in the wheels and will throw the weight off. I know you said you washed it but I wonder if there's still some frozen in the recesses of the wheels.

If it only started after the bury, that's what I would bet on.

The fluid is still a mystery although I like the animal whizzing under it idea.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

Can you tell what part of the car it was dripping from? My first thought was coolant, as fresh coolant can be bright green and maybe look yellow? That's very odd.

 

[gertie508]

It looked like it was from the very middle of the car, I would say under the middle console area. There was a trail of the fluid in the snow from where the car was parked and to a point from moving it. Even though it did look like some sort of pee, there was so much snow under the car, and there weren't any animal footprints in the area. That's how I noticed the fluid, the snow was so fresh and untouched is was very noticeable. I'm going to bring my car to my mechanic tomorrow to get it up on the lift to see the shaking issue, maybe he can find the frozen snow. That was my first thought about the cause of the shaking, it has happened before. It's still very weird about the "yellow" fluid, It would only happen to me, lol! I've had such bad luck with this car, but I still refuse to get rid of it. Gotta love the P5!

 

[PRO5.REL]

might be oil...trans oil?


oil is goldish looking look under the car if theres any leaks

 

[gertie508]

does it look like "pee" yellow when it leaks?

 

[canadian357]

i'm thinking coolant. Mostly because this literally just happened on my friend's van, and that was coolant.

 

[Stickman]

Shaking:
RMW Guy has a point. Happened to me a couple of yrs ago. Same symptoms. Car wash didn't get rid of the impacted snow stuck inside the back side of the wheels. Had to chop it out w/ scraper & power wash the rest out at self car wash.

 

[destineal]

Yea its either antifreeze or brake fluid. Not many other options it could be. Pee doesn't usually get antifreeze in color unless you're drinking emergy drinks/taking creatine. dull pee would be brake fluid. I forget which brand, but I had to change my brake fluid andwhen blleeding the lines, it could pass for pee visually.

 

[gertie508]

Thanks guys so much! I'm on my way to my mechanic now (cross my fingers!) It didn't look like coolant, I thought that was like a lime greenish/yellow? I wish I had taken a picture of it!

 

[gertie508]

Ok, went to the mechanic and of course it was snow/ice build up causing the shaking. He had to use a hammer and screw driver to get it out. He also looked for "yellow" fluid leaking and nothing
Well we're due for more snow tomorrow so I'll keep an eye out for more and make sure I take a photo. Thank you everyone for the advice/help you gave.

 

[azoblu3]

Just a guess. The yellow fluid ... could it be just snow melting from the exhaust pipe?? I know sometimes there's rust in there and when snow melts on it, it takes a yellowish color.

 

[n2stox]

The fluid could be anything, but I doubt it's actually a fluid that belongs in the car.

Almost every day when I pull my car out in the morning, there is some sort of puddle somewhere. It's just stuff dripping off the car. The first couple of times I was in a panic. Some leave sediment gets in the tire, water drips down a bit, and the next morning there will be a brown puddle. Looks like oil. it's not, just leaf-tainted water.

So, take a look at your fluids just in case. My Audi takes Yellow brake fluid. That is the only fluid I've ever seen that is yellow. Other than that, I lean toward the snow melt from under the car.

 

[n2stox]

One other idea. I believe these cars use brake fluid in the clutch mechanism. Perhaps take a peek at the clutch bleeder nipple thing to see if anything is going on there.

It's between the engine and the airbox underneath the o2 sensor.

 

[gertie508]

About 2 months ago I had the clutch and tranny replaced, when the clutch is replaced is the clutch bleeder touched or replaced? I did have my mechanic check the fluids the other day and he said everything looks good. It will be a mystery until it happens again and I actually take a picture

 

[RMW Guy]

Yes, the clutch system would have to have been bled.

 

[RMW Guy]

Did you ever find the cause of your "leak"?

I bought some Prestone window washer fluid tonight and it looks like lemon-lime Gatorade.