NEED HELP! got a leak....power steering or transmission?

[themadness]

i noticed 2 small stains on my driveway and found fluid collecting on the metal rail that the plastic lip is connected to under the front bumper. i can take a pic if you need to see it.

its reddish and just started last night since it wasnt there yesterday and i havent been any where today. is it transmission fluid or power steering fluid? how do i find the source?

[heavywoody]

Red is transmission. Power steering is clear, but if it's old and never been flushed, usually brown.

Most likely it's the transmission cooler lines leaking.

[themadness]

they look exactly the same color wise when i check them. even though the PS fluid was changed recently. is the line change a big deal as far as cost? having a shop do it.

[DTMAce]

Honestly, could be a simple matter of tightening the line. I have had them work loose before. Get a line wrench for it, snug it up. Best way to do this, loosen it first, then re-tighten. Otherwise change the lines, Autozone has them on their site, you can order them there, not sure if RockAuto has them, but I would think they do.

As for PS steering fluids.. They are supposed to be clear, however some people have used tranny fluid for PS fluid before, and I have personally seen red PS fluid before in the bottle. Technically they are similar composition anyway. But they would not leak up front, it would be more likely to be found around the wheel locations or beneath the firewall.

[themadness]

where are the connections that i should tighten?

i honestly dont see it anywhere other than where it dripping from behind the lip under the front bumper.

[themadness]

pics. hope these are clear enough. the concrete stains and two of areas of the drips.

[scd88ga]

^^^ That would be transmission fluid. The connections that you can check to see if they're loose are right above where the fluid leak is in your picture on the plastic side cap of your radiator on the passenger side of the car facing your engine.

*fixed*

[themadness]

what has to be done to check the cap?

[scd88ga]

what has to be done to check the cap?

Visually search for leaks, that's all.

[DTMAce]

The transmission lines connect on the Passenger side of the radiator, at the top and the bottom of that plastic side cap. You can see the fittings IN that picture above! Now, they are self enclosed, meaning that the plastic is not part of their system, so the previous statement is incorrect. If the plastic part of the radiator is broken it will leak coolant for sure, but not tran fluid. The lines that connect can become loose sometimes, so you need to get to them to tighten. The top one is fairly easy to get to, but the bottom one is a major pain in the ass. To get to it properly, you just about have to pull the lower coolant hose completely off the car to get plenty of room to get at the fitting. Trust me, its a bitch, I have done it many times, swapping radiators.

Best bet will be to pull the lower skirt so you can see up there (the skirt just behind the bottom core support that the drip is coming from). You might be able to get a wrench on it there, if not, you will have to pull that lower coolant hose which connects to the rad, the engine and the coolant tank. And you will need space for about 2.5 gallons of coolant to be drained into. Fun fun.

[scd88ga]

^ Thanks for the clarification DTMAce! I'm a 5 speed guy, whooops!

[DTMAce]

Just to clarify, the transmission fluid as it goes through a radiator, simply goes through a large metal tube inside the end cap, with fittings at top and bottom that stick out the side like in that picture. That's it. So whether the plastic is cracked or not, does not impact the transmission portion. Unless something physically has damaged that metal tube and its fittings (an impact of some sort) it should normally not leak. But the lines can leak for sure if the outer fittings get loose. If you look under the transmission, you can follow the lines going to the radiator, just follow them, see which one is wet, tighten it up and see if it stops. Simple.

And remember, you may need to loosen first, then tighten back up. And don't man wrestle it either, but get it good and snug. If the line has rusted bad or something, then it just needs replaced and that will fix it. These are brass/steel compression fittings. No gaskets or o-rings. They seal by how tight they are.

[themadness]

as far as i can tell the lines dont have any damage and dont appear to be leaking @ the radiator cap. i did a much needed cleaning of the engine bay(horribly dirty) and laid down some foil to catch any fluid going to the ground. maybe i can get a better idea of what the fluid is. so i will double check it in the morning. i tend to think the leak is pretty decent size but my father in law says no big deal. i guess if it is trans fluid its a paycheck to fix it? i read that PS fluid soaks into concrete fairly quickly, as this stuff did, so i'm still unsure................

[DTMAce]

Leaks always look bigger than they actually are, so what he said was correct. A paycheck? I would hope not, but don't know what your paycheck is.... LOL

From where its dripping, I would bet 99 percent its transmission fluid. If the lines are even wet with red fluid, they are leaking. Simple as that. I would wipe both lines down end-to-end so they are clean and somewhat dry, wipe the end cap of the radiator where they connect, run it a day or two, and look at them again. Now they can start to leak where the rubber part of the line is crimped to the steel part. If that's the case, then the line needs replaced. I think when I bought my set it was like 40 bucks or something for the pair. I just changed them both, didn't want to have to hassle with one bad, then the other later. lol

You can still go over your PS lines too, they go from the pump to the firewall and back. Sometimes the rack leaks back there, but they should NOT be leaking down on the bottom of the core support. So I pretty much ruled them out from your pics and description. But it can't hurt to look.

[themadness]

what are the odds it is the rack leaking? given the consistent "whir" noise behind the steering wheel i'm beginning to wonder. there is also the looming "groan" i get when backing up and turning at the same time. my old man suggested the rack based on what i told him. its going in this morning. i was going to wait until after vacation next week but the puddle on the tin foil i laid down last night was enough to change my mind.