What is this leak?

[yura]

Just dove by my parking spot and noticed some shady-looking puddles! Something is leaking from the car :(.

Looks like oil, but doesn't feel like oil. Ran my finger through it numerous times - not oily at all. Seems to be dripping near the rear axle.

Checked the oil, and it's above the minimum mark.

Any ideas?

http://i.imgur.com/zlFa7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/wDkPU.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/WiJmE.jpg

Could this be the diff leaking?

[LivesNearCostco]

You could lie down in back of your car and shine a flashlight on the diff. If it's leaking, you should see the fluid on the bottom of the diff. In my limited experience with car fluids (I only drained my BMW's tranny and diff once, but I drained my old car's AT 3 times), used transmission fluid smells worse than used motor oil and used diff fluid smells worst of all!

Very hard for leaking motor oil to make it to rear axle. It could be leaking brake fluid, if you still have original brake fluid from 2005! Check your brake fluid reservoir, but my bet is diff fluid. The diff cover gasket can fail slowly leak. The gasket is NLA so if you or your shop fix it, you use RTV instead of a gasket.

[Mtnman]

Wow. That's leaking a lot. You shld be able to look under the car and find that. Something should be covered in liquid.

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[Newjack]

If it's not oil then my next guess is the diff or tranny fluid. That's the color that came out when I changed mine. Well, the lighter shade that is. It wasn't as dark as the stuff in the last picture.

[yura]

Thanks for the replies. I just had a look under my car and everything that I could see was dry. Interestingly enough, the lighter-coloured liquid seems to be spread over a good couple feet, perpendicular to the stall's direction; my parking doesn't vary that much... going to call up my mechanic right now and see if I can drop in for him to have a look.

[danewilson77]

The fluid could be from someone else?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[yura]

The fluid could be from someone else?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

Heh, the same thought crossed my mind, but it looks like quite a bit of liquid, so someone would have to park in my spot quite a bit, and I've never seen anyone do that. I don't drive a lot (I work from home), so my car is there pretty much 24/7. I take it out maybe 3-4 times per week.

Just spoke to my mechanic and will be dropping by tomorrow to have him take a look at it.

//edit - I should also note that I didn't smell anything from the liquids

[kayger12]

The way the spots are spread out, I'm thinking maybe it's oil dripping off of different places from the lower splash guard.

Betcha if you drop that piece you'll find a bunch of oil on it.

[yura]

The way the spots are spread out, I'm thinking maybe it's oil dripping off of different places from the lower splash guard.

Betcha if you drop that piece you'll find a bunch of oil on it.

Interesting. Will check this out tomorrow when the car is on the lift!

[danewilson77]

The way the spots are spread out, I'm thinking maybe it's oil dripping off of different places from the lower splash guard.

Betcha if you drop that piece you'll find a bunch of oil on it.

Yup.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[yura]

Update: took the car to my mechanic yesterday, and the underside is dry as a bone. Checked the splash guards, too. "Probably the driest E46 I've ever seen." Absolutely no leaks anywhere. Crisis avoided. Thanks for all the tips, though!

Now to hunt down whoever is using my stall...

[danewilson77]

^Exactly

[kayger12]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's an American car. :shift

[Newjack]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's an American car. :shift

Hey!

LG Revolution + Tapatalk

[kayger12]

Hey!

LG Revolution + Tapatalk

:innocent

[rdhamill]

Sorry, with leaks like that, it looks like I parked my Dodge Ram in your spot. LOL.