No this isn't a Halloween thread

After driving home for over 1-1/2 hrs I left my car outside to cool down. There was some green liquid under the card that my husband mentioned seeing after we put it in the garage.

Anyone have a guess as to what the liquid might be? He was thinking powersteering fluid or brake fluid.

Most recent work done: replaced the oil pan (SB) and an oil change about a week ago. I also had my lights replaced (SB) and they did a pretty shoddy job since one of the lights didn't work and they didn't check it first. So, that work last week might be suspect, but I don't think anything oil related would be green.

I am not sure as to the location of the liquid under the car.

Thought I would give you guys a chance to figure it out before I call the dealership, since they will say I am imagining things. After I drive it home again today, we will see if it is still there, but I thought I would see if you guys wanted to take a stab ( holiday humor) at it.......

 

Maybe Engine coolant. Have you checked that?

 

The RX-8 doesn't use powersteering fluid ( its electric ) and Brake Fluid looks like Apple Juice. Check the overflow bottle that is in front of the Battery. It could also be a left over bottle of gatoraid left under the hood

 

I will check it again when I go home tonight, but here is some more info:

Its was on the driveway under the passenger side of the engine. It was dark green and it was hard or solidified to the concrete. Weather was in the 50s last night. Antifreeze shouldn't solidify, right?

Oh, and funny comment from the dealership......
"You must have had something splash onto your car while driving."......geez good one......couldn't possibly be the car......

no rain, weather chilly, driving on the hwys before coming home.

Maybe it was a gigantic bug yeah, they bleed green

 

Brake fluid is usualy pale yellow and turns a orange color as it gets older (there are also red, blue and other brake fluids, but im talking stock)

Power steering fluid as well as automatic transmission fluid is usualy a light to dark red in color.

If its green, it is more than likely your RADIATOR FLUID (aka coolant)...

Seeing your in FL, if it was a hot day, the car may have filled the overflow tank (white tank at the front of the car next to the battery) once this overflow tank is full, it will drip onto the ground.

I would wait untill the car is cooled down and check the LVL in the tank....DO NOT OPEN WHEN HOT, as the fluid is under pressure. If the tank is empty, fill it will some DISTILLED WATER or the 50/50 Premix coolant (avalible at all autoparts stores). Then drive it around so it gets up to normal temp, and check it again once it cools down.

You can find info on this in the owners manual.

Its not uncommon for a little bit to spill, esp on a HOT day, if you didnt get any warning lights and the car was running good, I wouldnt worry, just check it as I mentioned above.

Hope this helps

 

Not shure about this but the Heater Core could be in that area, use the heat last night? I would run the car with the heat for about ten minutes then check again.

 

i was typing when the other replys were posted, so now that ive seen them, what do you mean by 'solidified' is it just a green stain on the garage floor? or is it like a hardened puddle now. It should evaporate and leave a greenish reside, but not just turn solid.

If its like a gel on the gorund, it 'might' be grease:

Im not sure what kind mazda uses stock, but some grease that is used in CV joints and steering joints is a dark green color, one of the boots on a joint might have cracked, they are just rubber. If you can, look under the car, is there a lot of grease/oil looking stains on the plastic, or inside the wheel?

Im also not sure what kind of lubricant is packed in the electric steering unit, but it could be a similar green color.

Hope this helps.

 

Your water pump is bad.

 

also another possiblity, one of the members (epi) had that happen.

here is his story:

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/smalled-puddle-green-fluid-black-puddle-middle-44620/

 

it's one of your friends green with envy

 

RenKat, sweet response. Does it seem likely that it is bad this soon? 20k...

KY, looking forward to meeting the person behind the posts. I didn't think about grease as a possiblility. If it were the CV joints, wouldn't I hear it?

Expo, I did use the heater without a/c and the lovely seat heaters. It was chilly for my FL blood, but the windows were down so I wasn't crazy with the heater.

Keep the suggestions coming. I will check everything when I get home and post my results. Maybe i sucked a gremlin into the car, gremlins bleed green........

I would think that after my oil change last week the levels would have been checked on everything.

 

Ky, good link........

 

maybe a leprechaun got a little excited after seeing the rx8....


if it is gelly.. probably some sort of lube grease... solid.. leprechaun poo?

wet... or dry residue.. coolant

 

The concrete will absorb some of the water and antifreeze itself will evaporate fairly rapidly.

Antifreeze has a distinct smell, as do most automotive fluids. It pays to get to know these smells. Makes diagnosing drips lots easier.

Good luck, hopefully it's something benign like a slight overflow from the overflow tank. But if it looks like it's coming from the engine take it in right away.

 

Does the RX8 even have CV joints?

My only experience with those is as part of the drive shafts on a FWD car.

I's think that the most likely source of lube grease under the car would be the one of the ball joints in the suspension/steering linkage. The boots over such joints aren't big enough to leave much of a puddle (maybe 2-3 in. across at most) if one came loose.

I would think that anything green is most likely coolant under the front end of the car

 

ok, you caught me, correct there are no CV joints up front, but there are boots packed with grease/lube such as the steering joints suspension, ect. It was just a brainstorm idea. Im 99% sure that its coolant coming out of her car, with all the little pockets and stuff under there though, its possible that anything, including coolant, could collect in there and then leak out.

Mantis, Ill be more than happy to take a look at it when were at the meet, but I dont think its anything to worry about, as long as the car is acting normaly.

 

That's the thing about rotating mechanical equipment, or anything really. It could go bad after 1 mile. It shouldn't, but it could.

 

Okay. I am home and I can smell a sweet smell all the way home. I have looked at the garage floor and now see multiple dime sized dark green semi luby substance on the ground. I have put a white towel under my car to catch anything for proof.

I have to talk to the service guy that was telling me it was liquid washing up against my car......

With a pin light I can see the same dark green substance coming out of one of the weep holes on the water pump near the belt. When I touch the substance it is slimy as if oil is mixed. Most likely from a bearing inside the waterpump.

 

waterpump go bye bye. sweet is coolant as you found

 

^ good to know in case this ever happens to me. could you mebbe post a pic when you have a chance of what the sweet goo looks like?

 

(zoom is now yoda?) :D

 

it looks just like melted dark green candle wax and it did have a spot of oil in it. If you look at the link KYLiquid posted there is a picture of the weep hole I am talking about. the green liquid is right next to that weep hole.

mother trucker, i was looking forward to installing my exhaust tonight. just one more day......

 

it's coolant...get it checked out before your car over heats. it's green, it smells sweet when burning, it tastes chemically sweet when it splashes into your mouth...it's definately coolant.

 

Just as a caution based on Dans comment about the taste of ethylene glycol--Y'all know not to drink to much of this, right? Hate for some one to try drinking more than a couple tablespoons full. And keep it away from your dog and cat; they could kick off on a lap or two.

Oh, you can also detect antifreeze with a blacklight. THe manufacturers generaly put fluorescein derivitives in them. I am not sure why, but it makes it easy to see. I dont know any other auto fluid that fluoresces.

 

I dropped my car off this morning to a freakishly nice and happy service guy. We will see what his guys find.......I think you guys are right and it's the bearing going in the water pump. The only place I have seen the green stuff on the car is near that weep hole and it is oily in texture.

I haven't been drinking any lately, but thanks for the warning......