How to Determine What Type of Fluid is Leaking from Your Car

Fluid leaking from your car can indicate serious problems or nothing at all - it all depends on what is leaking. Be vigilant with fluid leaks of any type as running your engine on low or empty fluid of any type can ruin your engine, transmission or other vital (and expensive!) components in your vehicle.
The video above will show you how to figure out what type of fluid is leaking. This can be difficult if the fluid is on pavement, so we recommend putting some paper down to better determine the color of the leaking fluid and help identify its source. Coolant tends to be green, orange or pink. Oil is almost very dark and oily. Power steering fluid is typically red or black and oily in texture. Brake fluid that is leaking tends to be dark. Transmission fluid leaks tend to be dark and oily. Clear watery fluid is often water from your air conditioning system and not a cause for concern.

Other videos you might find helpful

Basic Car Repair Tools

Shadetree mechanic essential tools for car maintenance

Don’t Touch Your Bulbs

Hotspots are caused by touching the glass globe of the bulb

How to Replace Instrumentation and HVAC Lighting

Changing the little bulbs behind your stereo and heating a/c controls

How to Replace a Hubcap and Wheel Cover on Your Car

Free video shows the easiest way to replace a hubcap and wheel cover

Author

Hans Angermeier has produced over 100,000 videos showing drivers how to fix things on their cars. He has broad expertise on basic repair procedures covering the majority of cars on the road.