Gotdamn Car Trouble!

BlindedByTheLite

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okay, so i made that post about the Ciera, and guess what? being the cool as a polar bear's toenails 20 year old i am, i opted to go for something sportier. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif
i got a '97 Pontiac Sunfire. great car, by the way, but i'm having a little bit of trouble.

there seems to be a leak. after checking it out i think i've pin-pointed it. there's a small red connector on the battery (on the left side towards the engine), and there are two red tubes covered in a heavier black, ribbed tubing, that are both running from that junction. one runs down and into the engine, the other runs up and away from the engine, around the back of the battery. when i jiggle the tubes @ that junction, i can get the liquid to fall in a couple drops @ a time. and where it's leaking from, it sorta pools into the battery tray b4 it really starts to leak noticably.
the liquid is a very pale yellow, with a sweet taste. kinda like vanilla extract, only with some tangy kick to it, y'know?
anyways, it just started leaking the other day, and so far, no engine lights have come on (altho i haven't been driving the vehicle).
based on my lacking description, does anyone here have any ideas on what it is leaking?
i'm looking for help 'cause the car is still under warranty, and they'll fix it free of charge some 3 hours away. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/duh2.gif

-Ryan
 

raggie33

*the raggedier*
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ive never seen tubes go into a battery. im sure ya dont mean the wires? and i never tasted fluds from a car before lol. i know tranny fluids smells sweet when it aint sliping but it is usa;ly red. brake fluid s like a golden clear fluid oil is clear yellow when first changed. but turns dark fast
 

raggie33

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thats it rycen forgot about coolant man it is yto early and oddy enough i have tasted coolant
 

_mike_

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First of all, stop taste testing fluids that ooze from your automobile. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eeew.gif

Now, where do those tubes go from the battery, are they connected to anything? If those tubes just drain open ended from the battery, they are probably battery vent tubes. Throw a small hose clamp on it at that junction or a safety tie (snugged up tight) if you can so it stops dripping at that point.

This would be normal, even for "maintenance free" batteries", which really aren't maintenance free because you can generally pry the caps off and check the electrolyte level if you really wanted to.

Now, go to your kitchen where there is food appropriate for human consumption and get your snacks from there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Mike
 

Lurker

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Automobile coolant tasts sweet, but can be highly toxic. It is not uncommon for pets to lap up some spillage and die from it. Just about every other automotive fluid is toxic as well, many carcinogenic, but the coolant can really do you in quickly. I really hope you were joking about tasting anything leaking from a car.

Good luck with the repair.
 

BlindedByTheLite

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Rags:
i dunno man. i have next to zero knowledge about cars. it appears to me that the tubes are leading from a junction that connects onto the battery.

Rycen:
that's what i thought after i tasted it. but so far i haven't seen any engine lights come on.

Mike:
that's how i've seen it done, haha. i knew that coolant has a sweet taste, and i feared it might be coolant, so i dabbed a finger in it and sampled.
i'm not sure where they go, i didn't really check to see where they were leading to. i'll go down and check and then update, but again, i have next to zero knowledge about cars.
*makes a sandwich* haha

Lurker:
don't worry, i wasn't doing anything close to lapping. just a dab and a taste on the tongue, and i made sure to spit it out.
"I did not inhale." ©G Dubya
i was serious about tasting, 'cause like i said, i had prior knowledge that coolant is sweet tasting. trust me, i'm fine! really!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy23.gif
 

_mike_

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BlindedByTheLite,

Now would be the perfect time to use one of your flashlights to see where those lines go in that dark engine compartment. Maybe even crawl under the car and look up and see if you can see them. As tempting as it may be to sneak a snack, please don't taste anything else while your under there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The "tangy" taste is probably battery acid (known for it's kick). That combined with the yellow'ish color leads me to believe they are battery vent tubes as I stated before.

Since your making a sandwich, make me one too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mike
 

turbodog

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If it is coolant, it sounds like it is leaking from the overflow tube. Follow this tube. It likely connects close to the radiator cap OR the coolant overflow tank (which would then connect to the radiator).

IF it is the overflow you need to find what's causing this. If the overflow tank is too full (check the marks on the side, there is usually a high and low mark) it could cause fluid to be expelled out the tube. If too high, take out enough to get it right and keep an eye on it.

Coolant usually decreases.... it is practically impossible for it to increase. If it just started leaking, why now? Where did the extra come from? It very well could have been pushed into the coolant tank from the radiator/engine assembly.

Suggestions:

1. check the overflow tank level, adjust if necessary
2. remove radiator cap (wait till engine is cool)... fluid should be right below the cap in the "neck" of the radiator, adjust if necessary
(a) subnote: if overflow has fluid and radiator is NOT full to the neck your radiator cap is likely bad. The cap is designed to allow extra fluid in the tank to be pulled back into the radiator when the engine cools.
3. Consider replacing the cap. It's cheap and easy and might solve the problem if a bad/worn cap is letting fluid pass by into the overflow tank.
4. If you confirm the fluid level is rising amd falling in the OF tank when the car is hot and cold, AND you have replaced the radiator cap then you have OTHER cooling system problems.
(a) subnote: for example.... if the radiator was gunked-up internally and allowing the engine to run hotter then the cap could release fluid.
(b) subnote: is the coolant is old or the wrong mix the boiling temp may not be high enough. This could allow the coolant to boil, increasing radiator pressure, causing the cap to release fluid/etc.
5. All of these assume the problem is limited to cooling, not something like a cracked head.

You said the fluid is a pale yellow. "Good" coolant is more of a bright green/fluorescent green color. Assuming it's not orange/blue/red coolant (do not mix types).

Good luck.
 

turbodog

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Just because the temp light does not come on means little. It would mean more if it DID come on. You could have a fault temp sending unit or a plugged temp sending unit. I have seen TSUs in the top of the engine. When the water level falls, the water cannot get to the unit and the engine burns up even though the light never comes on.
 

chmsam

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Years ago on "Car Talk," a guy calls in saying he noticed a puddle on the garage floor under the car. He said he checked the fluid and it wasn't pink (brake fluid), green (antifreeze), viscous (oil or gear oil), or clear (water from the A/C draining. So, being concerned, he dabbed a little on his finger and tasted it (if it had been really bitter it might have been acid from the battery), but it was really, really sour. He couldn't figure out what it was.

Then he saw the neighbor's tomcat sneaking out of the garage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/duh2.gif
 

BlindedByTheLite

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okay guys. i did a quick little drawing of what seems to be involved in this fiasco. does it agree with what you guys think?

terribledrawing.jpg


also, it's a bit hard to be SURE of where the wires go, 'cause they're all housed in that thick ribbed, black plastic tubing. but the first wire, that i suspect is leaking, leads to the circuit board on the far driver's-side of the engine. the second wire leads down towards the bottom of the engine to a metal cylinder (also, a couple other wires connect to the cylinder). i'm fairly certain that is where those wires go. but it's a bit harder to tell where the other wires connect to with the housing.

help any?
 

_mike_

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Ok, originally you said ribbed tubes. Now your saying they are wires. Come on man, what are they, tubes or wires? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Anyway, if that "leaking" wire is over the vent tubes, it might be erroding because of the venting battery gases. Try re-routing it. It does not sound like coolant to me guys.

Mike
 

BlindedByTheLite

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okay, here's another picture of an actual Sunfire engine.
Engine.jpg


you can clearly see the junction on the side of the battery in all it's red glory. there's a wire running thru the black housing that goes down into the engine and attaches to the cylinder i so brilliantly illustrated (sorry, i couldn't find a picture with the cylinder in view), and then there's that other wire (which you can see the red part closest to the junction that isn't covered by the housing), that runs around the back of the battery and connects to the circuit board, which is underneath the black cover (kinda rectangular with another rectangle on the lower bottom of it), and is visible on the far right of the photograph.
 

Lurker

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Wires can't leak fluid because there is no fluid inside them. You may have something leaking ONTO the wire, possibly from inside the battery or mayabe the nearby windshield washer bottle. Or maybe it is nothing more than some residual fluid from some rain or a spill from a recent service procedure. In any case, I don't think you are going to get very far on this in a discussion board format. I recommend you have a local mechanic diagnose it and if it is expensive to repair, take it in for the warranty repair.
 

_mike_

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Lurker is correct in stating that wires don't leak anything as they are not able to carry liquid of any kind. He's also correct in saying that it could be coming from somewhere else and ending up in the wiring harness or from a past spill of some kind by tracking down the wires.

What you could do (if you feel up to it) is remover the black, ribbed wiring harness if it has a split down the middle and see if the wires are in tact. What I mean is.... are they corroded, is the insulation ok, is the inside of the harness all wet type of stuff.

If you want to know if it's battery acid. Mix up a little baking soda and water. Teaspoon of baking soda and enough water to make a nice cloudy mixture. Like it would look if you put a little milk in your water.

This next part is very important, so pay attention. Do NOT allow this solution anywhere near the vent caps of your battery. If any of it gets into any of the cells of your battery it will kill it by neutralizing the electrolyte. At that point you battery will be damaged beyond repair and you will have to buy a new one.

Ok, now that you have been warned, drizzle just a little (don't make a freaking mess) on the wiring harness. If it bubbles, it is battery acid which could be there because of the battery venting. The bubbling is the baking soda neutralizing the acid.

If it does not bubble, it is not battery acid and you will need to look into it more. Heck even if it does bubble it might be more than just battery acid.

However, Lurker is pretty much correct about trying to solve this via a message board. Just drop in at Sears or Les Schwab and they'll probably be able to tell you and probably won't charge you either.

Or you could drive over to my house and I can look at it for you, I'm home all day. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Mike
 

turbodog

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1. I have never seen tubing and wires run inside the same plastic ribbed housing.

2. We seem to have forgotten that you (in your stupidity (sorry)) have tasted the liquid and pronounced it sweet.

3. The color LIKELY indicates coolant (especially when taken with the flavor).

4. Look for a hose in the vicinity of all this liquid. Diameter should be about the same as a garden hose. Check said hose(s) for cracks or evidence of leaks.

5. Keep your eyes peeled for a rogue diabetic cat in the area. (medical joke)
 
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