My friend parked his gs300 in my driveway today and came inside for around an hour. It was snowing and the ground was really wet in driveway. When he backed up to leave I saw a rainbow affect on the driveway around where the front of his car was at. it was near the front side of the engine but a little towards passenger side. My first thought was antifreeze and checked around his water pump. nothing looked to be leaking there. there was some fluid ont he plastic bottom cover on the car. but it was just water. My second thought is that gas would make that wierd rainbow swirlly affect. It was to cold and wet to check it out. So what would you all guess it would be. what would make that rainbow swirl?

 

alot of views, but nobody responding. surely someone has seen this before. sorry to be impatient, but my buddy is concerned.

 

What color was it? Red is coolant.

 

It could be that this is just residue that acumulated on the plastic liner and was disolved by the water. When the water dripped out from the liner, it mixed with the water of the ground. It doesn't take much to have that multicolor swirl on top of a puddle.

 

it looked like a wierd watery no real color other than green and kind of rainbow swirl. you couldnt see it real well being the pavement is black and it was wet. just that swirl. it wasnt red thats for sure. I thought antifreeze was green. i quess lexus uses red

 

hope thats what it is, but he just got the car and what kind of residue would could it be. they had cleaned the engine bay. I wander if it could be from the cleaner. He said it ran fine when he went to work and when he moved car there was another spot like it underneith it, but couldnt see any kind of fluid. getting alot of moisture to day. they are calling for around 6 to 10 inches of snow and sleet mix.

 

Its a petroleum product of some kind. Could be engine oil or a solvent based cleaner.

 

hmm. is antifreeze petroleum based or no. could it be gas leak. seems to far forward

 

Antifreeze is glycol based. Its probably a smidgen of oil or some of that cleaner washed off onto the ground.

 

i have always thought that when oil mixes with water on asphalt it produces that rainbow swirl effect

 

good sounds like nothing to worry about then. just keep an eye on it. it could just be grease or something i would think as well.

 

sounds like it's either a fuel leak or oil leak.

 

It's either an engine fluid leak, or transmission fluid leak. Have it checked out before it gets worse =]

 

when we thaw out up here me and him will put it on ramps and check it out. no way its tranny leak. to far forward.

 

maybe the puddle was already there?