prosem

I just got the car out of storage and noticed at some point something leaked from the transmission cooler and then crystalized. Check out the photo below:

Any idea what this is? I am having the transmission serviced next week sometime so I will have them inspect this. It looks like coolant, but ATF flows through these lines, right?

My car is an 08 and has 169,000 miles



Thanks
Matt

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Looks like road salt. There is no coolant in an IS F that is white. It dries pink. There is no ATF in an IS F that isn't either red or brown or maybe black. It does not dry white.

Road salt does not disappear magically, and does not run off as quickly as one might hope. This is one of the reasons I am happy to live in Georgia where we only rarely have this kind of stuff on the roads.

prosem

Well that is good to know. Thanks lobuxracer.

I was starting to get concerned that the trans fluid that runs through the radiator was getting contaminated by coolant. That doesn't sound like the case.

Thanks
Matt

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

If I were you, I'd do a strong clear water rinse to get that crap off of there. It does absolutely no good whatsoever.

prosem

I will. It still doesnt seem right. the dark streak to the left of the photo feels gummy. Could it have leaked some trans fluid and then salt from the road attracted itself to it?

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Yes. There could be a small leak of ATF from that hose. After cleaning, I would inspect the tube the rubber hose is covering for perforation. It would really suck if it is corroded through because the only fix is to replace the cooler or cut the tube and do something to work with what is left after cutting it off.

Lots of possible solutions, but stopping the leak is the goal.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I also suggest looking at this thread. It has all the pertinent information on setting or adjusting the fluid level in the transmission, and you'll need to do that if you disconnect the cooler hoses.

prosem

I am taking it to the dealer so if it does need a new cooler I will just have them put it in and then do the transmission service.

lorenr

iTrader: (1)

I do not know if Illinois uses sodium chloride or magnesium chloride on their roads, but either will cause serious damage to your car over time. I would locate someone who can remove those salts from your car. Much more serious that a simple ATF leak.

Pressure washing would help, maybe. If I lived there, I would lock that car up when the state salts the roads and drive some POS that I did not care about.

Loren

prosem

Hi Lorenr,

I store the car over the winter so no worries about salt. What is weird is that I was just looking at photos I had taken of the car when I put it in storage and I cannot see this white substance behind the grill. It very well could have been there but I do not see it. How could this have developed over the course of 3 months in storage?

Here is a shot of it before. granted it is way zoomed in, but I dont see it to the extent as it is now.


Matt

Quadrphnia

Depending on where it was stored, it's probably another human that flung it around.

I store mine in a 2.5 garage & have a Honda Pilot in and out all Winter on the smaller side. The crap this SUV brings in makes the garage filthy, along with people in and out of the garage wearing boots, flinging shovels, etc. I've seen a spot or two on my car from flingage.

Your spot is unique of course, but if you're anything like me, perhaps you drove the car to the limit of Fall & inadvertently hit a "preemptive" salt pile / puddle. The boneheads here in Chicago start throwing salt the minute precipitation gets about 35 degrees so they can get the same salt budget they get the next year.

Did you pull the car out & start it up at all this Winter? On a warmer day? Maybe the garage door dropped a mushass ball of slush directly into your grille?

Edit: Looking at your picture again, that looks like a lot. It looks like it came from a splash or two from a car in front of you and landed wet.

Quadrphnia

True this. I'll drive my Winter car until the core support falls onto the pavement before I quit storing my F in the Winter.

prosem

I am not sure... I never pulled the car out of the unit. and it is an enclosed unit with garage doors on both sides. It appears that it came directly from those hoses. I did open the door several times but the chances of something dripping from the garage door and ending up exactly on those hoses seem to be very unlikely. Looking at the initial picture it looks like the hose was sweating whatever this substance is. I dont know...