SC- 1st Gen (1992-2000)

Ran Into a Problem under the SC

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Old 01-05-10 | 10:22 PM
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Default Ran Into a Problem under the SC

Well today i was parking my car at costco and i noticed smoke coming from my hood....when i popped it open smoke was coming near the firewall(center)....i looked under the car and saw a crap load of fluid leaking out near the tranny area(i think)....at first i thought it was my tranny...but the fluid was red and its a thin liquid....could it possibly be one of my hoses from my power steering went out....my SC is a 5 speed...

thanks for taking a look
Old 01-05-10 | 10:46 PM
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isn't tranny fluid red? did the car drive home okay afterwards?
Old 01-05-10 | 10:53 PM
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i didnt drive it home i towed it home...i heard that usually auto trannies have red fluid...and Manuel tranny fluid looks like reg oil plz correct me if im WRONG!!!

But my tranny felt fine b4 what happened....didnt hear any weird noises...it was hard to get into gear or anything!!!!

tomorrow morning hopefully i can see whats going on b4 i start class!!!
Old 01-06-10 | 05:08 AM
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Yea, powersteering fluid is usually red. It's not your tranny fluid. Check the p/s lines to see if any of them are busted.
Old 01-06-10 | 06:21 AM
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its your heater hose on the back of the engine next to the firewall. coolant is normally red on lexus/tyota.
Old 01-06-10 | 07:48 AM
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I think the two suggestions you have are correct. I dont see why it would be PS fluid, but I have seen weird things. I would check and see if you are missing some coolant.

My Tranny fluid is purple
Old 01-06-10 | 09:10 AM
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im just hoping its not the tranny...

well i tried seeing if i could spot any leaks from the top but i check my pwr steering i still have fluid in there.....so next move is to put the car on a lift and see where all that liquid came from....

thanks guys!!!!
Old 01-06-10 | 09:28 AM
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Since you have a 5 speed it's not it going to be red.

ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is red. So either your powersteering is leaking since we are supposed to use ATF on our powersteering. But since you said it is in the back by your trans and its a thin red liquid, it is most likely your heater core and you have the red toyota coolant. I'm almost positive it's that because ATF is thick and you said it is thin.

Also when coolant burns there is usually this sweet smell and if you touched it, it's oily and kinda watery.
Old 01-06-10 | 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by DryBlaze
Since you have a 5 speed it's not it going to be red.

ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is red. So either your powersteering is leaking since we are supposed to use ATF on our powersteering. But since you said it is in the back by your trans and its a thin red liquid, it is most likely your heater core and you have the red toyota coolant. I'm almost positive it's that because ATF is thick and you said it is thin.

Also when coolant burns there is usually this sweet smell and if you touched it, it's oily and kinda watery.


Dead on right here.
Old 01-06-10 | 10:41 AM
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Smell it. If you cant stand the smell, it's tranny fluid.
Old 01-06-10 | 12:08 PM
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Originally Posted by DryBlaze
Since you have a 5 speed it's not it going to be red.

ATF (automatic transmission fluid) is red. So either your powersteering is leaking since we are supposed to use ATF on our powersteering. But since you said it is in the back by your trans and its a thin red liquid, it is most likely your heater core and you have the red toyota coolant. I'm almost positive it's that because ATF is thick and you said it is thin.

Also when coolant burns there is usually this sweet smell and if you touched it, it's oily and kinda watery.
I agree^^^^^

could be your heater control valve on your firewall or your heater hoses that are behind the engine.
Old 01-06-10 | 05:51 PM
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i was wondering is the heater core easy to get to or do i have to take the dashboard out???

never mind....thank you search engine!!! lol

Last edited by TrackMonky; 01-06-10 at 06:14 PM.
Old 01-06-10 | 05:55 PM
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power steering fluid may be the ATF T.4, but it will not stay red for long...it is the coolant.
Old 01-08-10 | 12:00 AM
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went to fix my heatcore hose today at JRX ROTARY....once again thanks for everyone that helped me out on this....HAPPY DRIVING!!!!
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