E39 Fluid Leak

danza

danza

danza

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Posted this in the E39 thread, but it may be more generally applicable to other cars, so it can't hurt to ask in a separate thread too:

Guys, just wondering whether anyone has experience of an issue my wife's E39 has. I drove it to Lille over the weekend, and noticed a hot, slightly oily smell when we pulled up a couple of times (although that could've just as easily been a hot enginey smell). I then parked up later to find a couple of small puddles under the car.

The fluid had puddled on the inside of the undertray and dripped out. Not sure how much as we may well have lost some whilst driving. It was odourless, slightly oily to the touch, tasteless, translucent and greyish in colour. It's defo not coolant, engine oil or PS fluid. Is this something to do with the aircon? I assumed so and stopped using the A/C in case it caused damage. The car drove faultlessly the whole time, and for another 150 miles after spotting the issue.

Any thoughts?
 
I'd have thought water from the condenser in the air con?

When i park my Subaru up after a drive there will be a puddle of water under it from the aircon after a short while, i can't think of anything else that will leak out of a car that's odourless other than some water running down and off a dirty under tray making it slightly oily.
 
Yeah the fluid must be water from the ac system drain.

But that wont give you a burnt oily smell. Burnt oily smell when you pull up to a stop is classic sign of leaking rocker cover gasket - oil drips onto exhaust creating oily smoke which then gets pulled into the cabin when you stop.
 
My car literally ****es water out the bottom when the AC is switched on, so it could easily be that with a bit of dirt colouring it on its travels.
 
If it's clear there isn't really a lot else it could be though - take the undertray off and run the car then check to see exactly where it's dripping from
 
danza said:
AFAIK the E39 doesn't vent condensation onto the undertray, hence my worry.
Click to expand...

It doesn't - both of the E39's I drive drip onto the drive and not the tray.

Though interestingly my undertray collects rainwater yet the Touring doesn't. So perhaps its just rainwater?
 
I'm pretty sure it's ATF. Got under the car, took off the undertray and saw the fluid collected along the bottom of the radiator housing. It's defo not coolant, and everywhere else is leak-free. New oil cooler I think. Also happened to notice some pretty bad chafing to one of the lower rad hoses, so will be getting that replaced too. :(
 
I had another sniff and okay, it does have a tinge of an oily/chemical smell. The PS fluid is red, this is clearish with dirt in.
 
A right stupid suggestion...but its nothing to do with your headlight washers and a hose being burst there or anything?

The fluid you describe just sounds a bit...odd for being in the engine bay

Maybe try getting some Into a white container, definitely not coolant? Its not that blue when its on the ground, especially not if its a weak mix ( which would also account for lack of taste)
 
Its not coolant, coolant is extremely sweet. This has no taste in the tiny quantity I tried.

My car is pov spec with no xenons, so no washers. I'm pretty sure it's ATF. I'll be booking it in at a conveniently local Porsche/BMW/Merc independent tomorrow.
 
How bad is the leak? Are you sure it isn't the typical E39 leaky PAS reservoir leak? Minute quantities of PAS leak out of the bottom, track down the pipe, collect where it connects near the rad and drips onto the tray. It doesnt take much to make a sticky mess on the tray but the actual leaked fluid is minute.
 
Defo not PAS fluid. The PAS fluid reservoir level hasn't changed noticeably, and I poured a small jar worth of this oily fluid from the undertray. I compared it with the PAS fluid on a fresh tissue, and it looks like a slightly dirty oil in colour vs the obvious red of the PAS fluid.
 
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