Drops of oil seen on floor
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S500
auto box, engine oil and diff oil all taste and smell very different and start life as different colours - but they get closer with age and wear - after all they are mostly just dead dinosaurs
goodness knows how to describe it in a way that works....
the stuff in a diff for extreme pressure applications is like nothing else, once you know it you know it for life
engine oil is either black from all the death tractors push out - or stinks of hydrocarbons from the fuel during cold starts and acids and junk from contamination
probably best to start with where on the car you found it - and exactly what car and spec it is - but even that’s messed up - in the old days it was easy - now engine covers down below can hold rubbish for years till enough weeps out nowhere near where it first escaped
I'd say engine oil but could be dirty auto box, or PAS or...................
you could try to match the smell on the tissue to that of the engine dipstick - the PAS reservoir, the Brake reservoir and again if they'd given you one - that of the autobox dipstick
of course check the levels whilst looking - and don't get dirt in there when checking
goodness knows how to describe it in a way that works....
the stuff in a diff for extreme pressure applications is like nothing else, once you know it you know it for life
engine oil is either black from all the death tractors push out - or stinks of hydrocarbons from the fuel during cold starts and acids and junk from contamination
probably best to start with where on the car you found it - and exactly what car and spec it is - but even that’s messed up - in the old days it was easy - now engine covers down below can hold rubbish for years till enough weeps out nowhere near where it first escaped
I'd say engine oil but could be dirty auto box, or PAS or...................
you could try to match the smell on the tissue to that of the engine dipstick - the PAS reservoir, the Brake reservoir and again if they'd given you one - that of the autobox dipstick
of course check the levels whilst looking - and don't get dirt in there when checking
Last edited by BOTUS; Feb 22, 2025 at 12:51 PM.
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From: DFW
SL63
Disclaimer: if you are going to taste these fluids, get the smallest amount on the end of your tongue. Then spit it out, then rinse thoroughly. I have heard of good mechanics using this technique, but I haven’t seen any data or literature that would quantify how effective this method is.
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S-550 4MATIC
Disclaimer: if you are going to taste these fluids, get the smallest amount on the end of your tongue. Then spit it out, then rinse thoroughly. I have heard of good mechanics using this technique, but I haven’t seen any data or literature that would quantify how effective this method is.
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2017 GLE350 4MATIC
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2014 S63 2010 ML350 Bluetec 2009 SL550
Get it on a lift and bring a flashlight. You expect us to tell you where and what your car is leaking from some pics of misc fluid on the garage floor ?
I swear common sense has just completely vanished from our society....
I swear common sense has just completely vanished from our society....
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From: DFW
SL63
Troubleshooting is the art of determining possible sources of faults, and then prioritizing them as most likely to least likely. Then eliminating them by process of elimination.
So, in the first place, list all possible sources of fluids. Engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, washer fluid, coolant, suspension fluid, power steering, etc. Perform a detailed inspection of all these systems from most likely to least likely, top down. If you do an exhaustive inspection in this manner, it will eventually lead you to the source of the leak.
Consider all sources though. For instance, does any other car, or motorized implement ever get parked in the same place? Maybe it’s not even the car that’s leaking.
So, in the first place, list all possible sources of fluids. Engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, washer fluid, coolant, suspension fluid, power steering, etc. Perform a detailed inspection of all these systems from most likely to least likely, top down. If you do an exhaustive inspection in this manner, it will eventually lead you to the source of the leak.
Consider all sources though. For instance, does any other car, or motorized implement ever get parked in the same place? Maybe it’s not even the car that’s leaking.
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S-550 4MATIC
No today is a saturday and I saw this in morning and till it is Monday, I posted it here, to get whatever idea I can get, I am not asking anything additional to diagnose, but if by chance someone already has a coincidence and had similar experience, I was looking for those. Dont have to bash me. I will ofcourse first thing on Monday take it to my mechanic.
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S-550 4MATIC
Troubleshooting is the art of determining possible sources of faults, and then prioritizing them as most likely to least likely. Then eliminating them by process of elimination.
So, in the first place, list all possible sources of fluids. Engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, washer fluid, coolant, suspension fluid, power steering, etc. Perform a detailed inspection of all these systems from most likely to least likely, top down. If you do an exhaustive inspection in this manner, it will eventually lead you to the source of the leak.
Consider all sources though. For instance, does any other car, or motorized implement ever get parked in the same place? Maybe it’s not even the car that’s leaking.
So, in the first place, list all possible sources of fluids. Engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, washer fluid, coolant, suspension fluid, power steering, etc. Perform a detailed inspection of all these systems from most likely to least likely, top down. If you do an exhaustive inspection in this manner, it will eventually lead you to the source of the leak.
Consider all sources though. For instance, does any other car, or motorized implement ever get parked in the same place? Maybe it’s not even the car that’s leaking.
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From: DFW
SL63
Yes. From what I can see, it looks like it is slinging off of your serpentine belt. But I only see oil on the outside of the belt, not on the inside, which is fortunate in a way. At least you don’t have to worry that the leak will cause your belt to slip and squeak. Check all your fluid reservoirs to see if they are below their normal level. If one of your reservoirs is low, trace all the hoses that run to it, and the rest of that system. Somewhere along the way you will see a loose hose clamp, a seeping or weeping hose, or possibly a hose split. That would be my diagnosis.
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S-550 4MATIC
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2017 GLE350 4MATIC
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w164 ml350
Find the large oil filter housing cap, it's black and sits high in your engine on the drivers side. Then trace that oil filter housing down to where it connects to a cooler (on the right side with fins) and where it connects to the engine. Both are common spots to leak, you will see a lot of crude and road grim which is attracted to the oil. An inspection mirror would be helpful.
