this evening upon leaving my dinner place; before i got in the car i noticed black colored fluid on the ground. and it was fresh. It didnt smell like oil so it cant be that; could this be transfer case fluid as ive had a transfer case thats been seeping fluid for awhile now; or could this be brake or power steering fluid?

 

None of the fluids should be black.....Red coolant, red atf as well as p/s fluid, brake fluid is a clear fluid & engine oil is gold color., rear diff & transfer case is a goldish color or purple if your using Royal Purple diff oil as I am....This would be for new or nearly new fluids.....So where 'bout is it leaking at? LF or RF side or towards the front or rear? Really hope its not your diff or transfer case oil or even the trans. Whats your p/s fluid look like? Many ppl don't bother w/ changing that as well as brake fluid....

 

Was it towards the passenger side just behind the front tire.. I see you live in AZ. Was the ac on. Could be condensation off the coils. Did you put any on your finger and smell it. ?

 

For sure that'd be water, as I see that every day......

 

it was definitely not water from ac. like i said it was black in color even when i put my finger on it. it cant be condensation either as that comes from further back then where the spot was. Im thinking its transfer case fluid as i think its about where the transfer case sits., im gonna go have it looked at today hopefully.

 

Well I found out today what I thought was a fluid leak was just that but it’s because I now have a cracked radiator! And im lucky it didn’t leave me stranded this past Saturday as I went on a 2 hour road trip w a friend. What can I do now? My trusted shop down the street from me looked at it and told me that’s what it is and it’s gonna run 700 bucks to fix! This made me get to the point where I needed a rum and Pepsi!

 

I'd be looking online for a all aluminum vs the basic plastic tank one.....I used to always go for Bacardi 151.....Try a bottle of Bacardi Zombie w/ Coke..........or perhaps a screwdriver.....Glad you figured it out. Yea it is a couple strokes on a later model which your wanting, but a couple strokes & your off & running again......

 

eh rum and pepsi was strong enough for me considering i had to drive home lol. and no way on going all aluminum we dont have that kinda $!. it was expensive enough as it is with the one they put in today! 650 bucks including a coolant flush.