What are the different colours on the car fluid colour chart?

This article will explain the “Car fluid colour chart.” The car fluid chart helps you identify the colours of different fluids when they leak from the vehicle. Moreover, it will also help you maintain your car correctly as you will know which components have less fluid than the required level.

One of the worst situations anyone can face is when they reverse their vehicle from the parking lot and find fluid present below the vehicle. The person is standing starts thinking That the leaking of fluid indicates something wrong with the vehicle. 

However, before you start to panic, it is necessary to check the colour of the fluid. Knowing the colour of the fluid will help you give a better idea of what’s wrong. Thus an oil colour guide can be extremely helpful in such a situation.

An oil colour guide will have a tabular representation of different oil used in a car and available colours. Thus, if there is a leak in one’s car, they only need to identify the colour of the oil, and they will get every detail related to the oil from the colour guide.

What are the different colours on the car fluid colour chart?

The different colours on the car fluid colour chart are as follows:-

  • Engine Oil: Light brown to Black
  • Transmission Fluid: Red or Brown colour
  • Power Steering Fluid: Clear, Red, or Brown
  • Brake Fluid: Transparent yellow to brown
  • Coolant: Green, Orange, Pink or Blue-Green
  • Water: Clear

Engine Oil: Light brown to Black

If, after reversing the vehicle, you see a dark brown or black colour oil stain, it is likely the motor oil. If you haven’t serviced your car for a long period, the oil will be black. Moreover, if the oil is light brown, then the oil is new. 

Oil leaks can happen due to faulty gaskets and seals in the engine, valve corners, or oil pan. Thus, if the motor oil leaks from your vehicle, it will be good to get the issue fixed immediately.

Transmission Fluid: Red or Brown colour

Sometimes, the transmission fluid looks similar to the engine oil. However, the manufacturers add a red colour due to the transmission fluid to make it identifiable. However, with the continuous usage of cars, the fluid colour might change to darker or brown.

Transmission fluid leaks can occur from the transmission lines to the radiator or the transmission itself. Irrespective of where the leak is, it highly advisable to get the leak fixed quickly.

Power Steering Fluid: Clear, Red, or Brown

The new power steering fluids used in modern cars are generally red. However, with frequent use, the colour of the fluid changes to brown. Therefore, it is easy to get confused because the transmission fluid is also brown when looking at power steering fluid. 

Thus to identify whether the fluid is transmission fluid or power steering fluid, it is necessary to check the location of the fluid. For example, if the patch is towards the front left side of the vehicle, then the fluid is power steering fluid. 

Brake Fluid: Transparent yellow to brown

The brake fluid used in modern cars is yellow. But with continuous brake actuation, the colour of the fluid changes from yellow to brown. As a result, the brake fluid is extremely slippery. Moreover, to identify the fluid, you can also look at the brake fluid reservoir. If the brake fluid level is below the required level, then there might be a scenario where the brake fluid is leaking.

Coolant: Green, Orange, Pink or Blue-Green

Coolant is generally easy to identify because the coolant is available in bright colours. Moreover, the coolant has a watery consistency, making it easy to differentiate it from other fluids. The coolant leaks are generally lime-green, orange, or pink. Moreover, you will get a sweet smell as well from the coolant. To fix the issue, you need to get either the coolant tank fix or look for deeper problems such as damage in the pump.

Water: Clear

Water, as we all know, is transparent. Moreover, the presence of water beneath the car is less dangerous because the water which is present beneath the car is due to the condescending moisture sent by the air conditioning system. However, if there is a big puddle, then the presence of water can be scary because, in that case, there is some problem with the A/C of the vehicle.

Conclusion

In this article, we have successfully addressed the “Car fluid colour chart.” To explain the car fluid chart, we have identified different fluids present in the vehicles. Moreover, we have also given the various locations where the oil can be found beneath the vehicle.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Car fluid colour chart

What are the different colours of car fluid?

The different colours of car fluids are light brown, black, red, brown, transparent, yellow, orange, pink, green, blue-green, etc.

What are the 5 main fluids in a car?

The 5 main fluids in the car are engine oil, coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and windscreen washer fluid.

What colour is the transmission fluid?

Fresh transmission fluid is relatively clear or pink in colour. However, if the transmission fluid is deep red or brown, the fluid has become old and can cause damage to the system.

What Car fluids are yellow?

If the car fluids are yellow, then the fluid is most likely to be a coolant or an antifreeze. 

References

  1. https://www.allstate.com/tr/car-insurance/identifying-car-fluids-and-leaks.aspx
  2. https://phoenixtowingservice.com/blog/car-fluids-color-chart-guide-to-identifying-leaks/