....and freak out about that light yellow liquid you keep noticing in the snow everytime the underside of your RX-8 brushes through it.

BACK STORY - over the past 4-5 snow storms, everytime I drive on my side street (lightly travelled, last to be plowed) I would notice this light yellow liquid at the bottom of my driveway, right where the RX-8 bottoms out in the snow. However, I never ever noticed any drips on my driveway when the driveway is dry.

Today, after the massive snowstorm we got in Markham I noticed more little yellow stains all over the place on the road where my RX-8 kept trying to beach itself in the 20-30cm of snow.

Thinking I probably had a major issue, I came in to investigate. I mean, hell, by the amount of yellow snow I had witnessed over the past month, I should be developing a major issue by now.

The internet gave me all sorts of answers from Brake Fluid, to Coolant, to Power Steering Fluid (a real hard thing to be leaking on a RX-8).

Then I came across the obvious answer.......windshield washer fluid. ****, I thought, how obvious. My washer fluid is a yellow/green colour.

It also makes sense why it only appears when my car bottoms out in the snow. Most of the fluid you spray on your windshield (and headlights) drips away to the ground shortly after spraying it. However, when driving in the snow (like I was last night) some of the fluid will get absorbed into the snow clinging to the underside of your car. This snow will only fall off if it warms up (which it sure as hell hasn't done so yet outside), or it is scraped off by more snow (i.e. bottoming the RX-8 out)

One strang oberservation. The fluid seems to collect under my car from the middle of the car to the rear. Maybe it is because I primarily do highway driving and use a lot of washer fluid on it? The fluid runs back along the car before getting caught?

Dunno, don't care.

As a science experiment, I'm going to switch up my washer fluid colour next fill up. Just to confirm. I think I'll go with Purple.

 

don't eat the yellow snow

 

sounds like your rx8 has a bed wetting problem...i er uh....my friend went through that.

seriously though, its gotta be that, the only other fluids that would be likely to look yellow would be brake fluid or tranny/diff oil. and if you were leaving that much behind, you would either have an exploded diff or tranny, or no brakes peddal at all by now.

Greg

 

I got a lot of info from your post, none of which was you're a dumbass. good job on following through.

 

I should have said what Shelldude said. There is nothing wrong with hunting down anything that might be a problem. So you are definitely not a dumbass

 

not to mention, we all freak when we think there's something wrong with our baby. now are we are done stroking mike's ego? lol

 

Sherlock Holmes solves another mystery. Great deducing.

Carry on.

 

Move to where it don't snow!

Just kidding. Good job in tracking it down. Think I'd be a little perplexed and annoyed too!

 

FYI - The Mazda 3 has the same "problem"

 

F'n Mazdas

 

my ford escape has this issue as well. thought it was coolant at first