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      05-03-2021, 10:00 AM   #1
cride1
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What's this fluid?

Hey guys - new to BMW. Currently have a 2014 328i xDrive with 89k miles. Was having my son do some parallel parking this weekend in our driveway and noticed some spots on the driveway being left by the car during the practice session. I could not pinpoint where it was coming from. They were fairly small, dime to nickel in size, dark brown or black in color, slick feeling and had no scent that I could tell. Because of no scent, I did a very small taste test and it had a slight sweet taste. Looked to be coming from the front of the car and looked to be coming from the front corners rather than the middle. No spots on the concrete were the car is parked either before or after this session. The only think I can think of would possibly be oil with coolant in it? I certainly hope not, but can't really think of anything else. Thought maybe it was related to the brake system since were doing a lot of brake work during the practice session.



Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
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      05-03-2021, 10:23 AM   #2
auburnf30x
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cride1 View Post
Hey guys - new to BMW. Currently have a 2014 328i xDrive with 89k miles. Was having my son do some parallel parking this weekend in our driveway and noticed some spots on the driveway being left by the car during the practice session. I could not pinpoint where it was coming from. They were fairly small, dime to nickel in size, dark brown or black in color, slick feeling and had no scent that I could tell. Because of no scent, I did a very small taste test and it had a slight sweet taste. Looked to be coming from the front of the car and looked to be coming from the front corners rather than the middle. No spots on the concrete were the car is parked either before or after this session. The only think I can think of would possibly be oil with coolant in it? I certainly hope not, but can't really think of anything else. Thought maybe it was related to the brake system since were doing a lot of brake work during the practice session.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
A lot of stuff up there that could be leaking...oil, trans fluid, diff oil, etc...

But on a BMW with 89k miles, most likely it is an oil gasket somewhere going bad. You'll have to pull the front underbody cover off and peek around with a flashlight down there and up top to pinpoint where it's coming from.

I've never tasted oil so I can't really comment there...but next time you change your oil, get an analysis done by Blackstone Labs or similar, and they can tell you if there's any coolant present.
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Last edited by auburnf30x; 05-03-2021 at 11:50 AM..
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      05-03-2021, 03:09 PM   #3
edycol
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Check in this order:
1. Oil filter housing gasket. If it is leaking to the point where oil goes to the ground, you must replace it ASAP! WIth that replace serpentine belt and tensioner! Oil probably made its way on the belt and tensioner (they are done in that case).
2. Valve cover gasket. Check on the passenger side of the engine for leaks.
3. Oil pan gasket.
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