gemmichelle11 Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 My 2003 CTS has 83,000 miles. The check coolant light came on last week, so my husband looked at it for me, before I went to have my oil changed for its regular change. We noticed the coolant was yellow, so my husband didn't add any of what kind he had on hand. The oil change place added some when they changed the oil, on Saturday. I didn't drive the car Sunday, but I drove it Monday (yesterday) and backed it into the garage overnight last night. I drove away today without noticing until I came home today that there was a significant amount of pink coolant where the car had been parked. I wiped it up really well before I drove the car into the garage. Is it OK that there is pink coolant under my car? I have never noticed any coolant under my car before. Could it be overflow from the addition of too much? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Could be that a little coolant was released. I would keep an eye on it and if you see more then you must have a leak somewhere. One sign of a leak is if you smell coolant while driving, which means some is leaking under pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 My 2003 CTS has 83,000 miles. The check coolant light came on last week, so my husband looked at it for me, before I went to have my oil changed for its regular change. We noticed the coolant was yellow, so my husband didn't add any of what kind he had on hand. The oil change place added some when they changed the oil, on Saturday. I didn't drive the car Sunday, but I drove it Monday (yesterday) and backed it into the garage overnight last night. I drove away today without noticing until I came home today that there was a significant amount of pink coolant where the car had been parked. I wiped it up really well before I drove the car into the garage. Is it OK that there is pink coolant under my car? I have never noticed any coolant under my car before. Could it be overflow from the addition of too much? Thanks. Your yellow coolant became pink? Transmission fluid is rather pink. Does it smell like oil? The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 adallak, oh - transmission fluid is pink! I didn't think about that. Also, other types of coolant are green, aren't they? There wasn't any under my car this morning after I parked it in the garage last night. When I cleaned up the spill of pink fluid yesterday morning, it was sort of slimy, not watery. Ugh, transmission fluid. I didn't smell anything so far. Thanks, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I called my husband and asked him about the "pink" fluid. He saw what was on the garage floor on Monday. He told me, "Transmission fluid is red." Also, he added, "The pink fluid was in the front of the car." So, would transmission fluid leak in the rear of the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I called my husband and asked him about the "pink" fluid. He saw what was on the garage floor on Monday. He told me, "Transmission fluid is red." Also, he added, "The pink fluid was in the front of the car." So, would transmission fluid leak in the rear of the car? Fresh transmission fluid aka ATF is red, but it can pale and look rather pink than red. The transmissin lines run to the radiator, so I would not be surprized if one of several connections leaked and you found ATF in the front of the car. Pulll the transmission dipstick and compare the color and smell of ATF with what you get on the ground. Make sure it is transmision dpstick and not the motor oil one. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
storm_beck1960 Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I would check the tranny cooler lines at the radiator. could be that one is loose. also check the color of the radiator coolant. yellow is normal for types like Prestone, but you say your shop added coolant they may have used a brand that is pink. sounds like overflow if that is the case. best of luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 OK, storm_beck, I can do that. I know the coolant in the car was yellow, because hubby and I both looked and saw it. I don't know what the guys added. I can't imagine that all that came out was pink, if there was already yellow in there. Mysterious. I appreciate your thoughts, and will ask hubby to check the tranny cooler lines at the radiator. This oil change place was new, as my regular one closed, and this new one was recommended to me. They seemed competent. I hope it isn't just a coincidence that something went wrong about this time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 adallak, got 'cha! I didn't smell what was on the floor. I wiped it up really good, because we have a cat, and I wanted to make sure he didn't get into it. I still need to make sure no lines are loose, because it was definitely pink and not watery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I'm confused. Trans fluid is closer to red and has the consistency of oil. Dex-Cool (which is what SHOULD be in your car) is either pink or orangish and more of a watery consistency. If it is yellow, then maybe someone used a generic coolant (some are yellow). Where exactly was this spot in relation to the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Update I took my car back to the Lube place, and they looked underneath it for me. They said it looks like the "intake". I have not seen anymore coolant under it, though. Three days ago, the Check Coolant light started coming on again. My best friend is in, visiting from Michigan. I took her to my house overnight Saturday night. Her brother was at her mother's house yesterday (Sunday), and I told him about my Check Coolant light coming on. He drives a 2003 Buick. He told me that his car had the same problem, and his extended warranty paid for the repair, and it was the intake. I didn't tell him I was told about the "intake". He said the cost for his repair was $1200. I have an appointment for tomorrow to take my CTS to our mechanic. I have 3,000 miles left on the Universal Warranty I purchased at the time I bought my CTS with 50-some thousand miles on it. I made a quick stop back to the Lube place for them to top off my coolant to get me thru tomorrow. I'll check back when I know more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 I'm confused. Trans fluid is closer to red and has the consistency of oil. Dex-Cool (which is what SHOULD be in your car) is either pink or orangish and more of a watery consistency. If it is yellow, then maybe someone used a generic coolant (some are yellow). Where exactly was this spot in relation to the car? Ranger, It really was the coolant. It was pink. Where I saw it under the car was in the very front, center. I have seen no more, but the car is evidently losing or using some, enough to cause the Check Coolant light to come on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Update I took my car back to the Lube place, and they looked underneath it for me. They said it looks like the "intake". I have not seen anymore coolant under it, though. Three days ago, the Check Coolant light started coming on again. My best friend is in, visiting from Michigan. I took her to my house overnight Saturday night. Her brother was at her mother's house yesterday (Sunday), and I told him about my Check Coolant light coming on. He drives a 2003 Buick. He told me that his car had the same problem, and his extended warranty paid for the repair, and it was the intake. I didn't tell him I was told about the "intake". He said the cost for his repair was $1200. I have an appointment for tomorrow to take my CTS to our mechanic. I have 3,000 miles left on the Universal Warranty I purchased at the time I bought my CTS with 50-some thousand miles on it. I made a quick stop back to the Lube place for them to top off my coolant to get me thru tomorrow. I'll check back when I know more. They mean the intake manifold gasket is leaking. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 UPDATE My mechanic called with the diagnosis. During the pressure test, he found the leak to be the water pump! He said it was a bit hard to get to. He is going to be able to fix it for me by tomorrow afternoon. Adallak, what you said, is what my friend's brother told me to expect. I'm relieved it not to be. Water pump sounds so much better. The warranty will cover either repair, but total repair including the pressure test for the water pump will be $305. My deductible is $250. I breathed a sigh of relief! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 UPDATE My mechanic called with the diagnosis. During the pressure test, he found the leak to be the water pump! He said it was a bit hard to get to. He is going to be able to fix it for me by tomorrow afternoon. Adallak, what you said, is what my friend's brother told me to expect. I'm relieved it not to be. Water pump sounds so much better. The warranty will cover either repair, but total repair including the pressure test for the water pump will be $305. My deductible is $250. I breathed a sigh of relief! A correct diagnosis is 50% of treatment. Hopefully everything will be fine as soon as the water pump is replaced. Make sure they use OEM parts. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Adallak, this is our usual mechanic in our home town. He is certified to do the warranty work. I don't know if he is using OEM parts; I didn't ask. I had read a thread on this site when I signed on a couple of weeks ago about someone using the less expensive parts and paying dearly for it. My car was actually ready a few hours ago, but it will be this afternoon when I go to get it and pay for it. I never heard any noise, and there was not anymore sign of leakage since the beginning. There was, however, loss or use of coolant within a matter of days. I'll be observant of any sounds or lights coming on for a couple of weeks to assure the repair corrects the problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemmichelle11 Posted March 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 My CTS is "On the road again!" The water pump cost was only $82.05, so it's probably not OEM. I'll be making certain there aren't any leaks. I appreciate your replies and suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Good. Hopefully it will last for many years! The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 This was a nice story Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.