Low Storm Drain

[GreenMachine]

Was going with my brother to the dairy queen and it was late and dark, some lights, didn't see the storm drane grate that was almost 2 inches BELOW street level, wasn't going very fast, was braking at the time actually and slowly pulling into the lot....

then BAM right front tire drops right in the hole, everyone in the dairy queen line turned and looked and paused for a moment, I pull into the spot and there is a trail of some liquid on the ground near the drain and a path that follows up the front suspension.

I felt it, smelt it, tasted it, but couldn't really figure it out, was tasteless. I think its water, it is comeing from the air conditioner area and I had the air on so is it possible that something came unhooked in its drain area? It looks like its comeing from either the tranny (saw drips when my father put it in drive) or the drips get more intense when braking.

Where the trail ends and drips is right on the rear part of the front suspension, or there is alot of moisture around the rubber cover where the axle enters the tranny.

Had one "big" drip spot from right under center of the front of the car, didn't feel oily and all spots evaporate quickly. (even though its humid out) Could almost be fuel if it runs lines along the passenger side. Could have sworn I smelled something burning but that might have been paranoia of the situation.

Any Ideas? The car is going into the shop tommorow for some brake work and a balance/alignment so I'll have them look at it, just wondering what your general ideas are.

EDIT: should also note, quick check of fluids show them to be in normal operating range, and no coolant or oil is missing since I last checked with the last gas checkup.

[Cadillac Jim]

My best guess is that it is just condensate from the air conditioning. It it is hot and humid and you had the A/C on, there will be a lot of it. Some condenses on the A/C plumbing and some comes out the drain. It would evaporate quickly on a warm surface.

The fluids in your car other than A/C condensate are

• Oil -- light yellow, oily, tastes like...oil, smells like oil
• Coolant -- pink, watery but slightly oily, very sweet -- and toxic, smells like coolant
• Brake fluid -- colorless, oily, very sweet -- and toxic, nearly odorless but with slight alcohol smell; can evaporate quickly in hot weather
• Transmission fluid -- like oil, except for red dye to distinguish from engine oil and make leaks apparent
• Power steering fluid -- like transmission fluid, but not dyed red; is an oil and will not evaporate quickly
• Windshield washer fluid -- light blue, watery, bitter with alcohol smell -- and toxic; will evaporate quickly in hot weather

I would venture that it's just A/C condensate that was dropped when the car bumped on the hole. I have my doubts that anything was damaged. You can have someone look at the underside while it's on a rack to make sure.

[GreenMachine]

thanks for the list of tastes/smells. So far, so good, it was pretty hot hence the trip to dairy queen in the first place Doesn't seem to be leaking anything now, will keep a close eye. Just made me real nervous considering with the way it it I wasn't sure exactly what felt the brunt of the impact.

[JasonA]

2" isn't much, and certainly shouldn't have made the car "bottom out" or scrape or anything like that. I agree that it was just a bunch of condensate that "shook loose" from the A/C lines, or what drained off as the vehicle tilted going up the driveway.

Much like rain water will run off the car if you pull away from a stoplight, the condensate, collected on the A/C lines, will "drain away" as the car angles this way and that.

[GreenMachine]

well it may have been a bit more than 2 inches but it was the way it was just strait down all around the grate. Tire goes in, right side of car goes down with it, tire goes up upon leaving the hole while car is still going down, combine that with the angle of the driveway and the big sound of my underside hitting the pavement occurs (went back there today and there is ALOT of marks from vechicles on and around that have scraped the cement and what not away. Owner of the business said he reported it, been 4 years and this year the town is "considering" fixing it.

Anyway when it was up on the raock took and good luck and it looks like the AC simply just sent its water everywhere from the shake.

It was basically like half the front right went over the opposite of a speed pump I suppose you could say

Just one of those moments that make you go "oh crap"

[Cadillac Jim]

You might consider taking a picture of the pavement around that hole, at dusk with a flash, and get a nice high-contrast shot of all the scrapes in the pavement. Then, see if you can get one of the local civic web sites to post the picture on-line.

I once saw a Lots Elan jump a poorly-marked curb on a filling station entrance. Talk about an "Oh, ...."

Many years ago I had an accident at an unmarked curve in a country road. The highway patrol called me afterward and were very intimidating but didn't give me a ticket. They said that the curve wasn't marked by Highway Department regulations because a school bus didn't go down that road. A couple of weeks later, I walked the path where I went off the road and counted eight or nine different colors of paint scraped into the pavement. A few years later I went back and they had marked the curve with a yellow warning sign.

I know more stories like this and so do us all. Let the driver beware.