Types of Automotive Fluids

Video Transcript

"Hi this is Jeff Wong with Expert Village and today we're going to learn the basics of maintaining your vehicle. So one of the basic things you should know when you're maintaining your vehicle is to know what color the fluids look like. That way in case there's a leak you will know the probable causes of those leaks. So first we'll take a look at the radiator fluid. Now typically most brands of radiator fluids are this color, it's a neon green. Some brands of radiator fluids are neon orange color. They both perform in the same way they're just different chemicals so they're different colors but the performance is not effective. So the next fluid we're going to talk about is the brake fluid. The brake fluid when it's new it's a clear color, looks a lot like water. But once the fluid has been in the vehicle for a while it starts to change color and as you saw earlier it turns an amber color. Once it turns a darker amber color you'll want to change the fluid. Next fluid we'll look at is the power steering fluid. Now power steering fluid a lot like the brake fluid, when it's first new it's clear like water. But once it's in the system again for a while it starts to turn an amber color and when it becomes darker and dirtier it's time to change the fluid. The next fluid we're going to look at is motor oil and also gear oil. Now motor oil and gear oil are roughly the same color. They are this dark amber color and depending on the brand and whether the oil is synthetic or regular the color may vary slightly, but this is roughly the color of motor oil. When motor oil becomes used and dirty it becomes black. So the next fluid we're going to look at is the automatic transmission fluid. When it's new automatic transmission fluid is red and because the transmission is usually a closed system, the fluid will stay relatively red throughout the life of the fluid. So check with your maintenance schedule to know when to change this fluid."