I wonder if anyone has experience with this. I accidentally drove over a parking lot bumper this morning - ya know, the yellow ones at the head of parking spaces? Stupid me! The wheels went up onto it and as soon as they cleared, the front end came down hard with a thud. There was no immediate issue. But as the morning went on, a slow (then increasingly faster) drip has begun from the underside corner of what looks like a black plastic piece on the underside, about a foot medial from the wheel (towards the midline of the car), just barely in front of the wheel - or at the same position as the wheel (from front to back). The liquid is colorless, odorless, and has the viscosity of water. It dries quickly, leaving no stain or residual on the pavement. I suspect it’s water.
My first concern was that I might have cracked the radiator, but it’s as far back as the wheel, very low on the underside, doesn’t appear to be leaking any coolant or anything other than water, and it looks like a piece of hard black plastic… The temp of the car seems normal too, even as we drive it.
Thanks for your answer. I’m starting to think that’s the case. There’s what looks like a catch or drip tray that encases the area right around the wheel, as far back as the axle, or is right behind the front wheels - full width of the car.
The dripping has stopped - noticed that the AC was on this morning. The other area I thought was dripping isn’t, after I run the car for a few mins.
Uploading a picture. You can see where the water droplets are coming out of. Otherwise, I don’t see any major ding or bangup… The radiator is up front - I was just afraid of transmission maybe.
Is it normal for a little dripping under a car that’s condensation?
Maybe leave the AC off for a couple of days if you can tolerate the heat, see if the dripping stops. About the only fluid in a car that is clear and has the viscosity of water is – water. Coolant,while having a similar viscosity to water, is usually yellowish or greenish color. Oils are brownish and have much higher viscosities. The only source of water would be the AC condensor, or the windshield wiper fluid bottle or hose between that and the jets. Parts of the AC system that get cold often get coated with frost, same as the frost on a beer mug. The frost is just water in the air that condenses on the cold surface. So if you don’t turn the AC on, then that won’t happen, so you can elminate that as a source by doing the experiment. You sound like you may be a scientist or medical professional by your description. So you will enjoy doing a controlled experiment I think! Best of luck.
Look up from where you see the drops. You’ll likely see it coming from a rubber hose dangling down. The hose is open, not attached to anything. If so, it is AC condensation.