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Hit a goose at 60mph - now car is leaking

S

SLCentral

Diamond Member
Hi guys,

Sorry for the long post in advance.

I drive a 2007 Toyota Yaris sedan with ~40,000 miles. Maintenance was done recently and an oil change is due in about 1,000 miles, for what its worth.

I was driving back from Boston on Saturday and was going about 60mph down a steep hill. At the bottom of the hill was a goose in the middle of the road, that I unfortunately could not avoid. I hit it head on, and quickly pulled over. The goose was obviously lying in the road dead, and my car had sustained slight damage. The front grill was cracked, and feathers were everywhere, but it didn't look serious. There was red liquid dripping out of my front, but I assumed it to be blood and kept driving.

I was about 50 miles from home, which I made to no problem. The following day I drove 5 miles to the gym, and on my way home, I noticed the check engine light come on. My car was also driving a little funny - not sure exactly how to describe it, but something was "off." When I got out of my car at home, I noticed a burning smell. I also realized that the car was still dripping this red liquid at an alarming rate. Therefore, its clearly not blood since blood coagulates.

I popped the hood and noticed that there was that red liquid all over the bottom of the front chassis. I couldn't identify where exactly it was coming from. I cotton swabbed it and it has a light red color. I also noticed that when I turned the key, the radiator fan didn't come on.

I have no clue about anything related to cars. How badly did I screw up my car? I planned on selling it at the end of May since I'm moving to Boston and don't need it there, but this certainly puts a damper on things.

Thanks for the help in advance!
 
Busted radiator? Is the car overheating? My coolant is orange, so I guess reddish isn't out of the question. Check your coolant level now.
 
amdhunter said:
Busted radiator? Is the car overheating? My coolant is orange, so I guess reddish isn't out of the question. Check your coolant level now.
Click to expand...

How can I tell if the car is overheating? Theres no temp gauge on the dashboard. It definitely smelled like something was burning when I got out of the car the day after the accident.
 
Red fluid = automatic transmission fluid. Used both in automatic and manual transmissions and as power steering fluid.

Probably busted a power steering or transmission cooler part up front. These are very small and fragile radiator looking parts located up front in front of the AC condenser and behind the front bumper.

By driving funny are you having problems with steering or power delivery and shifting?

Burning smell is probably just ATF hitting the exhaust pipes. ATF smells awful just out of the bottle, even worse when it's burning. Even minor drips at the front of the car find their way all over the underside of the entire car. Get the code read free some place like Autozone see if it says anything about power steering or transmission pressure or fluid level, etc.

For now, check power steering and transmission fluid levels and if you can't keep it topped off or get it fixed in a reasonable amount of time, stop driving it.
 
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I believe toyota uses a redish colored coolant from the factory. The goose probably unplugged a hose somewhere. thats my guess.
 
Yeah, I'd guess you cracked a transmission cooler line. On some cars they run from the transmission into the lower half of the radiator. Could also be a power steering line. The ones on my goat run into the radiator for cooling. Look at the bottom of the radiator for any hard or rubber lines running into it. Check them for tears or cracks. I would not drive the car until you find the leak. You could fry your transmission or your power steering rack.
 
How can I get it to the dealer/garage if I can't drive it? Can I top it off with fluid and then quickly drive it to the dealer?
 
SLCentral said:
How can I get it to the dealer/garage if I can't drive it? Can I top it off with fluid and then quickly drive it to the dealer?
Click to expand...

Yes. Provided you've confirmed which system is losing fluid and it's a small enough leak that you can top it off.
 
Sounds like transmission cooler was damaged. I'm kind of surprised that car would have a transmission cooler though.

It's either that or the radiator. I would get under the car and looks for damage to the radiator. You'll need to get that repaired or replaced. Probably replaced since it is most likely made of plastic.

Edit-Could be power steering fluid too but that is more isolated from the front of the car and less likely to be damaged and/or leaking from an impact with a goose.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Sounds like transmission cooler was damaged. I'm kind of surprised that car would have a transmission cooler though.

It's either that or the radiator. I would get under the car and looks for damage to the radiator. You'll need to get that repaired or replaced. Probably replaced since it is most likely made of plastic.

Edit-Could be power steering fluid too but that is more isolated from the front of the car and less likely to be damaged and/or leaking from an impact with a goose.
Click to expand...

Looks like the automatic Yaris' do indeed have a transmission cooler.
 
exdeath said:
Red fluid = automatic transmission fluid. Used both in automatic and manual transmissions and as power steering fluid.

Probably busted a power steering or transmission cooler part up front. These are very small and fragile radiator looking parts located up front in front of the AC condenser and behind the front bumper.

By driving funny are you having problems with steering or power delivery and shifting?

Burning smell is probably just ATF hitting the exhaust pipes. ATF smells awful just out of the bottle, even worse when it's burning. Even minor drips at the front of the car find their way all over the underside of the entire car. Get the code read free some place like Autozone see if it says anything about power steering or transmission pressure or fluid level, etc.

For now, check power steering and transmission fluid levels and if you can't keep it topped off or get it fixed in a reasonable amount of time, stop driving it.
Click to expand...

Based on some research I've done online, it looks like I can't check fluid levels without lifting the car up. I have no way to do that. Does this mean I need to get my car towed to the local shop? It's ~2.5 miles downhill.
 
2.5mi downhill? Let it cool off completely and drive it there gently, letting it mostly roll.

Red fluid could be engine coolant, trans fluid, or power steering fluid maybe.
 
You can get an idea of what the fluid is by touch. If it feels watery then it's coolant. If it has an oily feel then it's either transmission fluid or power steering.
 
If the tow is free, then use it.

Hard to tell about the cost of repairs, since we don't know what was leaking.

I fear that since you said it was driving funny, it was trans fluid and the trans may have suffered.

But you hit a goose, so you are covered under your insurance, if you have full coverage.
 
Costs:

Radiator - Anywhere from not too bad to ouch.
PS line - Probably not too bad
Trans cooler/line - Anywhere from not too bad to Oh my god!
 
Garage just called me - they said the entire radiator needs to be replaced because its leaking the fluid. They're pricing it at $550 with labor...is that reasonable?

They also said the "AC Coolant Condenser" shifted on impact, and that should be replaced too. That's another $300.

I've never worked with this garage before since I'm at school and not home...are these reasonable figures?
 
SLCentral said:
Garage just called me - they said the entire radiator needs to be replaced because its leaking the fluid. They're pricing it at $550 with labor...is that reasonable?

They also said the "AC Coolant Condenser" shifted on impact, and that should be replaced too. That's another $300.

I've never worked with this garage before since I'm at school and not home...are these reasonable figures?
Click to expand...

Use your Insurance. That is what it is for.
 
According to motoralldata pricing (not always correct).
Factory radiator=$450.00
Factory A/C condenser=$800.00

Labor from alldata (which alot of shops go by).
Radiator=2.1hrs.
Condenser=1.8hrs.
Now there is a definite overlap in labor so they should be adjusting that accordingly (maybe knocking an hour off because they are all ready in there)
Also the above 1.8hrs. does not include evacuating and recharging the system, which is another 1.5hrs.+
Hope that helps.
 
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