Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Superficial Intelligence

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                             

Multi-Colored Car Fluids

Cause transmission fluid in the oil filter is a _bad_ thing
  (+2)
(+2)
  [vote for,
against]

What else needs to be said? Color the fluids all different. Engine oil should probably remain the same basic brown, but transmission fluid and other dark oils should be colored different, so no mess-ups would happen.
{{{...remembers when dad put deck cleaner in the window wash...}}}
ghillie, Jan 26 2004


Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.



Annotation:







       Sure.
spacecadet, Jan 26 2004
  

       Engine oil and transmission fluid are different colors currently....new, they are amber and red, respectively.   

       Gear box oil is darker in color than motor oil, and has the distinctive scent of dead dinosaurs.....
normzone, Jan 26 2004
  

       I'm sure anyone around them enough could easily tell the difference... but this would greatly help the rest of us.
ghillie, Jan 26 2004
  

       Doesn't it say on the container what fluid it is? This would only add safety if the lids on the different fluid systems on the car are color coded the same to avoid the oops when you know perfectly well what fluid you have but accidentally take off the wrong lid.
kbecker, Jan 26 2004
  

       Brake fluid is amber and feels decidedly different than motor oil and anti-freeze/coolant is generally green though some long life versions are orangey. Windshield washer fluid is typically blue. Power steering fluid and automatic transmission fluid can be confusing as they are often the same fluid. Condensation from the A/C evaporator is clear since it's water. The fluid from the hydraulic auto-leveling suspension in some cars is red like ATF but smells much stronger.   

       It's a veritable rainbow under the hood! Unfortunately, they don't quite show up in such recognizable colors when they've dripped on to the ground.   

       Oh, and tire fluid is mostly transparent.
half, Jan 26 2004
  

       Your right, [kbecker]. Today we were working with oil and transmission fluid. Both in black jugs, with red labels, and white letters. No other difference, though.
ghillie, Jan 26 2004
  

       There are dyes that can be purchased for this purpose as well, along with different colors of UV dyes for leak detection. Even two-stroke oil is colored, taxed and non-taxed diesel and kerosene are different colors as well.
wittyhoosier, May 10 2006
  

       Yeah! That high-sulfur content, off-road farming diesel is red. This exists.
Letsbuildafort, May 10 2006
  

       Really they should just make the nozzles and the bottle spouts for each liquid a different shape. That way, in order to mess up, you would have to stick a square peg in a round hole.
mattgrosso, May 11 2006
  

       //Both in black jugs, with red labels, and white letters.//   

       Hey, this is really easy. Color code the jugs/bottles. Color-code the cap on the container under the hood.   

       I mean, you'd have to be pretty dumb not to realize, hey, I'm pouring from a green jug into a container that has an amber cap.   

       (Colors to be determined by an international standards group.)
SledDog, May 11 2006
  

       I'm colorblind, so even though I'm intellegent enough to read, I like the shapes idea better...which brings to bear a fact: It's not likely that auto owners are illiterate. Evidently then, they are stupid. The oil cap says "Oil" the bottle says "oil." Can you figure it out? What do we need colors or special shaped caps for? Mechanics have to eat, you know!
wittyhoosier, May 11 2006
  

       If you really really weren't sure how to take care of your car you could use a system of colour/shapes, ie, the oil bottle has a red circle on it, and on the oilcap under your bonnet there is, sure enough, a red circle.   

       But just for the record, I don't know anyone who's put deck cleaner in the window wash.
kuupuuluu, May 11 2006
  

       As to on road and off road diesel there is no difference between them as far as thier makup is concerned. They infact have a third name and that is #2 heating oil. The purpose of the red dye in the off Road and #2 Fuel is that there are no Dot taxes when those fuels are sold. That way if you are putting off road diesel in your tanks then driving on the highway, the police can dip your tanks and if red, you get a really Big ticket.
jhomrighaus, May 11 2006
  

       [jhomrighaus]- Actually, off-road has a higher sulphur ratio. This helps to lube the injectors so the needles have a buffer between their tip and the seat. The dye however is only there for the reason you gave.
br0thercr0w, Sep 10 2006
  


 

back: main index

business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle