photo 1. compare fluid leak and engine coolant. fluid leak is on top in picture. engine coolant is on bottom in picture

photo 2. wet, blue/green discoloration on edge, below bolt. bottom of picture is front of car
1997 Honda Accord
2.2 liter F22B2 engine
automatic transmission

I have a small, intermittent fluid leak that I would like to identify.

So far it has only occurred 3 times over the course of a couple months
after I have parked in the garage. Each time it was about a teaspoon of fluid.

The first two times I did not notice it until it had dried up (long periods in
the garage due to covid). It did not evaporate but instead left kind of a
crystalline, powdery residue.

It has been a few days and one short trip in town since the last episode and
currently there is no puddle under the car.

It is a bright blue/green fluid that is slightly oily. I would say a little
more oily than the engine coolant.

Using an eye-dropper I took some coolant from the radiator and dripped it
next to the latest leak puddle for color comparison. In the attached picture
of the two puddles, the leak is on top and the coolant sample is on the
bottom.

The location of the puddle is about in line with the firewall, slightly on
the passenger side. I also found some blue/green discoloration that was
slightly wet located under a transmission bolt that is a few inches to the
passenger side of the oil filter that I believe is the point where
it drips to the ground. I have attached a picture of the discoloration
(the bottom of the picture is the front of the car).

Does anyone have any idea what the fluid is and where I should look for the
leak source?

 

It is coolant. It may be indicative of a pending water pump failure.

 

tech8, Any idea why there is a difference in color in photo 1?

 

One is fresh, the other is not. Heat, contaminants, coolant break down into acids, etc.

 

One is coolant the other is windshield washer fluid

 

With the engine at full temperature and the lower radiator hose hot, check the weep hole at the rear(towards the firewall) side of the water pump. When the water pump shaft seals start to go it will leak coolant out of there into the engine bay so you know to replace it before it gets coolant on the belts in the timing cover.