nothing's ever easy

Note to self, for future:

transmission fluid is reddish. So is power steering fluid.
brake fluid is clear if it's fresh, dark brown if it's old
oil looks like, well, oil
coolant can be a variety of colors but greenish seems to be most common.

Yeah, the field van I took the class out in today? Dumped a bunch of coolant in the parking lot. Luckily, it was AFTER we returned (I guess someone was looking out for me). I couldn't remember what color coolant was - I knew the leak wasn't transmission fluid because I remembered that was red. But I was afraid it might be brake fluid or something else.

Fortunately, I found a colleague who does work on his own cars and he confirmed it was coolant, and told me, "As long as the temperature gauge stays below 210, you're probably safe to drive it back." (But what do I do if I'm on the road and it passes that?) Then again, it's only about a quarter-mile to the motor pool...

Well, it just passed 210 as I was pulling into the lot. The van started smoking. (I didn't tell the motor pool lady that though I did tell her about the fluid leak, and that it "mostly stayed under 210" as I was driving it back).

But, gah. I've also had a van where the power steering failed but fortunately that was in the parking lot BEFORE the lab so I could just abandon it (and get yelled at for "not re-parking it properly." Um. Fifteen passenger van, no power steering, woman with low upper-body strength?)

A colleague had a brake line blow and spew fluid - again, while he was in the parking lot after a field trip.

(I guess our department must have a good guardian angel....that same colleague hit a deer in a university vehicle and was probably saved serious injury in that it was a heavier vehicle than the small car he usually drives).

I wish we had an area within walking distance where I could lead field labs, so I could just leave the whole Motor Pool mess behind.