Milky, sweet smelling fluid under my subaru

[Michiganboyz]

I found some puddles under my car yesterday. Since it's winter in Michigan, I haven't been using the A/C (except maybe for defrost), which makes this weird. The liquid is milky, kinda thick, and smells a little sweet. Any ideas what it could be other than coolant? Trying to avoid a big dealership bill if I can, so any DIY checks or suggestions would be awesome!

 

[ChillExplorer]

A visit to the dealer seems like the safest choice. When I hear a fluid described as smelling "sweet," it usually points to antifreeze or coolant.

 

[rvd]

I found some puddles under my car yesterday. Since it's winter in Michigan, I haven't been using the A/C (except maybe for defrost), which makes this weird. The liquid is milky, kinda thick, and smells a little sweet. Any ideas what it could be other than coolant? Trying to avoid a big dealership bill if I can, so any DIY checks or suggestions would be awesome!

How is it now? Where does the leak come from?

 

[BrianJames]

Yep, that definitely sounds like coolant. You can try checking the radiator and coolant hoses for leaks, but be careful around the engine, make sure it's cooled down before you start poking around. If it's just a small leak, you might be able to top off the coolant yourself.

 

[lassycrawford]

Dang! sounds like you might have a blown head gasket where the coolants mixing with your oil. Pull your oil dipstick and check it out if it;s all milky and foamy you've got trouble. take a peek under the oil filler cap for that same nasty gunk. If it's just a little bit of liquid, it could be power steering fluid mixing with something or even just some gross road gunk and water.