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What is the rainbow looking substance I see around my car in the rain ? I only see it in wet conditions


Fastlife91
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My car was leaking from fuel injectors a year ago, he glues 3 back in and replaced the seal on 1. Then it began leaking from leak off pipes, he put a cable tie round each one and now no visible leaks.

I am getting rather poor mpg though in my opinion from a car that should get 39.2 urban, 64 mpg extra urban and 52.3 combined.

Usually I only get 40 mpg with urban driving and several short motorway driving. so urban and extra urban I still usually only see 40 mpg. If I do almost full motorway trips with careful driving within speed limits I can see high 40's, low - high 50's. 

Lately I am seeing 38 mpg and that includes some motorway driving within the limits and with a light foot. 

When replacing glow plugs noticed some are very black 

Over recent months I notice a rainbow substance around my car in the rain and wet conditions, cannot see it when the weather is dry. There is an oil leak on the car I can see oil covering the sump and the suspension components but have been so busy fixing other things on the car I have not found out where it is leaking yet, I wash it away and shortly after the oil returns.

 

my question is, what do you think this substance is  that is rainbow effect substance coming from my car is ?  cheers 

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It's iridescence - oil floats on water and what you see is the result of interference between light reflecting off of the top of the oil layer, and light bouncing back from the top of the water underneath, having gone through the oil

The different colours result from the different thickness of the oil film in different places

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5 minutes ago, sotonstuart said:

unicorn farts probably...

wait... what ?

why even bother replying if all you are going to do is troll ? 

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1 minute ago, Fastlife91 said:

wait... what ?

why even bother replying if all you are going to do is troll ? 

because it's fun!

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2 minutes ago, chemfusion said:

It's iridescence - oil floats on water and what you see is the result of interference between light reflecting off of the top of the oil layer, and light bouncing back from the top of the water underneath, having gone through the oil

The different colours result from the different thickness of the oil film in different places

 

thank you for your detailed reply, I am not aware of the term ''iridescence'' , if it is oil why can I olny see it in the rain and wet conditions and not when dry. How do you know it is not fuel ?

 

cheers

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Just now, sotonstuart said:

because it's fun!

Well I'm not feeding you so scurry along and go troll facebook or something 

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Just now, Fastlife91 said:

Well I'm not feeding you so scurry along and go troll facebook or something 

*scurries along* oh yes ole master and font of all knowledge.

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Just now, sotonstuart said:

*scurries along* oh yes ole master and font of all knowledge.

I'm going to report you to the moderators if you continue to  troll 

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5 minutes ago, Fastlife91 said:

 

thank you for your detailed reply, I am not aware of the term ''iridescence'' , if it is oil why can I olny see it in the rain and wet conditions and not when dry. How do you know it is not fuel ?

 

cheers

Well I guess if you spilt oil on tarmac, the tarmac is mostly non-reflecting (it mostly absorbs light, thus appears black) so you wouldn't get the same interference

This explains the mechanism behind the phenomenon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film_interference

Fuel on water would have the same result

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1 minute ago, chemfusion said:

Well I guess if you spilt oil on tarmac, the tarmac is mostly non-reflecting (it mostly absorbs light, thus appears black) so you wouldn't get the same interference

This explains the mechanism behind the phenomenon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin-film_interference

Fuel on water would have the same result - give it a hearty sniff, that should tell you what it is!

 

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31 minutes ago, chemfusion said:

 

 

Thanks.

If it was a fuel leak then would I smell fuel under the hood and wouldn't I see it from the injectors and the fuel pipes or can it leak fuel somewhere else near the bottom half of the engine, do you think it is more likely oil or fuel ?

I don't get why I cannot see it in the dry weather but in wet conditions I see a huge trail of rainbow coloured liquid from my car.

I burn through £40 - £50 per week of diesel , around £200 a month sometimes more but I seem to be burning to much gas and not seeming to get as much for my money, as said I usually only see 40 mpg but lately 38 mpg with urban and some motorway miles, figures are urban 39.2  combined 52.3  and extra urban 64.2 mpg, if I drive a lot of motorway with an easy foot driving within speed limits I can see 50 -55 mpg.

 

thanks again

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are you still trying to fix this lemon of a motor fastlife ?

maybe concentrate on fixing all the other faults that you started threads on ?

you know , the rusty exhaust , the glow plugs that you got mixed up between new & old , the white smoke , the missing engine mount bolts , etc etc

sound familiar ?

and considering your 2006 diesel is worth £2000 tops , its maybe time to think about cutting your losses,

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19 hours ago, Fastlife91 said:

 

thank you for your detailed reply, I am not aware of the term ''iridescence'' , if it is oil why can I olny see it in the rain and wet conditions and not when dry. How do you know it is not fuel ?

 

cheers

It could be oil or diesel or petrol they are all oil in one form or another, diesel and petrol is made from refining oil.

Or as said it could be something completely different but unicorn farts was highly amusing.

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3 hours ago, simcor said:

It could be oil or diesel or petrol they are all oil in one form or another, diesel and petrol is made from refining oil.

Or as said it could be something completely different but unicorn farts was highly amusing.

Well how would I know if it is diesel, should I be able to smell diesel from under the bonnet, would I seek a leak from the injector if the injectors were leaking ?

cheers for bothering to reply. 

What do you think the value of my car would is worth it is a black 2006 mk2 ford focus sport 1.8 tdci with 155,580 on the clock ? 

edit: and sayiong unicorn fats was just stupid and non related to this topic and was posted by a troll who wanted to be fed

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1 hour ago, Fastlife91 said:

Well how would I know if it is diesel, should I be able to smell diesel from under the bonnet, would I seek a leak from the injector if the injectors were leaking ?

cheers for bothering to reply. 

What do you think the value of my car would is worth it is a black 2006 mk2 ford focus sport 1.8 tdci with 155,580 on the clock ? 

edit: and sayiong unicorn fats was just stupid and non related to this topic and was posted by a troll who wanted to be fed

FEEEEEEEED me Seymour!

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I think you need to chill out fella, none of the comments are a personal attack at you@Fastlife91 it's just banter and that's what forums rely on. If you're going to get wound up by every comment that doesn't specifically address and answer your questions then you have to question if a public forum is really the place for you. I am not being rude, mean or trolling you just giving you some friendly advice.


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Especially when it's actually Dodo farts that produce that colour.
Unicorn farts are more silver. [emoji41]

Sent from my SM-G930F

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Now you see I always thought dodo farts were more iridescent and it was troll farts that produced the rainbow effect [emoji12]


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2 hours ago, Jonro2009 said:

Now you see I always thought dodo farts were more iridescent and it was troll farts that produced the rainbow effect emoji12.png


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Just when they are menstrual :unsure:

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22 hours ago, Jonro2009 said:

I think you need to chill out fella, none of the comments are a personal attack at you@Fastlife91 it's just banter and that's what forums rely on. If you're going to get wound up by every comment that doesn't specifically address and answer your questions then you have to question if a public forum is really the place for you. I am not being rude, mean or trolling you just giving you some friendly advice.


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Hi

I am chilled out thanks for asking. Forums should rely on helping others first and foremost, then sure, afterwards we can have some fun and a bit of banter, but when somebody is asking for help, first thing one should do is help, not mess about.

thanks

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I see@fastlife91 let's not bother building a rapport with fellow forum users, we should just befriend the users that can help with the specific question asked. I didn't ask if you were chilled, I stated you should be. If all the forum member behaved as you suggest I would wager over half would leave, taking their wealth of expertise with them.
I put it to you that you are the one trolling, inventing a fictitious car with more ailments than a hospital waiting area then you cry out when someone doesn't take you on.
I see that many many forum users have upset you in one way or another, and you are quick to whine about it, a little like a child would in the playground to attract teachers attention. This may well back fire on you, you appear to be isolating yourself from members at a rate of knots. You can add me to the list, I hope you do not have a question that falls within my area of knowledge and interest as I hate to see a member having a problem however in your case I will make an exception.

I genuinely hope you find your place in the forum, and draw from it the information and advice you need. One last point, in one of your previous posts you bring it to everyone's attention that you have dyspraxia and we should all make allowances for that. I for one think that is a very low blow, not one member of this forum would make a comment to you that they wouldn't make to someone else, i also don't advocate 'positive' discrimination so would treat you no different to Joe Bloggs.

I have put this response on one of your public threads, although i did consider a PM, because I don't feel my words are harsh, bullying or unacceptable for a public forum so I have chosen to allow mods and admin to see it as you would.

All the best.


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59 minutes ago, Jonro2009 said:

I see@fastlife91 let's not bother building a rapport with fellow forum users, we should just befriend the users that can help with the specific question asked. I didn't ask if you were chilled, I stated you should be. If all the forum member behaved as you suggest I would wager over half would leave, taking their wealth of expertise with them.
I put it to you that you are the one trolling, inventing a fictitious car with more ailments than a hospital waiting area then you cry out when someone doesn't take you on.
I see that many many forum users have upset you in one way or another, and you are quick to whine about it, a little like a child would in the playground to attract teachers attention. This may well back fire on you, you appear to be isolating yourself from members at a rate of knots. You can add me to the list, I hope you do not have a question that falls within my area of knowledge and interest as I hate to see a member having a problem however in your case I will make an exception.

I genuinely hope you find your place in the forum, and draw from it the information and advice you need. One last point, in one of your previous posts you bring it to everyone's attention that you have dyspraxia and we should all make allowances for that. I for one think that is a very low blow, not one member of this forum would make a comment to you that they wouldn't make to someone else, i also don't advocate 'positive' discrimination so would treat you no different to Joe Bloggs.

I have put this response on one of your public threads, although i did consider a PM, because I don't feel my words are harsh, bullying or unacceptable for a public forum so I have chosen to allow mods and admin to see it as you would.

All the best.


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Hello

well I am chilled thanks. 

Nope, not trolling at all and it is not a fictitious car, it is a real car, my current mode of transport. 

 

Quick question 

When replacing a fuel filter is it always necessary to bleed the air from the fuel system, ?

thanks 

 

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