strange liquid underneath my car

[r.bartl]

after my first longer ride this year,  I came back 60 miles later into my garage.
5 minutes after I parked my pagoda, I recognized a slop underneath my car.
it did not drop any more, but I guess it was appx. 8 oz. of liquid what were on the floor.
when I smelled a drop it didn't smell like oil, couldn't tell, what it was.
the spot where it came out was at the beginning of my exhaust, just after the engine. it started definately behind the engine block (appx. 5-10") and I cannot see any hole or leak now.
I made some pictures, that you see how it looked like.

any ideas, what this is?
condensation?
what can I check, if something leaks?

thx
roman

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230SL, 1967
ivory with chocolate brown top

[Rhodrich]

Does your car have air conditioning?  If so, it may just be water from the air conditioning unit.

[r.bartl]

my kuehlmeister aircondition is empty and not filled this moment.
beside oil, I didn't fill liquids anywhere else.

230SL, 1967
ivory with chocolate brown top

[Vince Canepa]

In the second photo it appears that there is a "stripe" running down the intersection of the frame rail and the rear of the wheel house.  Coolant can run down there if it burps out the vent tube.  There is a drain hole under the coolant tank.

Vince Canepa
1967 250SL
113.043-10-001543
568H Signal Red
116 Caviar MB-Tex

[ted280sl]

Roman,
  It sounds like coolant. The coolant expansion tank has an overflow in the area where your fluid appeared. The coolant in a car typically will get warmer after the car is turned off as it is no longer circulating. This can lead to additional coolant overflowing. Check to make sure that you have coolant in the expansion tank. If so, do not add additional fluid. I suspect that it was filled up and the excess was expelled after your ride. Over the next several rides keep a look out for additional fluid. If there are no additional stains, then you do not have a problem.
Best Regards,
Ted 1969 280SL

[waltklatt]

Roman,
How does the liquid feel between your fingers?  Slick, wet, sticky, etc...
Looks like the box section inside the firewall decided to discharge it's contents that pooled from the last rain or carwash and flowed out the hooked tube emerging from the firewall near the downpipes.
Walter Klatt
1967 220SL-diesel
1963 230SL-gas

[A Dalton]

As Walter states, check the fluid ... if it looks like water , it is a drain-off. ..an easy test for  distinquishing water from anti-freeze is to taste a couple of drops on your finger ..AF has an immediate sweet taste and odor and is aeasily recognized with this crude but effective test..........

[Ricardo]

You might want to check the condition of the hoses that drain the air intake (scuttlebox)...these steel tubes appear mid way down the firewall with a rubber ball like end. They run through the firewall, where they connect with rubber hoses under the dash and from there to the underside of the scuttle box. These tubes can become blocked with debris and prevent water from draining out of the box. If left here too long the water can rust through and enter the firewall crossmember and stay undetected for some time, sloshing back and forth from one end of the crossmember to the other, eventually rusting through the crossmember. Try to push a  slightly stiff wire up the slit in the rubber ball and make sure these tubes aren't blocked. Perhaps you've been in a rain recently and the tubes were slightly blocked and have just opened up through dirt moving or vibration from your trip and some accumulated water has come out.
There is a very long thread about the scuttlebox on the other site.
Everyone should check these annually as they are a hidden disaster potential that is easily avoided.
Been there, done that....

[TheEngineer]

It's all the money you put into your car: It liquifies and accumulates on your garage floor when you are not looking. The process is not reversible.