Mystery of the Gurgling Heater Core
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
- The heater core on my 1998 Dodge Ram was gugrling air on startup, sounding like a percolating coffee maker when I would start the engine in the morning. I approached the problem by purging the system of air and then searching for a cause after that. The heater core was noisy but it never leaked fluid.
This is not an instructional video and I am not a professional mechanic. This video is published for entertainment porposes only.
I know absolutely nothing about fixing my Dodge. But you are an amazing teacher and I am now confident that I can also burp my truck. Great job and awesome video.
Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, trapped air is a common problem with a simple solution, worth knowing.
Thank you for this video. High level of detail in a brief, to the point video. I really appreciated your approach. Very pragmatic.
@TheKeyboardKowboy I appreciate that feedback. My headphones are top quality and it's hard to know what it sounds like on others' equipment. You're the second guy today who said my videos are too soft so I will try harder next time. I'll try to modify the soft videos in RUclips without reposting.
Those T shaped devices are 'old school', and the first one I bought was 40 years ago. You can get them in Canadian tire here in Canada. Seeing this complication, I may not use them again.
I had cold air with low RPM, low speed drives. I followed the burping procedure. Took me 1 hour plus but got lots of air bubbles out. It worked!!!!! Now I'm enjoying the cold weather drives with nice hot air. However, I never found the source of the air bubbles or leak..., yet. Thank you for the video!!!!!
+Eduardo Juncos Great, thanks for the followup. I find the almost universal design of engine cooling systems to be fascinating, especially that little genius of the system, the radiator cap.
+Eduardo Juncos i have a 2001 dodge ram and the heater core has a pin hole leak and does that same gurgling thing with weak heat as well i replaced all the heater hoses to no effect guess this spring ill tear the whole dash out and replace the core ugg
We used a funnel in the rad like you did and funneled the heater core, squeezed all the hoses until it stopped bubbling. Then reattached the heater lines and started the truck ran it for a while at 1500 rpm untill the funnel in the rad stopped bubbling. It made great heat and everything was good. He drove the truck for another 30 minutes around. Parked for the night. Giggling came back in the morning.
Every cooling system component has been changed, rad cap too.
Aha! That sound has eluded me for 5 years! Thank you!
If you don't find any kind of leak, and if there is no smell of coolant on the passenger floor mat, have a look at your radiator cap. If the seal on the cap doesn't hold pressure, you could lose pressure there. Loss of pressure by the cap would then interfere with automatic burping, which mostly happens when the car is shut down for the night. If the seal on the cap is bad, a new radiator cap is very inexpensive.
Ok I'll update when I get around to it. Got a long list atm
Great video good explanations on what’s going on!
Don’t run out and buy a new water pump and thermostat before putting your system through paces…
@spelunkerd
i've change a "bad" heater core : there was no wet floor no loss of coolant but only the typical sweet smell and gurbling tiny sounds.
the leak was so tiny that it didn't drip at all.
So just to say that a wet floor isn't THE sigificant and reliable enough symptom and you figure out the leak only when you see the crystalised coolant on the heater core.
Very good video, great job educating us as this sound has happened to several of my cars over the years, and I’ve always wondered what it was.
It's just a simple T, and it was commonly used in the 60's. It is designed to be attached to a garden hose so you can run the engine while flushing. However in those days nobody thought twice about flushing coolant down the storm drain(!). As environmental concerns grew the technique fell out of vogue, because it's a lot of effort to recycle a large volume. They are still sold in stores today, but I don't think I'll ever install another.
First thing I would do is check the passenger floor mat for dampness. If you have antifreeze there, it's going to be a big, expensive repair. To get at the heater core is tricky to find and remove all those hidden plastic clips. Hopefully your problem is as simple as mine was!
Wow & a 1000 Thanks!
I have a 91 K1500 that “was” make that same noise in the same area.
The noise started after I changed a knock sensor. It had no leaks, so there no way the system is sucking air 🙄😓boy was I wrong.
So, after watching this video, I grabbed some tools and found the sensor took another 3/4 turn and header return hose clamp need another full turn.
So far so good!
Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, and that general theme to look at aftermarket parts first is one that extends to electrical problems as well. I've seen lots of parasitic drain problems from aftermarket security systems. Thanks for your useful remark.
I appreciate your opinion, and you make a good point that the T was not necessary for the system to function normally.
However regarding your opinion about just ignoring air in the cooling system, air can be much more of a problem. Air in the cooling system is too light and compressible to allow normal cooling, and air can interfere with water pump flow. Leaving an air leak in the system risks superheating in pockets, sometimes leading to catastrophic failure of other components.
I didn't show it in the video, but my condensation drain tube was working fine. Thanks for your thoughtful contribution. The clue shown at the end lead to the correct diagnosis and repair.
You're welcome, my pleasure. I'm not sure if you found it, but I also posted a video called "hidden genius behind an engine cooling system, - the radiator cap". In that video I disassemble a radiator cap to show how the system works. Newer cars have the cap built into the reservoir tank rather than the radiator, but the same principles apply. Cheers.
Great analysis. I have a Volvo xc90 that was sort of doing the same thing but at the opposite time, bubbling into the coolant reservoir when the car was hot and mainly when stopped. There was evidence of a leak from one of the coolant hoses going into the firewall, probably as you say the return. In this case I tried the stop leak copper flake product and after a few hundred kms (removing the coolant, even though this particular product said it was not necessary), the bubbling in the reservoir stopped. Sure beats the dealer & auto mechanic know-it-all who said it was a head gasket. Glad I didn't spend thousands on a simple leak!
Yeah, although we always worry about a head gasket, the commonest cause of hot bubbling is trapped air, being automatically purged when the coolant warms up to expand the air. With a continuous leak the system never completely clears that leak, even if it may be very small. Thank you for your real-world example.
pleasure! Thanks for your answer & please keep up with the great vids!
Frist Last
Additionally, you want to try to avoid using products such as stop leak. Over time, they tend to do more harm than good to the system. Stop leak products will gum up in your cooling system. They can be responsible for contributing to radiator cap failure as well as thermostat failure. For a quick fix, yes it might work. But when you can afford to do so, I'd flush the system soon and repair the actual problem, otherwise, you may find yourself spending a lot more money later.
Keith, I completely agree with you. As the owner of the vehicle, I would never use something like that, or any 'quick fix' that hides the problem until it becomes more serious. Unfortunately there are people who will put stuff like that into their car and then sell it, sometimes without informing the buyer.
Nice video. I enjoyed the detailed analysis of the issue as well as the re analysis of the issue after the first attempt at a solution failed.
You want to keep your coolant level between low/high. When it is filled to the highest recommended "marked" level on your reservoir, it will still allow enough room for expansion without going out the overflow tube.
Ok...burped the coolant system...took a while. Mainly because I forgot to plug the overfill! Rookie mistake I know. Drove it for 15 minutes, the first 4 or so it continued to crackle...then went away. I'll check the level in the morning and see how she does on my way to work. Hopefully that fixed the problem, thanks again.
I’m losing my mind trying to fix my issue. I’ve burped the coolant system several times over the last couple weeks. There are no signs of a leak, well I can’t find one. The amount of fluid I’m putting in there should be evidence of a leak. It’s not the head gasket.
I just found your video. I guess I need to do another thorough inspection
Always great videos. On GMs...check for pin holes, corrosion, etc. around the crappy pot metal quick release heater hose inlet on the intake. 9 times out of 10 they'll break off flush with your intake when trying to replace them. If your in a situation where you have a little time on your side, soak it well with PB Blast, spray it a few times during the day and another good soaking before you go to bed. Slowly turn, if it breaks loose but then starts to bind again, soak it again and try later. Patience is the key. Removing the broken piece is much more time consuming and you'll probably have to run a tap through it. You can always replace it with a better type of material with a standard nipple and a new hose or just make it a habit to replace the OEM cast quick release once a year as PM.
More good advice. That's a DIY nightmare, to break something that requires more specialized skills than you anticipate. A pro will break things like that almost as often, but he has enough depth of knowledge to cope with unexpected problems. Otherwise it's a very bad day.
Thanks for the idea. I have 3 86-88 Toyota trucks. One has the morning gurgles and its the one that came with an aftermarket system flush connector like yours. Tomorrow morning I am going to check that out. Thanks again.
You don't want to ever allow the fluid in that reservoir to drop below the 'low' mark, because that fluid creates the seal that prevents air from refluxing back into the system. Just a couple of inches below that low mark is the bottom of the inlet tube, so there is an air seal formed naturally. During normal operation there are few air bubbles in the system, and fluid doesn't normally expand much with heat, so there is not much need for fluid to move either way. But when it boils, (see part 2)
If anything I never knew a funnel like that existed. Ordered one immediately.
Great video sir. It helped give me insight on what to look at on my vehicle because I am having that gurgling noise with my 2008 nissan xterra. Thank you. Nice work.
Great vid, I too had the heater gurgle, turned out to be a pinhole leak in the heater core, fogged up my windows!
Yes, I've seen that advice as well. In this video, I had the vehicle up on jack stands for burping the coolant, though I've done it successfully without doing that. If the rad cap is working properly it will burp more completely (on most vehicles) over the next few weeks. You want most of the air out so the engine doesn't overheat on the first trip out of the shop, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Liquid flow through the heater core will naturally push air out over the coming weeks. Thanks!
Thanks for recording your experience in the thread here. I'm glad you found the cause.
That would be reasonable. I would be thinking of finding a micro leak, and if it's not obvious I would consider using some UV dye and I would probably pressure test the system to try and make a leak more obvious. On the video I did of the coolant leak in the Jetta I showed how to use the UV dye. I would check carefully at the hose connections. Even a small leak at the rad cap could cause recurrent air in the system.
Yes, and occasionally that kind of leak can be really hard to find. Sometimes those hoses lose their rigidity, and if suction causes the tube to collapse a similar problem can happen.
Appreciate the reply
Guess i should have mentioned I was shooting this at Mike Whitty. He stated they had done so much to his friends truck
I had the gurgling and smoking in my truck as well and found itwas the A/C tube had came off. A straight tube will not work it has to bend down in a 90 degree angle
I fought with mine for ages and thought he may be doing the same thing
What year is your truck mine is a 97 yours looks like a different year or model
have you considered that the gurgling may not be the heat protion at all
It is very possible that the drain tube for the AC has came off and allowing water condensation to set in the heat core area or the hose is plugged up and will not letthe condensation out
@mrmrlee That was my first worry, but the floor of the cab wasn't wet. Your problem was a lot more challenging. Thanks for your comment.
Spelunkers
I believe I have seen the extenuated issue caused by the "gurgling" which I'm going to call cavitation. I have a 99 Ram 2500 with the V-10, I bought the truck with coolant in the oil. After trouble shooting and replacing the intake manifold gasket and head gaskets with out solving the coolant leak(internal leak that is, which caused the coolant to contaminate the oil). I looked to the timing cover, found an amazing phenomenon caused by cavitation and steam erosion that destroyed/removed 40% of the water pump. Also at the the same time working a pin hole in the timing cover which was the adjacent surface to the water pump. I believe this all was caused by bubbles caveating the pump area than micro craters of steam pockets and metal destruction. Once all was fixed and resembled I figured the gurgling was an indication that cavitation was still occurring. The problem I eventually cured with the removal of the same type of flush kit in you video that I assume was installed by the previous owner. Today the truck is a strong runner with tightly sealed cooling system. Unfortunately I didn't document any of the repair so all we have is my story.
Thanks for doing the videos their great.
Your story is a good example of how pockets of superheated steam in the cooling system can damage adjacent areas. Water pumps can't move air, especially if the air pockets are on the low pressure intake side or adjacent to the impeller. Contraction and expansion of the superheated steam is too easy, absorbing energy that was meant to effect coolant flow. Because flow is limited, the source of heat causes more boiling of cooant, causing a feedback cascade that destroys head gaskets and damages seals. Thanks for posting your experience here, I'm sure it will help others.
This guys video just simplified lots of things for me I have a 4.3 chevy blazer and I have had that gurgling noise and such I think I've found the solution
@michaelovitch You make a very good point, since no test is completely reliable. Of course the small volume that could be leaking might evaporate. So, for a month after I found this defect I listened carefully to see if the problem disappeared. Fortunately in my case, it did.
That does bring up the bigger issue that diagnosis is often based on probability, and it is sometimes a lot of work to find definitive features. Thanks for your insightful comment.
Excellent, we’ll thought through and presented. Cheers !
That would be a logical thing to do, and it might allow finding a heater core leak easier. You might try some UV dye. In my case it was a ball valve effect, allowing air in but not really allowing much fluid out. In a way, a vacuum test would be better if it could be done practically, and if there was some way to easily find the leak (grin).
Oh, ha ha. Sorry, I didn't understand the context of the conversation until I saw it was in Mike's thread. You've made a great point.... My truck in the video is a 98.
Excellent video great observation I’m having trouble with my heater in my 2005 ram 1500 5.7. I’ve replaced the thermostat flush the heater core and I can’t figure out why my heater is not working. It blows warm air but never blows hot air. I have burped the system. I’m at a loss I don’t know. Next I’m going to try the blend door.
Great Video like the way you show each step in the process and glad you found your issue in the end and able to explain it.
Thank you
Thanks for your encouraging remarks!
I love your videos and hope all is well with you and many more blessings, I’m not no expert but I also look to see how why and so on with certain things because it could always be something easy to solve instead of a whole replacement
Great Video I'm having this same problem in my 01 Civic... Once it gets a lil warmer ill see if I have a pin hole leak somewhere in my lines as well. I tried bleeding the system a couple times and the next day its back to gurgling. Once I find the problem ill update my results here as well. Thank You Spelunkerd.
Me too my 08 MKZ got a new thermostat and burped, got heat again and it's been fine for about 2 months, started gurgling again last week and tried to overheat yesterday at idle. Fans kicked on and sounded like an airplane it was so loud. I have a leak somewhere.
How's it go
Great video.
I've been helping a friend with his 2001 dodge ram so far he has replaced....
The rad
Thermostat
Water pump
Heater core
Heater hoses
We bled his cooling system with a funnel in one of the heater hoses and a funnel in the rad cap to make sure we got every bubble out of it. Truck made good heat that night. But the next morning it started gurgling again. Aside from checking the whole truck over for pin holes. Do you think a lighter rad cap (he has a 16lb) would make it easier to su
(continued), but hopefully the volume that returns is not enough to suck the reservoir dry. That 'autoburping' design works great with small air pockets, but it's not good for major air trapping because the volume is too much and you could overheat your engine before it works enough for the coolant system to work properly. So, after doing work on the cooling system, you need to manually burp the system to protect your engine. Today I'm posting a video showing how to change a water pump.
My radiator hoses make a thumping type sound when I shut my Hyundai accent off. It has a cap for the radiator and a reservoir. When I would give it gas the water pump hose to the engine would suck in and get flat like someone sucking there stomach in? It won’t blow heat either. Any help?
Thank you, great video with property explained content! 👍
@blackwell1384 I hope you find it. I would also check closely for coolant on your interior floor. Coolant leaking there would be a much more miserable repair -- heater cores are notoriously inaccessible.
cool video. interesting info at the end of the video about how the cooling of the materials would have allowed the air to suck back in. never thought of that. thanks cheers
Ok, it was entertaining. Lesson learned? If you put aftermarket items on your coolant hose to your heater core, and your heater core makes a gurgling sound, the FIRST place you check is your aftermarket piece. Even without the aftermarket piece, you should always check the hoses to your heater core for leaks FIRST. The very first thing I thought when I heard gurgling is "there is a leak". Well, now you know.
Very well diagnosed and well spoken.
Thanks, it is nice to see people still watch old videos. I cringe a little at my beginner video editing skills and slow information delivery.
It's pretty hard to sell a car with that kind of defect, so you have to fix it some time. Maybe the solution is a simple fix like I found, though I suspect a more common problem is a bad heater core. Is the floor wet and sweet smelling? In your case, have you worked on the system recently? If so it may be something as simple as inadequate burping, and that might slowly clear. If it suddenly worsens you could be stranded, so I wouldn't wait more than a few weeks to fix it.
Thank you for making this video! Also, I couldn't just let this go, from 5:15 to the end of the video you sound very similar to Jordan Peterson, a popular professor of psychology. I'm not sure if you two are from the same region but the intonation is identical.
If you have antifreeze there, there is only one answer. Of course it could be a hose connection but more likely you need to bite the bullet and dig down to the heater core. Plan to replace it, it's a ton of work, and not so easy. The water you hear is a combination of water and air that mixes together, causing turbulence and noise.
i took a real short cut in my 97 Ram and put a tsp of black pepper in radiator last winter. New core is still sitting on shelf in shed and truck is rolling over 425K this week.
@mikiebabie Sounds like you bled the system as best as you could while cold. There still could be trapped air inside chambers in the engine, that may be dislodged when the water pump and engine turn on. And of course the thermostat won't let that air get easily back to the rad until the water is hot enough to open. So, I would run the engine with rad cap off like I did here. Also, if you aren't sure you might replace the rad cap - I would use a same-rating cap as on the stock engine.
The Ericthecarguy forum is free, and there are lots of helpful and professional mechanics there.
well had success today. i flushed the heater over 10 times with a combination of water, front flush and back, compressed air ( low psi 5-6 psi) front flush and back.
Burped it twice and no more gurgling. good times
I think the core had so much crud that prevented a full circulation of coolant and hence trapping air pockets.
Great video. Thank you for sharing
hmmm... never seen one of those here in South Carolina, but I will check the local auto parts stores. Maybe CarQuest or Napa....
Thanks for answering. I like your videos-- your willing to try attitude and real knowledge rather than... well, let's just say there are more than a few hacks on YT.
Awesome video 💯👍🏼😊
Now on my truck I was out of town it was cold and my radiator started to leak well I added a brown powder stop leak it didn’t work so to get home I left the radiator cap loose now I knew my leak was way up on the top of the radiator so I made my 220 mile trip home I bought another radiator install it on a hot day so all was fine till I turned on my heater then I noticed my radiator water was rusty looking so I thought some of the stop leak powder stayed in my radiator so I bought a radiator flush I started to run my heater to clean it out as well it was a hot day no big deal I had my windows open and all of a sudden I smelled a chemical smell I thought about it and I said my heater core is leaking I replaced it and I noticed the old heater core had no signs of a leak but I bet if we’re to put a vacuum on it she won’t hold so lesson learned never ever add a stop leak or the brown powder stuff.
Today I went ahead and flushed out the radiator and engine block with distilled water then I added one gallon of antifreeze then topped it off with distilled water all worked out great. 💯👍🏼😊
I agree. I never use stop leak, the risk is too high to other areas of the cooling system.
What symptoms was this causing? Just the gurgling noise? Or, was the truck overheating as well?
I have a 97 ram 1500 and I’m experiencing the gurgling sound and overheating.
(No leaks. New thermostat. No white smoke or oil mixing with coolant. New fan clutch.)
Forgot to note: heat works fine.
In my truck, just the gurgling sound. It had a leak that was very hard to find. A pressure tester may find a leak you aren't able to hunt down. Two critical points, you need to refill and burp the system to clear it of air so trapped air doesn't become part of the problem. Trapped air can cause overheating. The second point is that overheating will have a cause, you need to find it as soon as you can before it kills your engine. Common causes are a leaking rad, stuck thermostat, bad radiator cap, leaking water pump (through the weep hole), leaking hoses, leaking cab heater. Rarely this is caused by a head gasket leak, which will cause exhaust gasses to enter the system. There is a chemical test (search "combustion leak tester") you can do to find that.
Care to elaborate on your check valve used for flushing? I have gurgling, but I believe I need to do a serious core flush. That device may be perfect.
I have the same issue with my 99. Replaced pump several years ago not sure when it started but its hard to ignore.
+Golfingferdie Check floor mats for coolant, and hope the cause is similar to my situation. A heater core is always a beast of a job.
My heater core gurgles, I lose a very little bit of coolant aswel, I’m suspecting there’s a leak in the pipes or worse the core itself. Il be having a close look at the hoses tomorrow.
A leak anywhere can lead to trapped air that can migrate to the heater core, so expand your search to any source of leak, from the water pump to the radiator, hoses, etc. Usually a leaking heater core will leave a sweet smell in the cab, and wet floor mats on the passenger side. A pressure test will tell a lot, and you can even test the heater core itself by removing hoses to and from the core, then look for a leak. The place where those hoses clamp onto the heater core nipples is a common place for it to leak. Some heater hose connections are made of plastic that gets very brittle over time.
Thank U soooo much for that lead!!! Have a great time with your mechanics with your car!!!
That was a creative fix you did for trapped air.
today my coolant Reservoir was bubbling what does it me!? what do i do!?
Great Video 👍
had you performed a coolant pressure test would this be found, do you think? I'm having the same exact problem on my subaru legacy 95, Heat in the cabin is ok, no coolant loss but im getting the gurgling every morning for the first 5 kms. ive bled the system twice to no avail.
Good video... I experienced this on a gas line from the outboard engine on my boat. It would only run with the tamk higher than the engine. The gas hose had a pin hole that never leaked a drop of gas. But was sucking air in...
Could not draw gas up to the engine.I proved it with new hose and swapping back to old hose. Could not see the hole.could not draw a vacuum on that old hose.
Im currently flushing cooling system and that gurgling appeared in heater core too, after few flushes. I guess I failed the last bleeding.
Burping can take a few cycles since the auto burp feature of the radiator cap requires an overnight cool of the engine after a hot cycle. Better to give it a good head start by running the engine until the thermostat opens, refill as needed and keep the overflow tank full. In some vehicles, there is a temperature controlled gate at the heater core, remaining closed when AC is in use or when the engine is cold. So, while burping many mechanics run the cab heater on full heat with blower fan on to better circulate coolant movement through the heater core, displacing air pockets back to the radiator. I don't believe the Dodge Ram have such a shutoff gate on heater core input. Most old vehicles don't have one.
I think it's done. No air left and no gurgling from the heater core.
so the coolant reservore shouldn't have anything in it when vehicle is turned off?
Thank you for this video...I'm experiencing bubbling and gurgling water when ever I'm stepping on the gas pedal. It started After flushing the coolant system and putting new coolant . tried to bleed the air out using a funnel like in the video a few times even with the car parked at different slopes but with no luck...the bubbling is still there. what is the name of the red device you installed ? is that a special valve ? thanks.
+Sh Vi That Tee is an old school device to allow flushing of the cooling system with a garden hose. It wouldn't help you, and in fact it was the cause of my problem because I had a small air leak at that device. In your case, look for a similar leak, and have a close look at your radiator cap. If the rad cap is poorly fitting, you won't be able to achieve the negative atmospheric pressure necessary to bleed the remaining air from your system. Rad caps are cheap, and hard to test properly. So, for a few bucks you could replace the rad cap and maybe your problem is solved. Make sure your reservoir is full enough, since you need an adequate level in the reservoir for bleeding to work. If you're not sure how the rad cap works, have a look at the vid I did of the rad cap, it's a marvel of engineering. Finally, if you still have a leak, look for other causes of leaking including a leaking heater core (sweet smell in the cab, wet floor) or head gasket problem (recurrent overheating). Hopefully it will be a simple fix, like a pinhole leak you couldn't find. You can do a pressure test of the system to help spot an occult leak....
KnowYourSound head gaskets
So what you're saying is, I most likely have a small leak, or should I try to burp the system? Both of my Rams did this, same series.
Any source of outside air will cause the system to work inefficiently. So, the first step is usually to burp the system so that it can be tested accurately. If the source of leak is gone, such as when you have recently worked on the system, that may be all that needs to be done. Occasionally a system can simply lose coolant from evaporation from the reservoir, and if that slow process causes the reservoir fluid to drop too far, it may not be able to recharge the system, resulting in trapped air. The Dodge ram coolant recovery system is open to air so there is some loss from evaporation. However most often a more serious source of leaking is the underlying cause, and that needs to be dealt with so the problem doesn't recur. Some problems can be tricky to find, such as a pinched off recharge hose or a crack in the seal for the radiator cap or recharge hose. Burping the system buys you a little time and a margin of safety from overheating, but don't delay too long.
spelunkerd that's exactly what happened. So I filled the radiator, the reservoir, ran the engine burped it with the hose squeezing. I have Normal operating temps, super hot heater, and...no more gurgling! :D. Thank you so much!
So my truck is a 2005 GMC Envoy and after a while of driving the gurgling happens. Is this okay as far as driving? Can I continue to drive with the noise?
Keep an eye on engine temp, and your coolant reserve bottle, but yes it is OK to drive while making your diagnosis as long as the engine doesn't overheat. If it does overheat, pull to the side of the road immediately, shut engine off and get a tow. If I'm correct, the GMC of that era doesn't have a radiator cap, but if it does then you want to check to be sure the radiator is full of coolant. Also you want to put a hand on the floor mat on the passenger side, feeling for a heater core coolant leak. Be sure the coolant reservoir is filled up, look carefully for leaking coolant, somewhere. Make note of whether your cab heater can deliver heat. Have a look at your reservoir cap for a bad seal. I did another more recent video of how to work up a coolant leak in a Chev Suburban, which may be very similar. Good luck!
Hey there. Quick question. What exactly is that red valve you installed in the line? I just did a radiator flush on mine, same motor, 5.9 360. I now have that gurgling as well and cannot get it to fully purge regardless of putting the front up on ramps and using the no spill/radiator funnel and letting it run for an hour at temp/holding the rpms up etc etc. What exactly would you recommend doing? I'd like to try installing that valve you have to see if it will purge it while driving of a course of time
I would not recommend installing that valve, it is an old school device that was routinely on cars until the early 70's. In the old days, to flush a cooling system, one method was to hook a garden hose up to a heater hose and let it rip. Sometimes that might be useful for back flushing a clogged heater core, but the problem was the huge puddle of contaminated water that would end up on the driveway and then into the storm drain. Not cool, but it is an interesting glimpse of how normal values have changed as the human population has grown. In your case, the problem is at least trapped air, and probably a pinhole leak, somewhere. The first thing I would do is closely inspect the radiator cap, looking for little cracks or debris on the seals. Grit on the seal would be enough to lose critical vacuum that is needed to suck the fluid from the reservoir. Even a tiny hole in the tube leading to the coolant reservoir will be enough to prevent the coolant reservoir from sucking fluid into the rad, much like a tiny hole in the side of a straw makes it completely useless. Check the seal around that little tube, and if in doubt remove the tube, put silicone paste on the tube contact surface and reinstall it. Also check to be sure that the tiny one way valve inside the cap can lift off, make sure it is not stuck (I showed the valve and how it works in a video, "genius of the cooling system"). If you have or can borrow a pressure tester that can put pressure on the system, the next step is to pressurize the system looking for the leak. Sometimes autoparts stores will offer those kind of devices as a loaner with a deposit. If you find no leak or can't get a pressure tester, then refill the system starting first at the radiator to give yourself a head start, then fill the reservoir a little above high, and watch it every day. It is possible your system was just down a little and it is having trouble clearing all the trapped air. You can get some evaporation from the coolant reservoir, and if the reservoir dropped too low it allows air inside the system that is hard to clear. However most of the time, the problem is a small leak, somewhere. If your floor mats are wet, and you have a sweet smell in the cab, you'll need to investigate a possible leak in the heater core. Another common location is the weep hole of the water pump, and also the water pump seals. One seal in the Ram that is a problem area is the bypass hose coming off the pump, which is buried so deep you can't see it until the pump is off, and a second is the heater hose return connection O ring. Other options if all of that fails is to add a UV dye to the fluid to help find the leak with a UV light. Remember that burping happens while parked at night, so when parked on a hill you are better to park with the front higher than the rear so trapped air is closer to the rad cap. If all of that fails, then wait, keeping the system well topped up until the leak becomes more obvious. In my experience, when I do that most of the time I find the leak within a few months. As long as you don't overheat it shouldn't cause much harm to wait. Good luck! If you find the problem, please stop back and record your experience for others, they may find it helpful for their own repairs.
My truck makes the same noise, but I can't find the coffee maker. Where is it??
Awesome video thanks! I burped the system on my 95 Toyota pickup. In addition I raised the truck up so that I could properly fill the radiator to removing air from the system. My system is hardly blowing heat inside it's warm but certainly not hot, and did have the gurgling sound. What suggestions do you have, I don't have the aftermarket flush kit installed in my engine. Any suggestions much appreciated!
Running the engine with the fill cap off will help to clear the remaining air. Do so for long enough that the thermostat opens, you can tell by feeling the top rad hose -- it should be hot. Then after you shut the engine off, put the cap back on and allow it to cool overnight. As the fluid cools, pressure inside the system will drop below atmospheric pressure and then fluid in the coolant reservoir will be drawn back into the system, replacing trapped air with cooant. After a few cycles like that, all trapped air should be gone. If not you still have a leak somewhere. Check the passenger floor mat for dampness -- if you have coolant there then the heater core is leaking.
Thanks worked like a charm. . Also i took off the heater core hoses & flushed & backflushed.. lots of gunk came out. . Now runs like a champ! Thanks!
Great to hear a good news message, thanks for the update.
... (continued) ....But when water boils, the volume and pressure increase dramatically, with enough force to open the big spring, forcing air bubbles to move out past the cap and to the bottom of the reservoir where they bubble freely. As the water in that gas cools in the cold reservoir, it condenses back into the reservoir and little water leaves, but insoluble gas like nitrogen can bubble right out. Hours after the engine overheats, the tiny spring will open to allow fluid back, (contin)
Very InTeReStInG. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Hey , so my car is leaking water/coolant from the reservoir and there's steam coming through my defrost vent my thermostat rises but only in the middle my car doesn't smoke from the radiator and there's no water on my carpet inside my car . ... what do you think is wrong ?
It's pretty common for pressurized reservoirs to crack and leak, so I'd check out where you think it is leaking and fix that. They can leak from the cap, which would be an easy repair if it is just a seal at the cap. If pressures are too high, from any cause of an overheat, the cap can release steam through the top of the cap. Also any cause of a leak can result in air in the cooling system, then inefficient cooling, overheating from that. I'd probably start by doing a pressure test of the system to identify where you've got coolant leaking. Then fix that, refill and burp the system, and hope it resolves. If not, consider thermostat, water pump, occult leak at the heater core or maybe a bad head gasket. Just guessing at this point.
on a Google heater core replacement, someone said to run truck up on a set of ramps to fill core completely as it is higher than radiator. Don't know how true that is.
Telflon tape DOES NOT belong in your water line system. Teflon tape is for threaded fittings. Get rid of the extra valve unless you're diverting water into a fuel line heater or something. I have a gurgling sound in my 98 Dodge Ram, too. It is not something to worry about. Live with it unless your heater core is no longer heating. More useful to put delectric grease on every sensor in sight especially the 3 on the throttle body and plug wires. aftermarket heater core is inferior, so wait.
If that flush adapter wasn't in there leaking, all you would have to do to purge the air would be to turn the heat up as high as it could go, start the engine, and run a high idle (put your foot on the gas) for about 5 minutes as it warms up.
Yes you're right, in a properly working system purging of small volumes of air works great. And as you say, purging of air from the heater core to the radiator happens normally in a few minutes. But then that trapped air at the top of the radiator has no where to go until the engine cools down. After working on a vehicle, a large volume of air is harder for the system to handle all at once, because it can't refill with liquid coolant from the reservoir until the vehicle shuts off. The ingenious system uses atmospheric pressure to open a little gate in the radiator cap to let the system take a drink of coolant from the coolant reservoir. The weakness of automatic burping is the refill valve is held shut by system pressure while the engine is running. Refilling from the reservoir only happens after the vehicle shuts off and the engine cools down. So, professionals do an extra step after a cooling system repair by carefully running the engine with cap off for a few minutes, to give the system a head start by purging most of the air manually. A no spill funnel makes that less messy, and you need to be careful not to leave it unattended, and stop a minute or two after the thermostat opens. When the volume of trapped air is small, automatic burping takes care of the rest over the following weeks, but it may take several heat/cool cycles. Thanks for stopping by!
Where did you get that device for flushing the heater core?
Just fix mine yesterday,? When heated it stated gurgling then over heat , had a small leave on water pump , when took off , the gasket was beat up and we’ll I think the water was leacking through and are maybe came through , it’s just a guess ,I’m not a machanic , so I replaced it and wala! Smoooth sailing
Good for you, it's a feeling of accomplishment to expand one's competency horizon. You can buy separate gaskets for water pumps and they are often better than the gasket that comes with a new one. Most mechanics replace the whole thing if they put the effort into taking one off.
@@spelunkerd thank you , it’s crazy that the smallest little even tiny leak makes a huge difference, right? I mean it’s kinda scary
@@danks2real314 Yeah. The main complication is trapped air, especially if reservoir levels drop too low. Trapped air can superheat and damage the head gasket and other sensitive devices. And the pump itself is much less efficient at moving coolant when it wastes energy compressing pockets of trapped air.
That's how it is in my 2006 Chevy Malibu now!
I have the same problem, This started when I replaced the heater hoses...Theres air trapped inside and I cant find a way to purge it out. I dont have a funnel...so Im wondering what to do
You might start with my video on the radiator cap, to better understand how that air makes it's way out. If you search 'how to burp a cooling system' you'll find an answer, or if you watch a few more of the cooling system videos I did you'll see a general approach. What happens is the air expands quickly as it heats up, and so to burp you carefully run with cap off. If there isn't too much air and if there isn't a constant source of leak, the radiator cap will allow burping to happen after a hot engine cools down overnight, opening a little valve in the rad cap to let the negative pressure inside a cool system draw fluid back
After this video, did this problem ever come back? I’m having the same issue with my 05 Toyota Tacoma now. Took it to a mechanic, he flushed the system, pressure tested it, replaced the coolant and it was fine for a few weeks. Now it has slowly come back. My truck has about 146k miles on it
It did fine for about 6 years, then about 2 years ago it began to lose coolant for a while and I eventually found a leak at the water pump gasket. I replaced the water pump with a reman pump from NAPA. To my surprise the reman pump did not have a weep hole, but otherwise it worked OK. The original paper gasket sold with that pump was crap and I replaced it with a quality gasket that you can buy separately. It hasn't leaked at all lately. Before the pump leak was found, I discovered a few videos online of a defect in some aluminum chev engine heads, starting in the 2001 year, that was characterized by porosity of the head and a slow leak through one of the heads into the space above the rocker arms. If you examine your oil fill cap and find a 'brown custard' buildup around the hole I'd wonder about that. There is a casting number you can find on the front lateral corner of the passenger head, or the rear lateral corner of the drivers head. Mine is 706, but to really identify the casting that is prone to this you need to remove the rocker covers and look for signs of water, and casting imprints inside. There are a couple of videos done by South Main Auto describing how to look for a leak there with a pressure tester and rocker covers off. If you search "Castec head porosity" you'll find lots written about it. More common places for occult leaks are on the sides of the rad, the weep hole of the water pump, on the passenger floor mat from the heater core, or from the gasket or plastic body of the pressurized coolant reservoir. Don't forget to look at your exhaust. If you get white smoke out the back of the tailpipe it could mean water is trickling through the head gasket into a cylinder and then burning off.
@@spelunkerd thanks for getting back to me about this. I did about as thorough a check I could do without tools once I got home today. I checked around all the hoses I could reach to check for wetness with no findings. Also checked the overflow reservoir and it also has no leaks. I checked my oil to see if it was mixing with coolant and it looks fine too. Exhaust looks totally normal and no white smoke observed. The temperature overall is remaining constant and has had no fluctuations but you hear the sloshing sound when it is cold and I’m making a turn. It’s more annoying than concerning at this point but I’d like to fix before it ever becomes a concern. My stepdad suggested using some radiator stop leak if I can’t find anything and it is still a problem. At this point, I’m monitoring it and will add coolant as necessary for the immediate future but want to find a permanent fix once I return home, as I’m across the country right now for work.
@@thatdudeoverhere Friendly tip, don't use stop leak because it will muck up the system forever, before you make a diagnosis. Carry some premixed universal coolant and heavy gloves in the trunk. You may be able to rent or borrow a coolant pressure tester from an autoparts store, which will make finding the leak much easier and safer. I did another video of how to use a coolant pressure tester on a more recent video, and there is a playlist of cooling system videos on my channel. Good luck!
@@spelunkerd that’s good to know before going down that route. I did wonder about that if it would cause any issues. The plan was to keep a bottle of coolant available just in case until this is resolved. I’ll check out the video too
@@thatdudeoverhere Did you ever fix or find out what the cause of it was? I’m Experiencing the same exact thing you’re describing.
great video,very well explained top guy,thanks
+dieselculture Thanks!
How can I tell that my heater core is bad? My silverdo keeps leaking antifreeze on my passenger side. When I crank my truck, I hear water .
Common problem on Chevy Silverado.
Take the radiator cap off and start the truck turn the heat on to highest temp with fan running wide open. Let it run like this till you feel HOT air blowing from your vents. When this happens you now know your thermostat is open . Be careful around radiator as air will be blowing out and antifreeze might as well! Be careful ! That HOT antifreeze will burn the crap out of you . Once it stops bubbling up Air out of the radiator check the fluid level. Add fluid till its full. Keep checking for air bubbles. Once full and no bubbles appear put your cap back on.
It takes awhile for your vehicle to get warm enough to open the thermostat so be patient. Again when hot air is blowing out your vent inside with the heat on high, is the best way to tell your thermostat is open.
Are you filming this in folsom prison?
Bad radiator caps and bad gas caps are over looked quite often. Gas caps can do weird stuff on the current computer controlled fuel systems.
That's wise advice, especially given that it is an easy, inexpensive fix, for those astute enough to make the diagnosis. Unfortunately, diagnostics is often the biggest challenge.
Yes sir you are correct. I grew up not being able to afford to pay to have things done so it was a lot of trial and error, Chilton's manuals, and talking to the old guys at the service stations. Yes, I'm 47 and remember them well ;). Built my first small block Chevy at 15 straight from a manual. Started building street/strip motors at 16. I had a 77 lwb truck with a 355. A friend owned a machine shop and I was able to do all machining myself with his supervision. I had to send crank, etc. off for balancing because we didn't have the equipment locally. That truck ran 11 80s in the 1/4 @ 119 mph. Anybody could make a car fast but it sure was fun beating rich boys in the vettes,mustangs,etc. their parents bought them. That is actual time not the "oh my vehicle runs 9's" bs talk. I eventually want to learn more on the LS motors. They can create a ton of streetable hp on pump gas and still dependable. I'll hopefully be able to afford to play again when my son's are on their own. LOL, I have to be all responsible and pay bills and stuff now.
It's nice to meet you, and thanks for visiting my humble channel. There's a big community of people who visit here, with a collective depth of knowledge that is unparalleled. I learn something every day from you guys (grin).
I've learned from you you as well. I appreciate you taking the time to video these things. I subscribed to your channel a while back. I get my 2 older sons to check your videos and a few other reputable guys for tips. With the internet now days...people have NO excuse other than laziness. You can learn to do anything. We had to grow up by watching people that would allow us to hang around, trial and error and READ tons of manuals. Keep up the good work my friend. Cheers from Texas.
Have you ever replaced the heater core in this truck? I have a 1995 and it has a leak. Looks like the dash has to be pulled forward to gain access to it.... sigh.
I haven't replaced the heater core, but I do show how to carefully remove the dash cowl in my video of the bad speaker. Old dash panels can be brittle from sun exposure, so be careful.
Okay, thanks!
I have the water bubbling sound on my first cold start in my 2013 nissan sentra. It stays for maximum three seconds. If I switchoof and start agin no more sound at all. Again if we wait lets say three hour for engine to cool, we can hear the sound agin in the start.
The fan motor was failed and replaced one month ago.
What could be reason..
Please help..
Trapped air in the system. Evaluate the radiator cap, replace if bad, top up coolant at the radiator cap and be sure the reservoir is full. Hopefully all you need is more burping, as shown in various videos. I did a cooling system playlist on my channel that explains this in more detail.
@numbnutz63055 You make a good point with another example of a similar situation.
As the fluid cools, pressure within the cooling system actually drops below atmospheric pressure, which should open that little "reverse relief" valve inside the radiator cap. But of course even with the valve open, pressure inside at rest will remain slightly below atmospheric pressure, for may hours after the engine is shut off.
Where did you find the parts to let air out the heater core hose? Whats that little red valve called?
Air will be forced out by movement of coolant when the engine runs with the heater on. You don't need that bypass adapter, which they still sell at autoparts stores. Indeed, the cause of the leak was right at that plastic part, which I eventually removed entirely.
So , possibly a new cap could fix the repeating prob.
I've got 97 dodge ram with the cummins....I've hot a crackling sound under acceleration, sounds like the snap crackle pop cereal.its coming from the heater core area.no loss of fluid, no visible leaks!?!?
The other thing that will cause that sound is pre-ignition pinging, but it should be easy to distinguish that engine noise from gurgling air bubbles moving through the heater core. Pinging should be louder when listening from the front of the engine with the hood raised. It wouldn't be uncommon for trapped air inside the heater core to be louder under acceleration, because the water pump is directly connected to the engine so water flow is related to rpm's. If you think it's trapped air then the usual first step is to burp the cooling system, as shown.
Thanks