5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
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I have an '06 I-4 and on accel/decel at slower speeds I can hear a sound like there was a liquid moving back and forth under the dash. The dealer said it's probably my A/C drain that is clogged up. That doesn't seem to be the problem, but I have only glanced at the area, not wanting to mess with it too much yet. Has this happened to anybody else, or does anybody know what it is? Thanks!!
ive seen an a/c drain tube come loose and cause water to flood the floorpan of a gen 5 before, but im not sure this is your issue....if that was the case, your carpet would be wet
as stated above, cheek your coolant level....its a good idea to always keep tabs on your cars fluid levels
I always keep up with my fluids. I check them every fill up. I still have the original red coolant in from the factory because I only have 43k miles. I am going to burp the system tomorrow, but the reason I doubt it's that is because when I push down on the front of the car with the engine off and the hood up, the noise doesn't happen, or atleast I can't hear it. It happens with lateral acceleration, and apparently doesn't happen with vertical movement. I'm still going to burp it to make sure. I hope that's what it is, but I have never flushed the system or had to add any coolant since I've had it. Can air get in there otherwise?
I always keep up with my fluids. I check them every fill up. I still have the original red coolant in from the factory because I only have 43k miles. I am going to burp the system tomorrow, but the reason I doubt it's that is because when I push down on the front of the car with the engine off and the hood up, the noise doesn't happen, or atleast I can't hear it. It happens with lateral acceleration, and apparently doesn't happen with vertical movement. I'm still going to burp it to make sure. I hope that's what it is, but I have never flushed the system or had to add any coolant since I've had it. Can air get in there otherwise?
If someone else services your car they may have opened the radiator cap when it was hot and expelled coolant causing an air pocket.
Pushing down on the front of the car isn't a diagnostic test and won't recreate the symptom. The waterpump has to be pumping to get the coolant moving, then you will get the noise.
Your description of the symptoms is EXACTLY what happens when there is low coolant or an air pocket. You can doubt it all you want, but the people that have seen the problem and fixed it actually DO KNOW what's going on.
If someone else services your car they may have opened the radiator cap when it was hot and expelled coolant causing an air pocket.
Pushing down on the front of the car isn't a diagnostic test and won't recreate the symptom. The waterpump has to be pumping to get the coolant moving, then you will get the noise.
Your description of the symptoms is EXACTLY what happens when there is low coolant or an air pocket. You can doubt it all you want, but the people that have seen the problem and fixed it actually DO KNOW what's going on.
Good luck.
ok cool, thanks for the info. I am going to burp it after work. I wasn't thinking about the fluid going back and forth from the engine to the radiator, it makes more sense now. I'll let you know if it fixed the problem. Thanks again for the advice!!!
well I burped the radiator and there was very little air in it. just a few bubbles, but nothing enough to drop the coolant level enough to actually put more in. I waited until the lower tube became hot so I knew the thermostat had opened and the coolant was cycling. The noise is still there. It happens when the engine is hot or cold. It's most prominent on hills.
well I burped the radiator and there was very little air in it. just a few bubbles, but nothing enough to drop the coolant level enough to actually put more in. I waited until the lower tube became hot so I knew the thermostat had opened and the coolant was cycling. The noise is still there. It happens when the engine is hot or cold. It's most prominent on hills.
Well, I burped it as if I was flushing the system, but i'm not 100% sure that's the same way you do it when you just want to take a little air out without flushing the whole system.. here's what I did
1) cold engine, I started it and took the radiator cap off right after I started it.
2) put just a little in while the engine was warming just to be sure that the radiator was full. It was, because it only took about 1 cup before topping off.
3) a few little bubbles popped up here and there, nothing major.
4) when the lower tube got hot/thermostat opened, the level did not drop at all in the radiator. I then put the cap back on and drove it around the neighborhood to see if those few bubbles did the trick. noise still there.
5) I got home and slowly released the pressure and took the cap off again. no overflow, but the level was still topped off. I noticed the cooling fan hadn't turned on during all of this, but I guess that's because the temperature of the engine compartment was still not too hot.
6) I squeezed the upper/lower tubes to see if I could force any air out, but all I did was squeeze coolant out.
7) realized that either I was doing it wrong, or that wasn't the issue.
8) logged on to toyotanation and revealed my failure..
Any suggestions? I would hate to take it to the mechanic for something this small. Thanks!!
Ramps would work great in your situation. The radiator cap is the highest point anyways, but having the front of the car slightly elevated is helpful.
Usually, you will need to bring the RPM's up to force out an air pocket. It may make a little bit of a mess as coolant gets pushed out when the air pocket escapes and the coolant expands. If there is an air pocket it could be trapped anywhere, or you could have several. Put the HVAC temperature selector at the hottest setting, remove the radiator cap, run the vehicle at idle until it is completely hot and the cooling fan(s) come on. Then increase the idle to about 2-2,500 RPM's for a few minutes, it would be helpful if someone could hold it there for you as you watch the cooling system. Let the vehicle idle some more and continue to observe it. Hopefully, it will belch out coolant and then you will see the coolant level drop as the air pocket(s) escape.
There are funnels that attach directly to the radiator cap that allow you to bleed the system much more efficiently and without a mess. You may be able to find one at an autoparts store. They are VERY helpful.
Here's a link on eBay for the type of funnel I'm talking about.
One thing if this is not an air bubble in the cooling system. Do you live where leaves could get in your door or mud. Sometimes even under the hood you may find a pan maybe under the wipers that has a drain that got plugged with leaves and is full of water. The doors can do this also. Remove the wiper arms and then check for clips that hold the plastic cover on remove them and look under it and see if that is what you hear.
Well, I did exactly what you said and used the ramps. The air bubbles came out very nicely. I basically drove it around in holiday traffic to make sure it was plenty hot and got home and put it directly on the ramp, and took the radiator cap off. I watched the bubbles come up and the coolant level drop off several times while I ran it at 2500 rpm for about 8-10 minutes. I drove it around afterwards and the noise is gone. Thank you so much. Do you have any relationship or stock market advice?
Leonard
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRD VVTi
Ramps would work great in your situation. The radiator cap is the highest point anyways, but having the front of the car slightly elevated is helpful.
Usually, you will need to bring the RPM's up to force out an air pocket. It may make a little bit of a mess as coolant gets pushed out when the air pocket escapes and the coolant expands. If there is an air pocket it could be trapped anywhere, or you could have several. Put the HVAC temperature selector at the hottest setting, remove the radiator cap, run the vehicle at idle until it is completely hot and the cooling fan(s) come on. Then increase the idle to about 2-2,500 RPM's for a few minutes, it would be helpful if someone could hold it there for you as you watch the cooling system. Let the vehicle idle some more and continue to observe it. Hopefully, it will belch out coolant and then you will see the coolant level drop as the air pocket(s) escape.
There are funnels that attach directly to the radiator cap that allow you to bleed the system much more efficiently and without a mess. You may be able to find one at an autoparts store. They are VERY helpful.
Here's a link on eBay for the type of funnel I'm talking about.
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weird fluid sound on accel/decel
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