98 Firebird bubbling
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98 Firebird bubbling Hello,
I have a 98 Formula. It's a garage kept car. So it doesn't usually go far. Lately I noticed on hot days in bumper to bumper traffic after I got home I would hear bubbling. Now there is no smoke and the temperature gauge never gets hot. in fact when it does reach a point where it gets hot the fan must kick in because it drops it back to its normal running temp. I live in Florida and recently drove an hour to Disney with no problem and an hour back sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and no problems with the car overheating. Last year i had the fluid replaced and read about another that had the same problem where the hoses were crossed.. The overflow hose and the regular intake hose are fine going to their appropriate locations. After the car cooled for a few hours I took off the cap and the anti freeze was up at the top. I started the car and it didn't move. The overflow is registering fine and not over flowing. I have never seen a leak on this car especially a anti freeze leak. Any ideas?? Could it just be a worn cap even though no leaks are present?
Thanks for any help
I have a 98 Formula. It's a garage kept car. So it doesn't usually go far. Lately I noticed on hot days in bumper to bumper traffic after I got home I would hear bubbling. Now there is no smoke and the temperature gauge never gets hot. in fact when it does reach a point where it gets hot the fan must kick in because it drops it back to its normal running temp. I live in Florida and recently drove an hour to Disney with no problem and an hour back sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and no problems with the car overheating. Last year i had the fluid replaced and read about another that had the same problem where the hoses were crossed.. The overflow hose and the regular intake hose are fine going to their appropriate locations. After the car cooled for a few hours I took off the cap and the anti freeze was up at the top. I started the car and it didn't move. The overflow is registering fine and not over flowing. I have never seen a leak on this car especially a anti freeze leak. Any ideas?? Could it just be a worn cap even though no leaks are present?
Thanks for any help
My wife's trans am had a similar problem, and eventually started burping out coolant.
I would highly suggest attempting to burp or bleed the system of any air. Elevate the car with the front end raised and the engine cool and remove the radiator cap. Start the engine and turn the heater to hot to open the passage way to the heater core. Watch the coolant level with the cap off of the radiator to observe if any bubbles start coming out of the radiator. You can also gently squeeze radiator hoses and heater hoses to try and squish air bubbles and force them out into the radiator. Let the car get warm and the fans engage signaling that the thermostat has opened
If the burping procedure fails to improve the problem I suggest replacing the thermostat, and to be honest I would also just replace the water pump as preventative maintenance
Dex cool and coolant in general has a tendency to break down over time and really damage the water pump. The most severe case was my wife's trans am, not long after the gurgling noise her water pump completely seized at 60k miles.
I would highly suggest attempting to burp or bleed the system of any air. Elevate the car with the front end raised and the engine cool and remove the radiator cap. Start the engine and turn the heater to hot to open the passage way to the heater core. Watch the coolant level with the cap off of the radiator to observe if any bubbles start coming out of the radiator. You can also gently squeeze radiator hoses and heater hoses to try and squish air bubbles and force them out into the radiator. Let the car get warm and the fans engage signaling that the thermostat has opened
If the burping procedure fails to improve the problem I suggest replacing the thermostat, and to be honest I would also just replace the water pump as preventative maintenance
Dex cool and coolant in general has a tendency to break down over time and really damage the water pump. The most severe case was my wife's trans am, not long after the gurgling noise her water pump completely seized at 60k miles.
Might be worth inspecting/replacing the radiator cap too. If it isn't maintaining a good seal it can allow the system to boil as it isn't under pressure (or enough pressure). This can lead to pockets of air in the system from it steaming internally that then you'd hear gurgling around.
Caps aren't expensive, and these cars are old now, so the original cap seal could be going bad.
I'd start by burping the system as mentioned above, and replacing the cap.
Caps aren't expensive, and these cars are old now, so the original cap seal could be going bad.
I'd start by burping the system as mentioned above, and replacing the cap.
You should be able to visually inspect the cap for damage to the rubber seals.
If the cap isn't sealing adequately it can push hot coolant into the resevoir. To be sure you will want to check the resevoir coolant level to see if it's over filled or really low
If the cap isn't sealing adequately it can push hot coolant into the resevoir. To be sure you will want to check the resevoir coolant level to see if it's over filled or really low
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Thanks for the ideas. I checked this morning when it was cold. While yesterday it was filled to the very top HOT it was down about a 1/4-1/2 cup cold. Not sure if thats part of it or not. The seal looked good but I might replace it any way. The reserve looked fairly normal as far as amount goes. Was not high or low.. I'll try and work on the burping.. Car as mentioned is garage kept and only 48K miles on it. Still in mint condition.
Thanks for the ideas. I checked this morning when it was cold. While yesterday it was filled to the very top HOT it was down about a 1/4-1/2 cup cold. Not sure if thats part of it or not. The seal looked good but I might replace it any way. The reserve looked fairly normal as far as amount goes. Was not high or low.. I'll try and work on the burping.. Car as mentioned is garage kept and only 48K miles on it. Still in mint condition.
I strongly reccomend replacing the thermostat first. If the thermostat and inside of the housing have brown tar in them I would also replace your water pump. That's my advice.
These cars don't gurgle on their own, if you keep driving it you need to keep your eye on the temp gauge at all times. It would really suck to blow a headgasket on an engine with less than 50k miles. A brand new water pump and thermostat are $100 at most autoparts stores
