Cooling System still gurgling ugh.

Two thoughts come to mind. First, I'm thinking there's air trapped in the cooling system. To get it out, the best way is to pull the cooling system into a vacuum and refill it. There's a tool for that. Your mechanic shop should have one. Second, if you're not losing coolant anymore and not overheating but you hear the gurgling noise after you turn off the engine it could be the air conditioning system. Sometimes the refrigerant in the air conditioning system will continue to boil for a minute or two after the engine is shut off. It's perfectly normal. Hope that helps! Jim

Thanks for answering. Its the same sound it was making when I was losing coolant. Well, maybe it is. Aside from a trickle coming from that AC drainage hose (I think its down low and against the firewall) after its off, I still dont see a leak. I never had a very obvious leak. Sigh. Well lets hope it doesnt overheat again. Im kinda fed up. I had no disclosures about anything when we bought it, either, and feel really jerked around now.

Thanks for answering though. I mean, its helpful. We did recharge the refrigerant at one point, so who knows now.

You're welcome. Glad to help! Hopefully that's all it is! Jim

Well, the fluid was pretty low already this morning. I am worried that the work didnt get done or something. I asked the mechanic if we could put it on his lift to see if there is a leak. Havent heard back but its still early. I mean it sure seems like it was fixed. Its just the damn coolant is low. I really really feel sooooo frustrated right now. Maybe its the thermostat gasket. Ughhh I hate this. Thanks again. Will update hopefully soon.

Well, I am back at the mechanics shop. I left the AC off for the drive up here. Didnt overheat, but I sat it on a concrete surface running for a few mins and saw a small puddle under the thermostat housing, which was dripping onto the timing belt and water pump casing. So he says its the thermostat housing thats leaking. And hes going to be a doll and let me pay him on Friday for that. Omg. I dont doubt now that the water pump was also leaking. This one is simply a smaller leak, thats less obvious and may have been easy to miss. People dont figure on there being a higher leak, as well, when there is a lower part leaking badly. I can understand that. I guess. I mean, should i just be understanding that my car had a pressure test and they missed the thermostat housing leak? Its barely been driven since then. Maybe all of 25 miles, total, between picking it up from shops. I had seen that as a possible leak and pointed it out to the friend. Hopefully this ends this struggle. Ha

Ha so apparently even after having the pressure test done and only being told about the water pump leaking and timing belt obviously needing replaced along with it, the thermostat housing was leaking a little bit too. So they replaced that. Then the radiator cap (its new) was leaking. Its good now. Drove it home. No gurgling. So glad that is over. Cooling system problems are extremely NERVEWRACKING. Oh and i got an official receipt for the water pump and timing belt too. He is generously letting me pay him on Friday (payday) for the thermostat housing. Im going to talk to a lawyer about this. Its just not cool to sell someone a car with a bad instrument cluster, and a bad cooling system, and not even tell them about it. Thanks for trying to help. I appreciate it.

You're welcome! Anytime! Very glad you got it fixed! It pays to be persistent! Yes, it's very nerve racking when you need your car and there's something going on with it! Thank you for letting us know!! Jim

Well, I had it overheat again. This morning, it was overheating and the reserve tank was spitting out fluid. Towed it to the mechanic. He had already changed the thermostat housing, and the radiator cap, and the water pump and timing belt, and then today changed the thermostat. Before he changed that, I saw a trickle of water under the car, with the AC off. Just lasted a second. Then a small dripping. Couldnt tell where it was coming from. He said a stuck thermostat can cause a leak. But Idk whats leaking. He sent me off saying its okay now. I dont want to pester him as he fixed those on the honor system, and i appreciate that, but please explain to me how a stuck thermostat can cause a leak. Note that when I saw the trickle leak I was laying on the ground, but it was clearly not the reserve tank spitting out fluid. What the heck is going on??

A stuck thermostat won't cause a leak but it definitely can cause overheating if the thermostat is stuck closed. The thermostat is a valve that controls the flow of coolant through the cooling system. When the engine is cold the thermostat is closed. This prevents coolant from circulating through the engine and to the radiator. Coolant will still circulate through the heater core, but not through the radiator. As the engine warms up and the coolant temperature goes up the thermostat will open to allow coolant to flow through the radiator to maintain normal operating temperature, usually 195°F. What I'd suggest is pressurizing the cooling system, with the engine cold. The system should hold pressure for at least 15 minutes. Look for coolant seeping or dripping during the 15 minutes. It's helpful to put a large piece of cardboard under the front of the vehicle so any coolant that's dripping can be easily seen. Hope that helps! Jim