Water sound? Legacy B4 RSK 1999

[liquid101]

hey forum users. been lurking for ages and finally out from the shadows to say hello.. .

got a couple of current issues i'd like to tap into your knowledge with:

1. upon start-up - i can distinctly hear the sound of 'rushing water' passing through the front end (sounds directly behind the dashboard). this could have been going on for months - but only noticed it the other morning when the radio was turned off. It sounds like a half-empty bottle of water being moved around when revving. there are no signs of leaks or liquid-spray anywhere surrounding the engine? WTF? no noticeable loss of engine power either. car is revving a little low and erratic and the power steering a little heavy - but again nothing drastically out of the ordinary? any ideas?

2. further need to source some of the door panel 'poppers' - the white plastic 'one use' type. i broke a few whilst upgrading the speakers. based in Auckland.. .

churs! ;D

[xsvpwr]

Do some searching, covered here a million times

[neodowd]

Could be air bubbles in your heater core

[liquid101]

 xsvpwr said:

Do some searching, covered here a million times

really? the keyword 'water' doesn't shed any light? suggest a more useful keyword? ;D

[liquid101]

ahh got it :: 'the gurgling is air in the cooling system stuck in the heater core. the system needs to be bled properly'.. .

does this issue represent any of the rubber washers / parts persishing? never had this before.. .

[liquid101]

 neodowd said:

Could be air bubbles in your heater core

spot on! thanks man 8)

[Jakee]

Air bubbles in your heater core. Show me a thousand legacys and 900 of them have that problem lol. Just give it a good bleed and the problem will sort. If you notice that you have no heat with your heater on, then you have a problem. I am sure someone can fill you in on airlocking. Subarus are the worst for cooling system ghosts.

[liquid101]

interesting list of possible causes of this issue: faulty thermostat, radiator cap seal perish, water pump, copper corrosion.. .

notice a couple of comments saying yes / no to related head gasket failure. this was a good write-up on the issue :: www.smart-service.com/blog/2009/09/prolonging-subaru-head-gaskets

will change radiator cap and thermostat just as a future-proofing measure i think. thermostat hard to replace diy?

[liquid101]

actually i think i'll go for this 7-point check first :: www.trevormorrisradiators.co.nz/wawcs016886/Services

 

Trevor Morris Radiators recommends that motorists have a seven-point preventative cooling system maintenance check at least once every two years. The seven-point program is designed to identify any areas that need attention. It consists of:

a radiator pressure cap test to check for the recommended system pressure level

thermostat check for proper opening and closing

a pressure test to identify any external leaks to the cooling system parts; including the radiator, water pump, engine coolant passages, radiator and heater hoses and heater core

an internal leak test to check for combustion gas leakage into the cooling system

a visual inspection of all cooling system components, including belts and hoses

a system power flush and refill with car manufacturer's recommended concentration of coolant

an engine fan test for proper operation

[Jakee]

They all do it, I wouldn't read that far into it, if it were a head gasket trust me you would notice bigger problems, we diagnosed my car with one today. Its easy to check your thermostat, follow your bottom passenger side radiator hose to where it meets the motor, undo the plastic casing thing and there will be your thermostat. Put it into boiling water using a coat hanger so you can control the angle of it and you will see that the valve opens slowly. If it doesnt open its seized and shagged. While you are down there just check the condition of the pipes you can see, make sure your coolant is nice and clean. Then reassemble, new coolant and give it a good bleed.

[liquid101]

^^^

thanks for that tip - will check the therm out.. .

yeah i'm not sold on the HG thing either - but wondering if this is a warning sign of things to come. if boiling coolant generates air bubbles (boiling coolant as in low temp coolant [from a depressurised system] coming into contact with red hot engine parts >> as mentioned in the previously posted link) then surely the engine (in parts) will be starting to warp / expand?

coolant will only effectively cool an entire engine if the system is fully sealed and pressurised right? so air trapped in the system (which has never happened before) points to either a leak or this boiling coolant prob. if the latter then i better go and get checked before filling the bank loan form in.. .

cheers for all the assistance guys. gonna be cautious until its been seen by an expert.. .

:thumbsup:

[Jakee]

Antifreeze and antiboil coolant. 30% coolant 70% water. I will happily put $100 on it not being the HG. If you are really worried pull you radiator out and chuck a hose in one side and make sure the amount of pressure your are putting in is coming back out so you know it isnt blocked. The problem most likely arised from not being properly bled in the past.

[liquid101]

 Jakee said:

the problem most likely arised from not being properly bled in the past.

thanks for your help jakee. went out to bleed there and noticed this area - looks suspect.. .

[Jakee]

That looks odd, is it oil or is it wet with water? If it is water take it for a drive and when it is hot have a look if you can see a leak from it or hear/see it spraying out?

[liquid101]

and the radiator cap ain't looking too clean. will replace. did the 'car facing up a hill' bleed and the coolant was bubbling like mad - ran it idle for 15mins with heater on full blast - still alot of air inside. will repeat for longer.. .

the oil grease is pretty dry - and nothing surrounding it is sprayed with it. seems ok on second glance - but you never know.. .

car is idling terrible today also - sounds like its gonna stall when at the lights when it rains - it pours.. .

[Jakee]

Did you bleed long enough for the thermostat to open and the fans to come on? It wasnt overheating that was causing it to idle badly?

When I do them I just put the heater on the hotest setting with the least amount of power pushing it out i.e I have the fan set to 1 not full on 4

[Guest]

 liquid101']

[quote name='Jakee said:

the problem most likely arised from not being properly bled in the past./quote]

thanks for your help jakee. went out to bleed there and noticed this area - looks suspect.. .

the second pic is definitely oil around the wastegate actuator. you could pull the whole thing out and clean it if you're pedantic but it will just happen again in a month or so. its normal lol

[Jakee]

Lol we making a team effort at this one Vads? Sorted your shifter yet? You never texted me to take a look at it

[Guest]

 Jakee said:

Lol we making a team effort at this one Vads? Sorted your shifter yet? You never texted me to take a look at it

hell yea yea sorry dude mate took me to redline for the sale/ promo thing aye... did u get the GTR? still havnt sorted shifter its down right fukin me off aye -.- your in gear and its so wobbly that it feels like its in neutral -.- bloody hell lol haha

<3 SUBI!!!!

can i bring it over this weekend? or anytime during the week? ive finished uni now and free as haha

[Jakee]

 VADZTER said:

hell yea yea sorry dude mate took me to redline for the sale/ promo thing aye... did u get the GTR? still havnt sorted shifter its down right fukin me off aye -.- your in gear and its so wobbly that it feels like its in neutral -.- bloody hell lol haha

<3 SUBI!!!!

can i bring it over this weekend? or anytime during the week? ive finished uni now and free as haha

Nah I had a change of heart and now I am waiting for some free time to rebuild the EJ204. My shifter has no bolt AND no bushing in the linkage. So I am going hori on the one I got off you and cutting it down and bending it all and such to make a short shift.

Bring it over on Friday to my house? Bring your axle stands too we will put it on 4 so we can comfortably get under it and we will sort it out.

Have you sorted out your water problem OP?

[liquid101]

*update*

took the car into be seen by a local mechanic as the rough idling was pretty bad. they vaccum bled the cooling system and now its running much smoother. they did a pressure test (overnight) and found no leaks. also performed a tee kay combustion test and all good with the head gasket. 150bucks (inc GST) to investigate - very happy with that.. .

thanks to everyone who posted - really appreciate tapping into your knowledge.. .

the mechanic reckons a radiator flush would help things further - will see how it runs over the next few weeks and take it from there. hope this helps someone else suffering from the same.. .

cheers! steve 8) ;D