There's a waterfall behind the dash!!!

[Hailz]

Hey just trying to find some answers for my workmate, he's got a 96 Legacy and he reckons he can hear water moving around behind the dash - all the time! there's no leaks or nothing car doesnt overheat and heater still works fine, my first thought would have been the heater core, anyone got any ideas for me?

[Koom]

Yeah its the heater core. Likes to trap air bubbles in there and is a complete pain in the *** to ever bleed it all out. I just imagine that its a nice waterfall in a lush forest when I hear it and it takes me to a happy place......

[Hailz]

 Koom said:

Yeah its the heater core. Likes to trap air bubbles in there and is a complete pain in the *** to ever bleed it all out. I just imagine that its a nice waterfall in a lush forest when I hear it and it takes me to a happy place......

Haha nice!, have you got any tips on how to get the bubbles out?

[Koom]

I'll tell you if I ever figure it out......

Have bled the system in my GTB about 5 times now with no luck. Just learning to live with it instead.

[dubbedup]

cant you get the bubbles out by parking on a steep hill/driveway and bleeding it then with heater on full etc

[NotAWhiteGTB]

The only way i could ever get it out of my leggy was bleeding it on hill on my old driveway with the nose pointing upwards and occasionally bringing it two 2000rpm-ish to create a bit of turbulance to hopefully push it out.

I always found it was really bad when the car was cold. Its a pain in the arse when you go around a gearbox and here it slushing everywhere. Lol

[Guest]

My 94 legacy gt does the same thing. What hose/valve do you open to bleed the air out??

[Koom]

 dubbedup said:

cant you get the bubbles out by parking on a steep hill/driveway and bleeding it then with heater on full etc

I've tried everything like that. We've got a bleeder tube at the workshop that gives you about a meter of head on the header tank which still doesn't get rid of it. Its caused by corrosion in the heater core apparently and in some cases you'll pretty much never get rid of it.

My RS has never had this issue funnily enough.

[Koom]

 daxter said:

My 94 legacy gt does the same thing. What hose/valve do you open to bleed the air out??

Header tank i.e. radiator cap off

[Guest]

my legacy does same thing funny enough 96 have had it bled few times to no avail even tried the hill job

doesn't this however lead or can lead to head gaskets blowing so far I've never had a prob until recently with radiator issues (dont know yet if thats what is causing it) am slowly leading away from subies because of it but thats just me im sick of paying out what money i don't have

[Guest]

 Koom']

[quote name='daxter said:

My 94 legacy gt does the same thing. What hose/valve do you open to bleed the air out??

/quote]

Header tank i.e. radiator cap off

ahh right, ok will give the hill method ago, cheers

[Guest boostin]

Caused by air bubbles trapped in a partially blocked heater core. If the bubbles can't be removed by bleeding the system as stated, then the heater core will need replacing before you cook your engine. The heater flow opens the thermostat. Low heater flow means no thermostat open. No thermostat open means engine overheated. Been there, done that, many many times....

[wildturkey]

 boostin said:

Caused by air bubbles trapped in a partially blocked heater core. If the bubbles can't be removed by bleeding the system as stated, then the heater core will need replacing before you cook your engine. The heater flow opens the thermostat. Low heater flow means no thermostat open. No thermostat open means engine overheated. Been there, done that, many many times....

mmmmmm.........i want to know more about that. Mine makes the same noise....has been for a while now

[Volcanix]

i occasionally hear the water running in the dash in my car but its quite rare

[Guest boostcut]

one way i have done it is fill the engine up with antifreeze from the heater hose. so you fill the core first.. i havent had it not work yet

[Hailz]

Talked to Mr mechanic man today and he said that in order to remove the air pockets the coolant system needs to be "vacuumed" out, obviously not with your vax though - a special piece of equipment, the reason the air is in there in the first place might be from buggerd head gasket or waterpump or perhaps its just there because it is lol, thats answered my questions, i hope it answers some of you other guys questions too.

[ditchhobo]

Hey i have a 99 b4 it has made those sounds but only two or three times in the year or so i have had it, do you think this is a sign of it coming on or just a one off thing, and is there anything i could do to prevent it coming on.. i had a 94 tx wagon a few years ago which made the bubling sound all the time, i traded it in to a dealer when i brought a new car and later found out that when they sold it it blew the head gasket... so after reading this ive just clicked and i dont want this happening to my new one.

[Guest boostcut]

its a sign that the person who did your cooling system repair last tome didnt bleed it properly.

[DPI]

 Hailz said:

Talked to Mr mechanic man today and he said that in order to remove the air pockets the coolant system needs to be "vacuumed" out, obviously not with your vax though - a special piece of equipment, the reason the air is in there in the first place might be from buggerd head gasket or waterpump or perhaps its just there because it is lol, thats answered my questions, i hope it answers some of you other guys questions too.

That's a suprise, a mechanic hinting to a headgasket needin to be fixed...ha ha...