Strange Noise

[The Critic]

In the morning (about 20-40F), when I begin driving slowly to warm-up the car, I hear a trickling noise coming from the engine compartment. It literally sounds as though someone is pouring water into my engine compartment area. :dizzy:

I see no leaks whatsoever on the ground, and fuel economy is good at 25 mpg with mostly 1-3 mi trips spaced hours apart.

Any ideas on what it may be? May I have an injector leak? (Just taking stabs now)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gary Allan]

pouring water? As in it sound like rain hitting something spinning ..or water hitting a hot exhaust manifold?

..and ..this has been going on long enough for you to determine that fuel economy is uneffected ..as in at least a fillup or two??

You have excellent tolerance for "unright" conditions before you sucumb to the insatiable urge to investigate. My kids showed an uncanny ability to resist this annoying tendency. Weeks could go by and they looked as though everything was "all right". Amazing discipline in the face of temptation.

 

[The Critic]

Been going on for a month or two actually.

Definitely can't be heat related. It happens about 15 sec after a stone cold start-up. I could swear that it sounds like someone is dumping water into my intake manifold or something....the only other time I heard a similar noise was when I accidentally left some carb cleaner (ounce or two) in the manifold following a PCV line cleaning...

 

[Gary Allan]

How did you leave an oz or two of a volatile on the intake manifold and have it make noise instead of just quietly evaporating

I mean .. if I hit carb cleaner on a HOT surface ..it flashes right away ..and if it doesn't flash right away ..then the surface isn't hot enough to boil it. So it just "goes away" without a peep. ..or not if it's got somewhere to drip ..where it goes away to somewhere else to "go away"

..but this isn't helping here.


Are you hearing a "sizzle"????

 

[The Critic]

No, the time when I was cleaning the PCV line, I blasted a few ounces of carb cleaner through the line which led to the manifold. The carb cleaner was mixed with some various deposits picked up from the line so it wasn't like "pure" carb cleaner that evaporates immediately.

The engine was stone cold too...so when I went to start it...whatever was in the manifold was sucked in from the hose...and as a result..made some weird noise...almost identical to the one I hear right now on a daily basis. Its just that that time, when I left the carb cleaner in there, when it combusted, it caused a misfire that triggered a CEL.

Now, I just hear "trickling water" during warm up in the morning.

 

[moribundman]

Does coolant circulate through the intake manifold? Did you recently replace the coolant? If so, did you bleed the system?

 

[The Critic]

Coolant was replaced over 8 months ago. Everything has been fine until this last month or two, not really sure what made the problem pop up.

The system is "self-bleeding," I think...

 

[Brogy]

Quote:

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Coolant was replaced over 8 months ago. Everything has been fine until this last month or two, not really sure what made the problem pop up.

The system is "self-bleeding," I think...

---

lol, nothing to add, just found it funny that you said you think it was self bleeding. Be like if someone thought they had a timing chain instead of a belt, an interference engine and 100k on the motor.

Seriously though I can't laugh, I did the same thing. changed the coolant out on my car and then 5 months later learned you need to remove the thermostat so no air pockets form (which I didnt do). Found out I have a bleeder valve on my thermostat (little knob which allows air through, so all is good.

 

[Gary Allan]

The Critic and I finally figured out that he meant "the sound of surging coolant" for "pouring water"...more like someone running the sink while you're in the basement listening to the drain.

 

[The Critic]

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?p=981359&posted=1#post981359

 

[Trucku]

Maybe you have a bad pressure cap..and the sound your hearing is your coolant reservoir getting filled with expanding coolant? I think common cap is 16lbs..at least for few vehicles i had

 

[Trucku]

Every night your system is probably letting air in as coolant cools down and your reservoir drains into the radiator and engine a bit, then when you start up since the cap is not holding pressure it allows coolant to fill it up immediately. When hot are your hoses stiff. they should become pressurized to just under 16lbs.

 

[Trucku]

OOPS didn't read the link you posted first, before I posted....sawree

 

[another Todd]

Could it be in the dash? At first start up, vacuum builds and will move HVAC doors into position. I have heard cold vacuum actuaters sound like that noise you describe.

 

[Tosh]

I don't think this is your problem, Critic, but I noticed on my dad's car that the circulating Freon makes a constant trickling liquid sound which can be heard as the car is otherwise so quiet.