Gurgling Sound in Dash

[MajorMalfunction]

I have a 2006 Equinox with 64,000 miles. It's been regularly maintained and has never overheated.

Recently it started making a faint gurgling noise in the dash on cold start, that goes away when the car warms up. It doesn't overheat, temp stays between 1/4 and 1/2, occasionally hitting 1/2 but no higher. It doesn't smoke, isn't losing coolant that I can see and isn't running rough, it runs fine. There are no visible leaks.

I was doing searches for the noise and came up with head gasket problems so I took it to my regular mechanic, who I implicitly trust. He pressure tested it and found nothing, it didn't leak. He also found the internet posts about head gasket problems but didn't want to charge me for a repair it might not need and told me to drive it until it came up with other symptoms.

I'm a worry wart and I need the car to get my kids to school in a different district. I'm also on a fixed income so if there is a problem I want to get the problem taken care of in its infancy before it gets more expensive. So I took it to the local dealership. They told me that a head gasket issue is really rare in this model and thought it was the radiator cap. They kept it two days, did a complete flush of the cooling system, put on a new cap and said it was holding pressure and the noise was gone and gave me my car back. That was yesterday. According to the receipt, there were no codes in the computer to indicate a problem and there's nothing on this in the GM databank.

Problem is when I started it this morning, it's making that same noise. I called the dealership and they said I could spend a lot of money chasing ghosts but until and unless it actually overheats there isn't anything they can really do about it. Now I'm sooo paranoid.

I ran it up to pick up my kids and it stayed in the usual temperature range. After I got my daughter, about five minutes, when I turned the key it kind of choked but started and the temp was just above 1/2 but immediately dropped to the normal range. I drove it all the way home in stop and start traffic and the temp stayed below 1/2.

I'm stumped but still worried beyond reason about it being a head gasket. I live in a really expensive area and that would probably cost me $3K. I can't afford a new car. I really want to know what this is so I can relax about it.

Anybody have any idea what this could be other than a head gasket? Or do I just do what both mechanics said and keep driving it and keep an eye on the coolant level and temp and don't worry unless it overheats or comes up with another symptom?

Thanks in advance.

 

[A W Warn]

I would bet it is not an issue with the head gasket. I would not worry about it.

I have heard that gurgling sound also. I guess it is an air bubble that moves within a system when the engine starts. It could be the coolant inside the heater core or it could be refrigerant in the air conditioner.

 

[srw51623]

2007 equinox fwd same issue

After about 250000 miles (in Jan this year) i had to have my radiator hoses replaced, i commute 100 miles a day, plus out of state trips to family, and have had that running water noise ever since. AAA is the shop where i had the work done and they have flushed the system 3 times so far. Seems to be a persistent problem getting all the ait bubbles out the system, but so far, it hasn't caused any other issues. There doesn't seem to be a easy fix once air gets into the system.

 

[ElderBombadil]

Check your coolant level... you will likely find it a little low. Top it off and that should deal with the water running noise. Also if you want a little piece of mind about HG issues get one of these. https://www.napaonline.com/p/BK_7001006 and this is how to use it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eaI78NMgBY It can be done on the pressure tank for the Nox.

 

[KM Richards]

It's just a little air in your cooling system that is flowing thru the heater core that is inside your dash.

This is not an issue at all other than a little noise

You'll need to find a way to "burp" your cooling system to make sure all air gets out.

One way of doing that it take off the coolant system cap {when vehicle is cold}, start it up and let it get to normal operating temp where the coolant is flowing normally... and then put the coolant cap back on.

This should give the system opportunity to flow normally and in doing so let any air in the system come up to the top and should be eliminated since you have the cap off.

 

[thuzmund]

I would also bet on the radiator needing to be "burped." An internet search though also suggests some people having trouble with water getting trapped after a rain. In which case, you will hear it when you to turn and accelerate mostly. It's worth noting that neither of these are super complicated (or costly) hypotheses, and I wonder why a mechanic would sooner entertain a thought about the head gasket vs. the common issue of burping the coolant system?

Water in the quantities to make noise only exists in the cooling system. So there is no way that is fuel, or really even oil since that is so far down in the engine bay. So worst case is you have air in the coolant lines, and your cooling system is designed to release this air out of the top of the system (inside the overflow/pressure tank). So no worries and you can drive without much fear. Just monitor that the air doesn't cause an occasional, short overheat condition.

 

[equilover]

Same thing happened to my Equinox. It turned out to be air in the car's cooling system.

 

[DarrinD]

Sorry but it is the head gasket. That air is exhaust. I went through all the same stages as you: found this forum, worried about head gasket, mechanic found leak and flushed coolant, problem goes away, another lea, mech finds leaks and pressure tests, problem goes away... another leak, another leak... overheating, FINALLY listens to me and checks for exhaust in coolant. Bingo. Now I am not sure what to do, but I'm definitely sick of being in the shop and spending money.

 

[The Tireman]

I was having to add coolant no leaks , bleed system, then again week later, several times,,then temp raise at idle, sometimes pressure build up , and pulled code number 2 cylinder misfire, took plug out has tale tell signs wetness,, crank motor spits out bit of coolant, bingo that explains it all, front head is off right now, gasket at number 2 cylinder is where it's at, couple days it'll be back on the road!!,,

Had the gurgling sounds to, maybe air reason why but mine is definitely a bad gasket..

 

[The Tireman]

Repairing mine right now..

 

[halmech]

head gasket replacement

Just curious how much the head gasket replacement cost you? Also which model Nox do you have? If you have a V6 did they do both sides or only one side?

Thanks,

 

[MajorMalfunction]

It's been several years since my original post and the noise was there the whole time, even after a head gasket replacement.

The heater hadn't worked in years and I developed a coolant leak that seemed to be dripping in the interior of the car. When I took it in for service last month the mechanic had to pour coolant out of the cabin filter. I decided it was time to replace the heater core and the blend doors. A $3000 job in the end, as they had to take the whole dash off and it was 16 hours of labor in total.

But once it was repaired and put back together I went to pick the car up and lo and behold the sound was finally gone. It was the heater core leak that was causing the noise. So for anyone looking for an answer to this issue, in my case replacing the heater core did the trick.

 

[Nox_Runner_07]

It's been several years since my original post and the noise was there the whole time, even after a head gasket replacement.

The heater hadn't worked in years and I developed a coolant leak that seemed to be dripping in the interior of the car. When I took it in for service last month the mechanic had to pour coolant out of the cabin filter. I decided it was time to replace the heater core and the blend doors. A $3000 job in the end, as they had to take the whole dash off and it was 16 hours of labor in total.

But once it was repaired and put back together I went to pick the car up and lo and behold the sound was finally gone. It was the heater core leak that was causing the noise. So for anyone looking for an answer to this issue, in my case replacing the heater core did the trick.

Where Is Everyone Sourcing Their Parts & Are Any Specialty Tools Required To Do / Complete the Head Gasket Job? As I'm Looking to Do This Job Over Spring Break while The Kids are Out of School and Vehicle can Down for Several Consecutive Days of Need Be.

Thanks In Advance for Your Time And Have A Great Workweek..
Working on a 07 Nix LT Fwd

 

[Will_K]

For what it's worth, I did a head gasket replacement on my car and the heater core was blocked, I flushed the heater core and then the heat worked, I was originally vacuum filling the system... as part of the project I replaced the water pump and I had a couple of the screws I didn't tighten and that was causing a vacuum leak when I tried filling it.

Anyway, after I got all that done with the cooling system working with no leaks... I was getting the gurgling sound.

As far as head gasket, I got mine from O'Reily. I had bought a full engine gasket set from Rock Auto but when I received it I was of the position that I liked the idea of using a multi-layer metal head gasket rather than the original composite head gasket. Fel-Pro 9071PT