xTomei

I have a 2000 civic lx automatic. When I turn off my car after driving for a while, I hear a bubbling/gurgle sound coming from behind the dash on the passenger side. I also notice some coolant missing. Any Ideas?

I know for a fact that it is nothing to do with my head gasket.

st00lenpeace

Any mods to the cooling system? Sounds like your coolant may be boiling off becuase, your system may not be pressurized correctly. This could be due to something as simple as a worn out radiator cap. Lota possibilities here. Chances are that if your not seeing the fluid on the ground and hearing it boiling, and your sure its not a head gasket issue; then its doing just that. Are you having any overheating problems?

Former User

Bleeding may take 20-30 minutes:

1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.

2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.

3) Follow the directions in the diagram below

z4nd

Mine did that too stupid little plastic cap from the reserve tank had melted so it woulnt close right and my car would get hot

xTomei

I never have any overheating problems. I just replaced the radiator. The only time it overheats is when the fluid level goes down. But when the sound happens, I don't see any fluid on the ground.

Mims3ID

it can evaporate if its too hot and not sealed completely ex cap being loose

HondaPartsHero

x2

Jimster480

Its either that the radatior cap is bad, or your mixture of coolant and water is incorrect and the water is starting to boil. Which increases pressure, which makes the water pass into the overflow tank, and there it starts boiling.

st00lenpeace

X3.... bleed the system! And spend a few bucks on a new cap

xTomei

Cap is brand new and every time i add fluid i make sure there is no air.

Could it be anything else?

Jimster480

well idk it doesnt make sense then

Eg8Dx

hey my ej6 does that, but only when it warms up. sounds like a splash of water waiting to burst through my dash. is this related?.. all stock, automatic also. 4 door.

Jimster480

the whole time your driving or what?

Eg8Dx

after a while when its warmed up and been driven around it stops.. it happens when i press the gas..

B18CivicEJ8

Well, you need to follow the bleeding procedure RonJ@HT provided. There could be an air bubble somewhere in the system. The only way to get out the air bubble is to run the bleeding procedure above. You'll have to wait until you hear/see your radiator fan come on and off twice. That will ensure that the thermostat is open and coolant is flowing through the engine which will push the air bubbles to the to radiator neck.

xTomei

Even if there was air in the system, would it really boil over because of that? I just know it sounds like boiling water when i turn of my car and I usually have lose coolant. But there is no sign of coolant on the ground or under the hood.

Jockone

Then where does your coolant go?

Not to be a di(k here but you are asking for help and have had some answers that it seems you don't like or whatever so want to ignore.

Try bleeding the system and then try to find the coolant leak if you still have one,you can get a cooling system pressure tester from Advance autoparts as a loaner tool to test for leaks.

B18CivicEJ8

Yes, absolutely! I personally had this problem three weeks ago. Once I properly bled out the air, no more boiling. The air prevents the system from getting properly pressurized. Besides, if this wasn't the answer, then why would the bleeding procedure be in the repair manual?

xTomei

I have properly bled the system of air. It still makes the noise and I still lose fluid. But no sign of a leak. Pressure test says my cap is good and no leaks.

B18CivicEJ8

It's only behind your dash? You don't hear the bubbling sound in the overflow reservoir? It could be the heater core, but that doesn't explain the loss of coolant. Do you smell evaporated coolant?

xTomei

sometimes I do smell coolant. But I never see any. Also, I think its behind my dash, but it could be the overflow tank. If it is coming out of the overflow tank, would I be able to see it? Also, what would cause that?

Jimster480

Yes you would be able to see it. But if its in the dash it could be the heating element.

TwoFacedCustoms

Does having the heater on or off make any difference?

Jimster480

No it shouldnt make any difference. If anything it should keep the sound from coming from the dash, unless ofc there was a leak around the heater valve in the dash somewhere and that is what your hearing.

B16acivicsedan91

I had this issue w/ a b16 and it ended up being a BHG and it was pushing coolant out of the overflow when i was driving but when the car was off no leaks cause there was no more air being pushed into the system.