radiator gurgling??

**caveblazin** · 09-29-2006, 10:45 PM

Ok so after driving my car for a few hours and it not having any overheating issues or the temp gauge not rising I get home and turn the car off and hear the coolant tank bubbling inside?? Anyone have this problem or heard of it? This is my first LS1 so I dont know if its normal or not?? Thanks in advance...
Spence

**96z28** · 09-29-2006, 11:40 PM

Well just think about it...coolant can reach temps of up to 200 F. Im pretty sure it is NOT a problem

**speeddemon100** · 09-30-2006, 12:38 AM

the lsx and T56 if you have it make alot of noise espically if your coming from a honda......i call it power noise

**Redphoenix1998** · 09-30-2006, 02:22 AM

normal, it's the pressure equalizing in the coolant recovery tank. It's fine

**Sarge** · 09-30-2006, 02:49 AM

Normal.

**caveblazin** · 09-30-2006, 05:43 AM

WOOHOO thanks for the reassurance. Im coming from a firebird v6 auto tranny. I built a 383 and it does'nt do that but its a WHOLE different beast!!

**YoMommasTA** · 09-30-2006, 10:43 AM

i have to TOTALLY DISAGREE...ITS not normal! get it fixed before you have more serious trouble develope from constant running hot.The stock temp gauge is a dummy so its about useless unless it overheats completely.What is wrong is you either have a bad cap or a leak someplace( like at the water pump gaskets)if its the cap it just not holding enough pressure on the system so the coolant boils in the engine forcing the coolant out(that the gurgling you hear OR you have leaking water pumo gasket which will result in the same thing. GET THIS FIXED! ask me how i know?????????????

I want to explain how your coolant works so you have some understanding how important holding pressure is on the system.Properly mixed coolant will boil @ about 250 F (without pressure on it)or so lets say the engine gauge shows 210( which is prolly wrong but lets assume)and the coolant is flowing constantly through the radiator,keeping it cooler than 250 F.As soon as you turn off that engine and the water stops moving throught the radiator the coolant temp in the engine is going to rise fast.If the system is pressurized no problem,the coolant temp rises but will not boil because the added pressure raises the coolant boiling temp to over 275 f.If not enough pressure is on the system within seconds of turning the engine off the coolant will boil.You are hearing the coolant boil after you shut down because the coolant is not under enough pressure,either because of a leak,low level or bad cap.

by the way think about this.......ever turn off any other car and hear coolant boiling into the tank HELL NO! please DO NOT DRIVE THIS THING UNTIL YOU GET IT FIXED.

i had the same trouble,after alot of BS i found two problems.Cap was bad and the water pump gaskets were leaking only when cold,then they sealed up.This caused a constant low coolant condition in the engine.Lucky i found it before it did OTHER damage.Boiling coolant is not anything you want at WOT trust me on this.

Remember the sound you hear is coolant boiling in the engine.........the gurgling is the end result.Don't take this lightly!

**caveblazin** · 09-30-2006, 08:34 PM

Thanks for the info Im checking for leaks but how does one check if the cap is bad? And should I go ahead and replace the thermostat?

**sunsetorangess** · 10-01-2006, 07:55 AM

You can take your cap too a local parts store and they should test it, I dont think its the end of the world but on the same token its not normal too hear it "gurgling" all the time. Check for leaks and make sure there isnt air int he system. First thing i would look at is your cap.
J

**brokenls1** · 10-01-2006, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by sunsetorangess

You can take your cap too a local parts store and they should test it, I dont think its the end of the world but on the same token its not normal too hear it "gurgling" all the time. Check for leaks and make sure there isnt air int he system. First thing i would look at is your cap.
J

Yeah, what he said.

**YoMommasTA** · 10-01-2006, 06:50 PM

the problem is more than just testing the cap,the dexcool can eat into the sealing surface of the radiator.If the cap seal has signs of DEXCOOL damage the rad needs to be repaired to get a proper seal.GM has all this info in bulletins.New cap with damaged radiator=no good,both need attention.Ask me how i know.I've gone through all this many times before with dexcool.GOOD LUCK!

**YoMommasTA** · 10-02-2006, 08:20 AM

I would replace the GM dexcool with any LOW TOXIC formula propylene glycol antifreeze.Prestone and others make it,you can find it in any auto store PLUS its very friendly to you and the enviroment.Plus in 50k the rad cap and radiator won't be eatten again.GM's dexcool is the worst product i've ever seen,it doesn't last any longer than the so called green anti freeze or low tox but DOES turn into a strong acid! Think about this why would anyone put a product in a engine that could cause 1000's od dollars damage????? BECAUSE THEY CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GM has really got balls,they knew what dexcool could do and i believe were dam happy it does!.Think of the profits they and their dealers reap in from this dexcool.Now you will hear plenty of people say there is nothing wrong with it and they never had trouble.Good for them,but it aint goin in any of my stuff!

Also be careful buying anti freeze now because most ALL of it is dexcool in disgiuse.The stuff they claim mixes with anything YEP ITS DEXSCOOL!.Read the product ingredients carefully and compare then to the dexcool bottle.Dexcool contains ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate, and sodium neodecanoate.