Heater/Aircon Gurgling Under Dash

[VXHBD6]

Hey guys,

My VR commodore has started to have this problem over the last week or too.. on take off, around corners etc.. I can hear water/air gurgling/swooshing from behind the stereo somewhere.. i've taken all my panels out and i'm certain it's coming from there.

I've read through topics on here but threads were filled with mixed responses so wanted to see what advice I could get myself...

The brass pipes next to drivers left leg are hot even when the rod is pointed to the cold position.. is this normal?

[wamboin23]

i reckon you will find the heater box is full of water.

jump underneath the car, and above the transmission, left hand side, front, there is a drain pipe from the heater box. there is a small strainer in there that gets clogged up.
an easy way is to get a long cable tie etc, and jam it up there to try and clear it. but to do it properly you need to open the heater box, and clean it out properly, which can be quite a big job.

[VXHBD6]

Okay sweet, will add that onto the list of things to check lol... any more ideas guys?

[accentstencil]

If the above is not the problem then you possibly have air in the cooling system causing the gurgling sound.

[D3V14NT]

As far as it still being hot when it's set to cold, check out your heater tap and make sure that when you turn it to cold that the levers, etc behind your heater controls are moving back far enough to depress the little button that closes the heater tap.

[VXHBD6]

accentstencil: whats the correct way to bleed the system then to get the air out?

D3V14NT: Cheers man.. where abouts is the heater tap located? Is there a way to force it to close so I can test if it's the heater making the gurgling/swooshing sound?

[VXHBD6]

Alright.. the levers etc.. behind the heater controls are now depressing the little black button that closes the heater tap.

However after this, the water is still swooshing/gurgling around... once the car cools down ill test it again.. if the pipes are still going hot after this am I looking at a broken heater tap?

[djvass]

Where your thermostat is the should be a little brass pcs on top of the cover while car is up to temp open the valve with a screw driver just enough for water to flow out when you don't see anymore air bubbles you should have no more water noises. Does this happen on start up as well?

[VXHBD6]

Hey mate yeah it does it on startup too why's that?

Alright I'll try that valve idea too.. do I need to have the heaters cranked on while I do this?

[accentstencil]

Hey mate yeah it does it on startup too why's that?

Alright I'll try that valve idea too.. do I need to have the heaters cranked on while I do this?

Yes you do. Get it to normal operating temperature when bleeding.

[djvass]

Hey mate yeah it does it on startup too why's that?

Alright I'll try that valve idea too.. do I need to have the heaters cranked on while I do this?

Yeah you have air in your water lines. After you do what I said it should be ok. Have you replaced any hoses or radiator lately also do you have a small water leak?

[Brett_jjj]

A mate had the gurgling sound coming from his heater under the dash,he tried bleeding the cooling system heaps etc,nothing worked,it ended up that the heater core was blocked up with mud and crap,he removed the heater hoses,hosed it out and has not had the noise back since.

[VXHBD6]

Okay so go for a bit of a cruise with heaters cranked then pull up anywhere and bleed via the valve?

No hoses or radiator haven't been replaced as all seem to be in great working order.. No noticeable water leaks off the top off my head.. Where are the most common places to check?

Edit: the temperature rod is hitting the button that pushes the heater tap button but pipes are still getting hot.. Any ideas?

[djvass]

If you haven't replaced anything then just bleed it first and see what comes of it. Don't rush to close the fitting when you open it. Little air bubbles will appear and rearly just wait till you see none.

[VXHBD6]

If you haven't replaced anything then just bleed it first and see what comes of it. Don't rush to close the fitting when you open it. Little air bubbles will appear and rearly just wait till you see none.

With heaters on yeah ?

[jetboy]

OMG , you dont just open the goddamn bleeder , hell you'll end up in more shit than u bargained for geezuss talk about getting sent up the garden path .
Mate sounds to me like your heater tap is stuffed . Replace it period . flush out your heater core as Brett_jj suggested put it all back together an bleed the system i'll find the link for u for the correct proceedure.

[jetboy]

Theres one for you to read .
How to bleed your coolant system vp

[jetboy]

An there's anotheree , the radiator hose method is the best and simplest way . good luck sambo
cooling system bleeding

[VXHBD6]

Cheers mate I'll give that a read tonight.. When is the thermo fan meant to kick in on a VR? Temp gauge sits about halfway between first and second lines most times and fan doesn't kick in to my knowledge..

[djvass]

OMG , you dont just open the goddamn bleeder , hell you'll end up in more shit than u bargained for geezuss talk about getting sent up the garden path .
Mate sounds to me like your heater tap is stuffed . Replace it period . flush out your heater core as Brett_jj suggested put it all back together an bleed the system i'll find the link for u for the correct proceedure.

Are u serious I had the same problem and was shown what to do from this forum and my issue was fixed the exact same way as was explained here. The last thing I would want you to do is have a bigger issue than before!

[VXHBD6]

Hey djvass did that, and looked to me like a steady stream of coolant coming out of the valve, no air or bubbles.. What else could it be? Perhaps the heater core flush idea?

[djvass]

Hey djvass did that, and looked to me like a steady stream of coolant coming out of the valve, no air or bubbles.. What else could it be? Perhaps the heater core flush idea?

Ok so the easy fix was no good so the heater core is going to be your nxt point of attack. Do the core flush and see what happens.

[James39]

Replace your heater tap as jetboy suggested!

[VXHBD6]

Heater tap has been ordered and is on the way.. should have it by Monday next week I think.

Tomorrow I will attempt core flush and report back! see how I go.. cheers guys

[RX25SE]

OMG , you dont just open the goddamn bleeder , hell you'll end up in more shit than u bargained for geezuss talk about getting sent up the garden path .
Mate sounds to me like your heater tap is stuffed . Replace it period . flush out your heater core as Brett_jj suggested put it all back together an bleed the system i'll find the link for u for the correct proceedure.

Ummm what?

Opening the bleeder is the correct method. Thats why its called a bleeder.
I doubt it's the heater tap, more like air as stated by others.

VRCOMMY
Check that the lever on the tap moves when you move the control off cold. Mine has a new tap and still bleeds a little hot coolant into the core, but not as much as when the heater is on. All controls are adjusted correctly.
If you are going to open up the system, give it a flush (engine, radiator and heater) and replace the coolant.