850 water FLOWING sound Topic is solved

[jsrnsis]

I tried purging the the air out of the system by opening the coolant bottle and running the car while periodically squeezing the upper radiator hose and did get some bubbles out, but the flowing and gurgling air bubble sound was still present in the core. I then noticed that it was still dripping near the connection area, and I figure the o-rings got pinched or torn during installation. I'll order more o-rings and try to do it again.

I think my problem of a wet passenger carpet and water coming from the blower motor housing was that my cabin filter housing wasn't sealing properly and was letting water into the hvac tunnel. I have been street parking this car and the passenger side of the car usually sits lower.

[scot850]

Check the 2 drain tubes are clear all the way down from the cover try over the wiper motor (the 1" diameter hoses that attach on the front edge of the cover with large spring clips). They have a stupid design where part way down they are held in place by a zip-tie through the hose which causes blockages.

Neil.

[jsrnsis]

I finally got around to taking the heater core back out to replace the o-rings to solve the slow drip and found that I had overtightened the flange and flattened the o-rings when I replaced the heater core.

When I looked into my coolant bottle after drying up all the drips that my hose-pinch pliers didn't stop, I noticed a lot of crud in the neck at the bottom. The reinforcement tubes on the hose nipples were severely rusted, the one on the bottom had a lot of scale, and the one from the thermostat bleeder was actually rusted closed, I couldn't blow through it.

I didn't get a picture of all the scale before I tried to clean it up, but there was definitely the potential for that breaking off and entering the cooling system. When I turned the car on after filling the coolant, I still heard the water flowing sound once the core filled back up, but after some revs it went away, but it's yet to be seen if the sound comes back.

20240131_201815.jpg (125.03 KiB) Viewed 294 times

20240131_201904.jpg (117.46 KiB) Viewed 294 times

That's as deep as the pick went, and I couldn't blow through it either.

After replacing the radiator, I filled the car with zerex g05 coolant, but I can't honestly say if the coolant bottle was rusted before then or in the process of rusting. I filled it back up this time with Volvo coolant.

I also replaced the serpentine belt idler, FCP said INA was the OE, the one that came off of the car said FAG. Either way $40 for a roller skate bearing pressed into a plastic pulley seems a bit steep.

[ZionXIX]

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I think my problem of a wet passenger carpet and water coming from the blower motor housing was that my cabin filter housing wasn't sealing properly and was letting water into the hvac tunnel. I have been street parking this car and the passenger side of the car usually sits lower.

For me it was the hvac not draining. I periodically have to pull the drain and run a zip tie into the drain. There is some kind of float valve in there that grabs the zip tie. I think if water is in there, the plastic ball floats and let's water pass through to the drain. I highly suspect leaves or other material are preventing the valve ball from floating. So my condensate drain fills up and spills out onto the passenger side foot well. Like gallons sometimes turning corners. I thought it was rain coming through the filter for years. One day I'm gonna remove the dash board to replace the evaporator and clean out the condensate funnel. Or drill a hole to send in a vacuum hose in and silicone a plug over it.

[abscate]

I finally got around to taking the heater core back out to replace the o-rings to solve the slow drip and found that I had overtightened the flange and flattened the o-rings when I replaced the heater core.

When I looked into my coolant bottle after drying up all the drips that my hose-pinch pliers didn't stop, I noticed a lot of crud in the neck at the bottom. The reinforcement tubes on the hose nipples were severely rusted, the one on the bottom had a lot of scale, and the one from the thermostat bleeder was actually rusted closed, I couldn't blow through it.

I didn't get a picture of all the scale before I tried to clean it up, but there was definitely the potential for that breaking off and entering the cooling system. When I turned the car on after filling the coolant, I still heard the water flowing sound once the core filled back up, but after some revs it went away, but it's yet to be seen if the sound comes back.

20240131_201815.jpg
20240131_201904.jpg
That's as deep as the pick went, and I couldn't blow through it either.

After replacing the radiator, I filled the car with zerex g05 coolant, but I can't honestly say if the coolant bottle was rusted before then or in the process of rusting. I filled it back up this time with Volvo coolant.

I also replaced the serpentine belt idler, FCP said INA was the OE, the one that came off of the car said FAG. Either way $40 for a roller skate bearing pressed into a plastic pulley seems a bit steep.

I think some PO hit thst cooling group with stop leak product, probably several times

[jsrnsis]

For me it was the hvac not draining. I periodically have to pull the drain and run a zip tie into the drain. There is some kind of float valve in there that grabs the zip tie. I think if water is in there, the plastic ball floats and let's water pass through to the drain. I highly suspect leaves or other material are preventing the valve ball from floating. So my condensate drain fills up and spills out onto the passenger side foot well. Like gallons sometimes turning corners. I thought it was rain coming through the filter for years. One day I'm gonna remove the dash board to replace the evaporator and clean out the condensate funnel. Or drill a hole to send in a vacuum hose in and silicone a plug over it.

I didn't know there could be a check valve in there, I'll try blowing some more compressed air with a trash bag under the drain, and try digging with a piece of wire.

I think some PO hit thst cooling group with stop leak product, probably several times

It lived the first 15 years of it's life in Georgia, maybe someone was using straight water with no corrosion inhibitors that accelerated this rusting, but with the goop in the bottom of the bottle and radiator side tank slow leak I fixed shortly after I bought it, the cooling system being full of stop leak is probable.

The car is driveable, but hearing a rambling brook every time I start the car or hit the gas is not as comforting as it would seem.
It actually started surfing, stumbling, and dieing while in gear at idle and flickering check engine light, so I guess new problem to fix. Hopefully it's just the junkyard fuel pump relay I put in a month ago to fix the no start under 20°F caused by a bad previous fuel pump relay, I have the capacitors for the fix on order.

[jsrnsis]

Returning the ability for the system to bleed itself seems to have worked, as well as new o-rings and using a gentle touch while tightening the heater core flange seems to have done a good enough job for me to put the front of the car back together. There is still a flowing sound when the car is turned on, but it goes away after the first time the accelerator is given a good press.

I guess in conclusion, check your coolant bottle and hose that runs from the thermostat housing to the coolant bottle for blockages.