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Bubbling sound after shut off?

Discussion in '308/328' started by TGF, Jun 10, 2007.

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  1. TGF

    TGF Formula Junior

    May 1, 2007
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    North Central, MA
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    Tom
    #1 TGF, Jun 10, 2007
    I pulled into my garage and turned off the 308 after 45 minutes or so of highway and then backroad driving and we heard a bubbling/gurgling sound. I thought it was from up front, but I heard it also in the engine bay near the top of the engine, left side. My best guess it that the coolant was starting to boil. The temp dial was a little high (2/3). So, does that diagnosis sound right and any ideas what I should start checking? What temperature range can be considered normal?

    Thanks as always for your insights.
     
  2. Perfusion

    Perfusion F1 Rookie

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    Aaron
    #2 Perfusion, Jun 10, 2007
    Sounds like air bubbles in the system coming to the highest point - the recovery tank. My car used to do the exact same thing. If air is getting in, coolant is getting out. In the near term, burp your cooling system and reset it to full. Then tackle the leak....
     
  3. Brian Harper

    Brian Harper F1 Rookie
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    #3 Brian Harper, Jun 10, 2007
    You engine will actually get hotter right after you turn it off. You've stopped the water pump, but the engine is still transferring heat to the water. If everything is hot enough the water will boil, especially in localized hot areas in the block/heads. Although everything might be fine, if this happens a lot I would think the cooling system might be a little too close to marginal for my comfort and I would look at cooling things off. Replace thermostat, replace coolant, lowering the radiator fan turn on temp. maybe wiring the fan switch to be active all the time so the fan will run until the radiaitor is cool, etc. I know in cars with the radiator and engine located next to each other there is a lot of thrmosyphoning that goes on after the engine is shut down, but I'm not sure how much of that happens when the radiator is so far away. My guess is that it is still sustantial.
     
  4. dakharris

    dakharris Two Time F1 World Champ

    Jun 7, 2001
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    #4 dakharris, Jun 10, 2007
    Bubbles are normal. That's why there is a bleed valve. My oil temp pretty much stayed at 190. Water temp ran 145 in winter, 170 in summer, 190 in traffic.
     
  5. TGF

    TGF Formula Junior

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    #5 TGF, Jun 10, 2007
    Thanks guys. I love this place. I need to get my hands on a manual so I can do stuff like figure out where the bleeder valve is. :)
     
  6. TGF

    TGF Formula Junior

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    Tom
    #6 TGF, Jun 10, 2007
    Found a manual. Very nice. Now I need to find time to play with that bleeder valve.
     
  7. don_xvi

    don_xvi F1 Rookie

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    #7 don_xvi, Jun 10, 2007
    Well I like y'alls suggestions better than the first thing this brings to mind for me.... a blown head gasket.
     
  8. dakharris

    dakharris Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #8 dakharris, Jun 10, 2007
    Check for that AFTER you bleed the lines.
     
  9. TGF

    TGF Formula Junior

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    Tom
    #9 TGF, Jun 11, 2007
    We'll HOPE that's wrong. ;) Given where the sound was, the coolant bubbles story makes a lot of sense.
     
  10. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

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    #10 Ken, Jun 11, 2007
    This is not a good idea. At highway speeds, the fan being on can actually hurt cooling. The fan should work as designed: on a thermostat to turn on and off as needed.

    Ken
     
  11. Brian Harper

    Brian Harper F1 Rookie
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    #11 Brian Harper, Jun 11, 2007
    What I wrote might not be clear. Wire the fan switch to get +12 all the time so that the fans will run whenvever the radiator is hot enough, not just when the car is running. That's what I meant by having the fan SWITCH being active all the time.

    But that aside, how can having the fan running hurt performance? Additional alternator load? It's not like the motors and blades aren't in the way when the fans are off.
     
  12. 350HPMondial

    350HPMondial F1 Veteran
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    #12 350HPMondial, Jun 11, 2007
    Tom,

    Check the inside of your radiator for scale. This, or an abundance of bugs on your fins can reduce heat transfer, causing you to boil after shut down in your heads.

    Edwardo
     
  13. Perfusion

    Perfusion F1 Rookie

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    #13 Perfusion, Jun 11, 2007
    My fans are wired on all the time (STILL need to get around to replacing that damn switch!), and my coolant needle NEVER moves past the halfway point on the gauge, be it around town or on the freeway. While I don't doubt that the fans do impede airflow into the radiator, it's not significant enough for me to be concerned. Actually, I'm happy with the temps where they are as-is!
     

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