Originally posted by: Mxylplyx
Originally posted by: boomerang
Are you certain your radiator is truly full? Are there air bleeds on your motor that need to be bled?
The symptoms you're describing can be also be attributed to a low coolant level.
Where would I find an air bleed? I havent see anything like that on any of the coolant hoses.
They'll be at high points in the coolant system. They'll be in a hard line between hoses, on the thermostat housing, etc. Not all motors have them. Yours may not have them.
I had an '80 Buick Skylark that I bought new. About 2 years into my ownership, one morning on the way to work I look at the temperature gage and it's rising to nearly overheating and then rapidly going back down to near cold.
When I got home that afternoon, I raised the hood and looked everything over thoroughly. The overflow reservoir was full.
When the thing cooled down, I removed the radiator cap and could not even see any coolant in the radiator! The hose running from the overflow to the radiator had a twist in it where it ran behind the battery. This explained how it could be full and the radiator be empty.
I filled up the radiator and the problem went away. Most likely there was a small internal coolant leak (head gasket or intake manifold most likely) and it took that long to exhibit a problem. The fact that it was the dead of winter probably saved me from a major repair.
When the car is cold, take off the radiator cap and have a look see. The gurgling you were talking about is a sign of low coolant. Where you were hearing it was in the heater core.
I used to crew on a friends racing team and he taught me a method to pretty much ensure your coolant level is right for a motor without air bleeds.
With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap and start it. It really helps to have someone to work the throttle for you as you want to keep the engine running between about 2000 and 2500 RPM. When you rev up and hold the throttle like that, you'll see the coolant level drop in the radiator. That's the time to add your coolant and get the radiator cap back on.
Remember that the coolant is warming up and expanding while you're doing this so you want to have what you need at hand and get the job done in a timely manner.
