nyceride

Alright I've noticed this weird gurgling noise from behind the dash, on the drivers side. I don't know what it is but am taking a guess at something to do with the cooling system? Anyone else have this problem before?? I have noticed some cracks in my radiator though.....tiny leaks on the top of the radiator. How long do you think I have before I need to replace. Unfortunately I put in some of that rad leak gunk, I did it before I read some of your reviews on the stuff.

Oh yeah I just fixed the shifter today. Thanks to who ever posted how to do it in a previous post. Man what a difference. But a PITA to pick out all the tiny plastic bits remaining from the original. Lucky for me my other half has tons of tweezers lying around.

yigo65

You could be hearing the water going through the lines in/out of your heater core. Does it only seem to happen when u start it up then goes away??.

4mydogs

That'd be my guess. I hear the same thing when I move the temp lever from cold to hot.

nyceride

Cool that was what i though. I was hoping it wasn't a sign that my heater core was going or maybe plugged. I thought it may have been a lack of coolent but after topping up it was still there. Oh yeah it only stays for a few minutes then goes away. Thanks

Flamedx4

My 85 did that the entire 15 years I owned it. Sometimes it was really noticeable, really gurgly! Never had any problems with it though.

red 59

Its pockets of air in the heater core. The only way to stop it is to have the heat on high for a hour; but it only stops it for a while, so theres not much point to worry about it.

jvmin

but as far as the radiator is concerned if you know it is cracked and just waiting on it to fail then your in for what ever you get. at least go get the new radiator and have it waiting.

but my best advice to you is that you know the problem before it has caused you serious issues out on the road. so why not go ahead and fix it before it does leave you stranded somewhere.

it's called preventative maintenance. like changing your belts and hoses, or rear end gear oils, or fuel filter.

didn't mean to be mean or any thing just my two cents. if you know of the problem don't just watch it until it breaks then fix it. go ahead and fix it if you can. a new radiator isn't that much. and will save you from possibly running the engine hot. (this is how you usually find out the radiator let go). but it will also give you a chance to check all the hoses and stuff as well.

if you can do the work your self, you save a bunch, and the radiator replacement isn't that hard to do. you don't need a whole bunch of specialty tools. just a line wrench if you have an automatic. and some hand tools. if no auto then it's real easy. pull the shroud, pull four radiator bolts loosen the hoses and remove. remove anything above the radiator in the way. make sure the air conditioning isn't in the way and pull it out. oh yeah and loosen up the over flow tube and stuff. yours may not be as easy as mine is to get to, but there isn't really much to it. and if your brave enough to pull the shifter (so I'm guessing stick shift) then this should be a pc of cake.

fix it before you break. it will save you some serious headaches and possibly a tow bill or even head gasket or engine damage. or just ride around with a jug of water in your truck and hope it's enough to get you home. once the thing lets go.

nyceride

Hey no worries. I know its gotta be fixed sooner then later. I just haven't gotten around to getting some prices on a new or used radiator. Any idea's on how much for the rad? or the best place to get one? Not to many places to find one up here (kitimat). I will call the dealer and NAPA and see what its gonna cost. Wish we had a local import auto scrap yard here.

kevin444

Might as well a get a flex a lite aluminum\fan combo take advantage of lightness and a electric fan.

Pretacopower

I've noticed that "gurgling" too with my 3.4 after it's been driven for a long period of time.

hpinson

Hate to be a gloomy gus, but my 2nd gen started gurgling right before the head gasket blew, mostly on acceleration or deceleration. The gurgling was oil and coolant moving between engine and cooling system... Check both for signs of mixing-- milkshare oil and oily coolant are warning signs.

No more gurgling after the new head gasket.

nyceride

I am scared of that. According to the previous owner the head gasket was changed at 96000km's. He logged everthing that was done. He changed the Timing belt then to. I am not sure what the deal is with mine though. I thought it was blowing white smoke but i too it to a mechanic and he said that was normal, just cold up here. I was going to do the compression tests to it to see how it held up but have been to busy. My lost quiet a bit of oil after I did an oil change but I think it was because I ran one of those motor flush's through it. Last 3 weeks I haven't lost a drop. Can you see the oil in the coolent pretty clear?? Or will my virgin eyes miss it ( I haven't worked on a older truck for a loooonnnngg time)

hpinson

Hi nyceride. That's pretty much what happened to me. Normally I lose about a quart of oil a month. About a month prior to the head gasket failure, gurgling started, and I stoped losing oil, and the day before the failure even seemed to be gaining... However it did not look like the milkshake you would expect, but in retrospect, i'm sure it was coolant in the oil.

Is your vehicle a 2nd generation 3VZE by any chance? My 2nd head gasket lasted 11,000 miles, because it was not torqued correctly, and the mechanic used by the prior owner did not know not to reuse the headbolts.

nyceride

Whoa....scaring me now. I hope my head gasket isn't going to go. Mine was changed at 96000km's and its now at 170000km's. Is there anything I should check that would pin point my problem. I called about a new radiator and it came to 650CAD at the dealer, 290CAD at parts store and 150CAD used from wrecker. But if I should be spending the dough to replace the head gasket then maybe thats what I should do.

hpinson

I don't really know how to diagnose this. Would it be possible to check for oil in the coolant, or coolant in the oil? Those would be classic signs. Maybe there is some other sort of test?

Keep in mind, that I'm just describing what happened with my rig. Maybe there are other causes?

On the bright side, I did not have to replace my cooling system, just gave it several very throuough flushes, after the gaskets were replaced:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...ighlight=flush