Glazedham42

Hehe... My 91 DX has been making this really d@mn annoying noise for about two months now. It might be the hydraulic lash adjusters I've heard about but I'm not sure. It almost sounds like a gargling noise, or like what it would sound like if you tried to whistle with water in your mouth. (Even though that's probably impossible.... ) It only makes the noise if I give it more than half throttle, if I back off and keep the revs really low it doesn't make the noise.

A friend of mine also told me that his Mazda B2000 pickup did this, and he put higher octane gas in it and it stopped. He said it had something to do with the valves. Does this make sense to anyone??

I tried putting higher octane gas in, and I actually thought it made the noise worse. I have also noticed that my noise isn't as bad when it rains, or when it is a little cooler out. But it still makes the noise. I am open to any suggestions, my poor Pro sounds like a piece of junk, please help him...

stocker

Well without hearing the noise it is hard to say, but my guess is you have air in your cooling system and what you are hearing is the coolant bubbling through your heater core. If it sounds like it is coming from behind your dash that is almost certainly what it is. Other people have described it as like a gurgling or waterfall noise.

One solution is to burp the system, put your car up on stands, or on a hill, (nose up in the air), When the car is cold, take the rad cap off and start the car. watch the level. You will probably have to add coolant as the air starts to bubble up. YOu will see the level rise and fall as the thermostat turns on. Do this for at least three cycles of the thermostat turning on and off.

The thing to be concerned with is that somehow air is getting into your cooling system. Check for leaking or cracked hoses etc. The worst case is a BHG (blown head gasket).

Good Luck
Stocker

Glazedham42

If it was my cooling system, wouldn't it make the noise constantly?? I'm just pretty convinced that it is something to do with the engine itself. But I'll look into that, thanks. Anyone else have any suggestions?

stocker

No, I am afraid it wouldn't. Depending on the amount of air in the system it will only "gargle" when the water pump is turning fast enough. Usually though this noise is worse when the car first starts up, as all the air has risen to the top of the heater core. One way you might be able to eliminate this as possibility is to turn the heater right off. That should block the flow to the heater core.

Good Luck
Stocker.