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Gemstone
Premium Member
join:2000-12-20
Long Island

1 edit

Gemstone

Premium Member

Sloshing sound in dashboard?

I just bought a 2007 Kia Spectra EX... It's a fairly basic, simple, but nice small car... Anyway, I occasionally hear a sloshing noise, like water, in the dashboard... I took it back to the Kia dealer and they bled the cooling system... The sloshing noise seemed to go away for a few days but I think I hear it again... Any other ideas as to what this might be??
PrntRhd
Premium Member
join:2004-11-03
Fairfield, CA

PrntRhd

Premium Member

A clogged drain for the heater box.

Gemstone
Premium Member
join:2000-12-20
Long Island

Gemstone

Premium Member

said by PrntRhd:

A clogged drain for the heater box.
Do you mean a clogged drain for the A/C??
PrntRhd
Premium Member
join:2004-11-03
Fairfield, CA

1 edit

PrntRhd

Premium Member

said by Gemstone:

said by PrntRhd:

A clogged drain for the heater box.
Do you mean a clogged drain for the A/C??
They share the same box, yes that is what I mean.
You are hearing fluid sloshing in the dashboard, it is either inside the heater core or outside the heater core inside the box where air flows to exchange heat or AC. It is not leakage from one to the other as no antifreeze sweet smell/fogging is taking place.

Gemstone
Premium Member
join:2000-12-20
Long Island

Gemstone

Premium Member

said by PrntRhd:
said by Gemstone:
said by PrntRhd:

A clogged drain for the heater box.
Do you mean a clogged drain for the A/C??
They share the same box, yes that is what I mean.
You are hearing fluid sloshing in the dashboard, it is either inside the heater core or outside the heater core inside the box where air flows to exchange heat or AC. It is not leakage from one to the other as no antifreeze sweet smell/fogging is taking place.
You are correct... There is no fogging and no sweet anti-freeze smell... I've only had this car for a week and I can't find the drain for the A/C...
PrntRhd
Premium Member
join:2004-11-03
Fairfield, CA

2 edits

PrntRhd to Gemstone

Premium Member

to Gemstone
Here is link to where it is on a 2006:
»wiki.answers.com/Q/Where ··· _spectra
"The drain hose is located under the dash to the left of the glovebox. Remove the two or three screws that hold the extended console trim in place. You may have to pull the carpet back some. Remove or pull the trim back so you can reach your hand behind it. If you cannot see the drain hose feel for it on the floor. If you need to replace pull the drain from the floor and loosen the clamp attaching it to the condenser. Often times if you squeeze the drain hose in several places the blockage will clear itself and continue to work fine for years. Try the squeezing method while the ac is running or just after shutting ac and car off. This way you'll also have the force of the backed up water to help force out any blockage "

There is another reference to where the dealer missed removing a cap on the drain.
»www.blurtit.com/q9218387.html

Gemstone
Premium Member
join:2000-12-20
Long Island

Gemstone

Premium Member

OK, good information... I will be crawling under the dashboard tomorrow anyway so I will check this out...

I'm also replacing the cabin air filter, so I'll be inside the dash, behind the glovebox for this... I figured out how to get the filter out and it's really nasty and dirty!! The dealer wants $70 to change a cabin air filter!!... I paid $8 for a new one at Autozone and it will take about 5 minutes to change...
PrntRhd
Premium Member
join:2004-11-03
Fairfield, CA

PrntRhd

Premium Member

Just remember if you pull that hose loose from the condenser area it will leak all over the floor/carpet unless you have something to catch the water.

Gemstone
Premium Member
join:2000-12-20
Long Island

1 recommendation

Gemstone

Premium Member

said by PrntRhd:

Just remember if you pull that hose loose from the condenser area it will leak all over the floor/carpet unless you have something to catch the water.
Yes... I don't plan on pulling the hose off... I'll first try squeezing it to loosen the dirt... If that doesn't work I'll try to carefully push a wire up the hose from under the car to clear it out... Last resort is to pull the hose off...
bgraham2
join:2001-03-15
Smithtown, NY

bgraham2

Member

"I took it back to the Kia dealer and they bled the cooling system... The sloshing noise seemed to go away for a few days but I think I hear it again... Any other ideas as to what this might be??"

My money is on the original dealer diagnosis. There is air in the cooling system. Some air was either left in after the original bleed or air is entering the cooling system.
severach
join:2002-09-12
Jackson, MI

1 edit

severach

Member

Unless it's something terribly simple like a bad coolant cap, the only ways I know for air to enter the cooling system is with a failed head gasket or a cracked head. Are there bubbles in the coolant recovery tank?

Now would be a good time to check those warranty papers.

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

Cho Baka

MVM

Any coolant leak will allow air to enter the cooling system.

After the engine is shut off, as the cooling system and engine cools, the air enters through the radiator cap (normal characteristic of cap operation) once all the fluid in the reservoir has been drawn in.

Count Zero
Premium Member
join:2007-01-18
Milton, FL

Count Zero to Gemstone

Premium Member

to Gemstone
I had the same problem with my Range Rover once long ago, since the car was only 18 months old the dealership took care of it for me after I drove the guy around the dealership and leaned into a few turns so he could heard exactly what it sounded like.

I actually first noticed it while I was driving through a bad rainstorm in Georgia with the A/C on and the humidity caused the water to back up to the point that it started to drip onto my foot.
Count Zero

Count Zero to PrntRhd

Premium Member

to PrntRhd
said by PrntRhd:

Just remember if you pull that hose loose from the condenser area it will leak all over the floor/carpet unless you have something to catch the water.
very good thing to remember!
bgraham2
join:2001-03-15
Smithtown, NY

bgraham2 to Count Zero

Member

to Count Zero
I had a Ford Thunderbird that used to get parked under some oak trees. The grid over the heater intake had holes in it that were almost 1/2 inch across. The squirrels used to sit up the trees, eat acorns and drop the shells onto my car.

I used to know when the AC drain needed cleaning because the water used to hit the heater fan on left turns. It sounded just like a fan turning under water.

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds to Gemstone

Premium Member

to Gemstone
If the sound changes with the RPMs of the engine while in Park or Neutral then it is the heater core with trapped air in the cooling system. Rebleed the cooling system following the manufacturer's recommended procedures.


Some vehicles will have a coolant bleed bolt near the thermostat or upper hose outlet


Otherwise, it possibly could be the evaporator core case holding condensate water and not properly draining out the case through the firewall onto the ground.



Gemstone
Premium Member
join:2000-12-20
Long Island

Gemstone

Premium Member

Thanks for the advice...

I don't see a coolant bleed valve on this car... They have a procedure where you jack up the front of the car, take the radiator cap off, and run the engine until warm... Hopefully any trapped air bubbles will rise thru the system to the top of the radiator... Then top off the coolant, replace the cap and go...

I pushed a pencil up the A/C drain line and got nothing... But it seems to take a sharp right angle turn somewhere so I really need to get to it from inside the car...

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

Then try the other procedure listed by PrntRhd See Profile as that is the only other place it can have a blockage for the evaporator case.

Cho Baka
MVM
join:2000-11-23
there

Cho Baka to Gemstone

MVM

to Gemstone
Have you at least checked the coolant level?

Check the level when cold, both in the overflow tank, and in the radiator.

If it is low, then just take it back to the dealer and have them fix the leak.

Even if it is not low, you might just let them deal with the noise anyhow. I mean you have had the car only a couple of weeks now, right?
(did you buy it from them?)