Hello, all.

New to the forum as I just purchased a 2008 Fit Sport (AT) last week. I began this discussion in the Newbie/FAQ section, but I figured that I should probably post this here in order to get some insight.

The quick back-story is that I purchased this 2008 Fit Sport last Wednesday (11/9/11). On either Thursday or Friday, I noticed this "gurgling" sound from behind the dash. So, over the weekend, I did some Googling and read that it was apparently a pretty common issue.

On Sunday, I removed the radiator cap to attempt to bleed air out of the cooling system. The coolant/antifreeze level wasn't up to the neck of the filler tube, but obviously I couldn't see the level in the radiator. There was coolant in the reservoir tank, though. Somewhere close to the max line from what I can see.

I started the engine and let it run for at least 10 minutes with the HVAC temperature control all the way on "hot". I didn't hear any bubbling, and after about 10 minutes, I turned on the HVAC fan, and it was blowing out warm air. It was chilly, so the cooling fans never kicked on. I replaced the radiator cap and drove it around the block.

When I started it up Monday (yesterday) morning, I heard the gurgling again.

This morning (Tuesday - 11/15), I added Honda Type 2 coolant until it was up to the neck of the filler tube. It didn't take much at all to get to that level. I started the engine and let it run for a bit. Coolant level was still right where it was when I filled it. So, based on advice in the other thread, I increased the throttle to about 2,500 - 3,000 RPM for a few seconds then checked the level. It was lower, but there was also blue on the rag I had put around the radiator opening, so some had obviously spilled out. I did notice when I pressed the accelerator, I heard the gurgling/bubbling, so I decided to increase the RPM's one more time. Heard some gurgling as I was slowly pressing the accelerator. Held it at 2,500 - 3,000 RPM for a bit, then checked the level again. About the same.

*shrug*

I had to get to work, so I replaced the cap and headed on into work.

I called the dealer from which I purchased the car and let them know about the issue (it's not a Honda dealer, though). I told them about Technical Service Bulletin 08-096, and they told me that I can bring it in and they will look at it and "make it right" since it's still under the 30-Day 3,000 Mile Warranty.

But I am sort of puzzled as to why the radiator level didn't seem to decrease very much, and I didn't hear or see any bubbles (this may have occured while I was in the car, but it didn't seem to). There don't seem to be any leaks since it didn't take much to top off the level, and there is coolant in the reservoir tank (close to the "max" level). And it appears to be circulating OK since the heater is working. The car seems to run fine, and the temperature light doesn't come on.

I am taking it to the dealer from which I purchased it today so they can take a look at it.

Any advice on what might be happening? Could this be something other than air in the cooling system? I'm basically trying to see if there's something else the service department should be looking at when I take it in.

I don't really want to return the car because I like it, but if there's something really wrong with it, I'm certainly not going to keep it.

Thanks!

 

Air locked cooling system.

post an update

 

KC, you are correct.. He needs to take it to the dealership and have a coolant flush done which is done with a machine. Approximately $170.00

 

Well, my schedule today isn't going to allow me to get to the dealer today. I am either going to have to drop it off tonight or possibly wait until Saturday.

If I can't take it in until Saturday, are there any precautions I should take or things I should look or listen for in the meantime?

Also, would this issue have potentially caused any damage to the car? I'm sure they'll pay for flushing the cooling system, but is this something that I should be worried about enough to consider returning the car? It has a 30 day/3,000 mile warranty, so I do have some recourse.

Thanks for the replies!

 

I drove mine few a couple weeks once before having it done.. But I'm not suggesting that you wait that long. Get it there as soon as possible. Sometimes if you show at the service line when they first open in the morning then they'll probably do it for you right then. It takes about an hour of wait time. I'd call them first to check if this maintenance is covered by them or if it's out of pocket..

 

You can drive it if the levels are within the ranges. With the engine hot, look at the levels withing the expansion tank. They should be under the max mark. After it cools down look at the levels in the expansion tank. They should be within the marks.

When filling the radiator you should do what you've done, however, when confirming full the rad cap is on loosely and the engine idles [AC off - no revving] until warm - that's two cycles of the rad fans coming on. Then shut down the engine, look inside the filler and top off w/ coolant if needed. This assures the overflow tube to the expansion tank is covered. Then firmly instal the cap.

 

When I looked at it this past Sunday morning, the reservoir was right around the "max" mark. I didn't add any coolant at that time because I didn't have any. I didn't check the reservoir this morning, but as I mentioned, it didn't take much to top it off. So, I think my levels should be OK right now.

You and others have mentioned the radiator fans cycling as a point of reference, but during those two times that I ran the engine to try to bleed the air from the cooling system, I don't recall the fans kicking on at any point. It could be because the outside temperature was cool, so maybe it didn't get hot enough to activate them? Or do they come on in a cycle regardless?

And while I was just thinking about what I did on Sunday, I did touch the upper and lower radiator hoses while it was running. The upper hose got warm, but the lower hose never really seemed to get warm. That seemed odd to me, but then again, this is the first time I've had this issue with a vehicle.

I plan on taking it in tomorrow morning to have the cooling system flushed. They are not charging me for it since it is within the 30 days/3,000 miles. Hopefully that will solve the issue.

And once again, thank you all for the replies and advice!

 

So, here's the latest update...

When I cranked it up this morning, I didn't hear a single gurgle or bubble (this was after I had attempted to bleed the air from the system yesterday morning). I went ahead and took it into the dealer to theoretically have them flush the cooling system. When I got there, the guy said his order was to just bleed the air from the system. I was already missing more time from work today than I wanted to anyway, so I just rolled with it. They came back and said that the air seemed to be bled from the system, and the level was just a little low. They topped it off with a little water (I wasn't too happy about that), and I headed off to work.

When I cranked it to drive home this evening, again, no gurgles or bubbles.

Hopefully the issue is resolved. I still have 23 days and about 2,500 miles left on the dealer warranty, so I'll just keep my eye (and ears) on it.

Now I'm ready to see what kind of gas mileage I actually get with this thing.

 

Glad to hear gurgles are gone. Now, let's see you bag 37MPG!

 

That's what I'm talkin' about!

Thanks once again for all of the comments and suggestions!

 

Guys, to revise this thread, I've been caught up and trying to solve my shaking, stutter problem (coil packs arrive today), that I've ignored the fact that I've had the gurgling sound for a very long time. Am I doing damage by putting off trying to fix it? I will call dealer this morning and see if they have heard of service bulletin, #08-096. Also When I first start car and fan is running (but not AC), why does the compressor cycle on and off every 15 seconds or so?

 

As for the compressor, do you have the mode knob in defrost or defrost/foot mode? The AC is on in either of these modes regardless of whether the button is pressed and the button's light is on, the idea being to ensure that the air used to defrost the windshield is dry and so unlikely to cause fogging. (There's a simple modification here to disable this "feature" of the car, while still allowing you to choose to use AC with defrost by pressing the button.)

 

Fit GDs have a "built in" gurgle coming from fuel sloshing around in the fuel tank that sits between the seats. Check for it with a full gas tank if that is the sound you are hearing it will be much less with a full tank.

 

They bled/purged the cooling system today. I won't know for sure until I drive for a few years but it seems to have fixed the problem.