Overheating and Liquid Slush Sound
 

Well I am new to the board. I traded my wife's VW Beetle GLX for an HHR. It is a neat little car.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...I/IMG_0293.jpg

We are having some issues though and it looks like others on here are as well. It has a liquid slush sound when you brake or accelerate. The dealership knew it had the problem before we bought it. They weren't sure how to fix it b/c the tech at GM were off for the 4th week.
Also, tonight it was running extremly hot. After I let it cool down, the overfill tank had plenty of coolant but I couldn't see anything at the radiator cap.

I can only assume the overheating and the liquid sound are related. It will be going back to the dealer soon to hopefully fix this.

I am glad that I have an all GM stable now.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...I/IMG_0301.jpg

The gas in your tank shifting? :confused: BTW we don't have a radiator cap, you fill it through the overflow tank like most modern vehicles. :confused:

if you look on the left side of the radiator behind it you will see a hose with a cap on top. i dont know if this qualifies as a radiator cap but you can access the fluid. i drained some and added a Royal Purple coolant aid right there.

i would take the HHR to your dealer and have them check the thermostat or the heater core and use your DIC to display the water temp and watch it closely.

some people are having issues with overheating

I've had to take mine in twice for overheating the thermostat was replaced the first time, the heater core is being replaced today. I suspect that the leaking heater core was the problem all along. Take it in and keep on the dealer until they can find the problem. :thumb:

And Welcome to the site!

I'm assuming 'overheating' is 100%, no doubt OVERHEATING!! As opposed to the engine running a little on the *hot* side.
The reason I ask is for clarity. I too hear slushing and bubbling when I turn off the vehicle. Sometimes I hear it upon acceleration. Either way, I attribute the sounds to coolant and/or gas movement- which I feel is somewhat normal.
The other reason I ask- I have not owned a new vehicle in a while and I'm not sure if I trust the DIC readings 100% (specifically coolant temp), although I've read electronic/digital readings are very accurate. The DIC has shown my coolant temps upwards of 213*!!! Not sure if I should be alarmed or not- but haven't noticed any problems.

SCOOT
I posted the following observation on our return from a recent trip.


I had the same observation you had about just running a little hot under heavy conditions. Since our return to Charlotte and 95 degree temps it is staying right around 194 degrees. I have no leaks and the actual temperature guage is, not the DIC, is running where it always has. Just keep me in the loop. :smile:

SCOOT

This is the other thread I have been following:
https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/problems-service-repairs-42/temp-gauge-stops-working-3092/

The reading last night got over 250 degrees. The fan didn't kick in til she got home and it cooled it down pretty fast. I am assuming the thermostat is not right for it to get that hot before kicking in.

And we do have radiator caps. It is just not on top of the radiator like older cars.

Also the water sound is coming from the engine bay/firewall area. So it is not in the gas tank.

That is the overflow cap.

250 is overheating. 213 is a little on the hot side but nothing to worry about. I start to worry when I see temps over 220. From my observations the digital read-out and the needle guage appear to move at the same rate. But to get a number for hot things are you have to look at the digital display. I've heard the same water/slushing sound when I'd first start up the car but it's done that since I bought it. I don't know if that's normal or was a sign of problems I was having with my heater core. I'll know more when I get my HHR back.

Okay then, answer me this. If your HHR didn't have any coolant in it. Which would be the faster way to fill it up. Through the overflow tank cap or the cap directly leading to the radiator? There is a difference.

That is your overflow/recovery tank and that is what you use to fill your HHR!
RTFM! ;) On the past three vehicles I have owned (a 99, 02, and 06) there is no radiator cap. The radiator is completely sealed and the only way to add coolant is through the overflow tank. To my knowledge they do not put radiator caps on cars anymore, they are a thing of the past. :lol:

Thanks for the updates John... I usually watch my digital coolant temp reading, as opposed to the old analog needle. I usually don't watch it until I'm stuck in traffic (downtown Detroit) which is normally 80's+ on an average day... WITH 75%+ humidity. Although temps have run high(er) than what I'm used to... I've never had the vehicle overheat- and when the fan(s?) kick in it cools it back to the 190 range relatively quick. No leaks- just bubble sounds when I turn it off, etc... The only time I see *any* fluid under my vehicle is after the A/C has been on for sometime- just normal condensation.

I HAVE used (RedLine) 'Water Wetter' on previous vehichles (modified 5.0L Mustang GT and my rice-rocket motorcycle) with EXCELLENT results :thumb:! Looks like I may be picking up some more today in attempt to keep temps in a bit more reasonable range (according to my tastes... hopefully 195 max). This stuff REALLY works well. It's O.K. for aluminum pumps/blocks *IF* it doesn't contain silica - which will eventually eat away at aluminum and/or gaskets.

So- my new question, then, is how to add...
According to CJ in another post - there *is* a capped hose that can be removed to add fluid. I'm not sure I want to dump it into the overflow tank for fear it would take some time for 'all' of it to make it through/mix in the block.
Looks like I'll have to reference the (on-line) manual to see what's recommended.


*** JUST CHECKED THE MANUAL (ON-LINE) ***

States that you can fill either way- which makes sense. What doesn't really make sense is that you should only fill either of them when the engine is COOL!? No explanation needed - just thought that was wierd.

One thing to note- the manual states your vehicle is overheating when a.) steam is coming out from the engine bay, b.) the (analog) temp needle is in the RED zone, or c.) when the Engine Temp Light comes on (or any combination of these may happen at the same time)!!! SOooooo- technically (according to the manual)- the HHR CAN overheat WITHOUT steam pouring out from under the hood!?!?! Wonder what temperature set's the dash light off - or moves the needle into the RED zone?

I've seen 250 on the digital readout without any warning lights or steam. But this is hot and requires attention. I'd be very careful about opening the radiator cap (or whatever it is) that is on the short hose between the block and radiator. I suspect you could burn yourself badly if hot coolant starts spewing out. I've always added to the overflow tank, anything added will circulate through the entire cooling system after a short drive.

Has anyone found a "full" mark on the overflow tank?

Its on page 5-22 of the owners manual but it really isn't too clear when you look for it on the car.

Here is the Link Sindy put on the forum
https://www.mygmlink.com/pdf/go2cont...et/2006hhr.pdf

Pages 5-26 & 5-27 of the on-line manual states "if the coolant in the overflow tank is lower than the COLD line (when engine is cool), ADD coolant to the overflow tank."
It also states...
"If there's no coolant in the overflow tank (when engine is cool), ADD coolant through the pressure cap."

Bottom line... coolant in the tank is/should be recycled almost everytime the vehicle is run - assuming the thermostat opens. The fact that these vehicles *don't* have radiator caps, simply means they don't have CAPS (physically) on the RADIATOR itself. The in-line pressure cap IS (essentially) the radiator cap! Maybe we should call it an "Line-Cap":roll:

For the record... there isn't a "FULL" line on the overflow- maybe a "HOT" - but this is based off of what I've seen on other vehicles. The reason there's not FULL (-or "Hot"... I'm assuming) is because you should never attempt to fill a cooling system when the vehicle is hot. Therefore- if it's full when cold, it must be full when hot (even though expansion, boiling, etc... occurs + assuming there are no air bubbles in the system).

Firewall area??
sounds like the heater core....

Look at the hose nearby the overfill tank coming from the radiator with the cap. That is the direct line to your radiator. You really don't know much about your car.


Anyways, the service light has come on and it is now in the hospital. For the one that didn't know about a firewall. It is what seperates the engine bay from the cabin.

No need to insult me. :confused: I probably know much more about my car than you. ;) How long have you owned yours and how much of it have you taken apart? The fact of the matter is that is still not a radiator cap and if you look at the engine drawing in the manual what you are refering to is called a pressure cap and they warn you about playing with it. The HHR does not have a radiator cap. ;)

Sorry if an offense was taken. A pressure cap and radiator cap are about as different as the Olsen twins. If your car is cold, there are no worries about taking it off. All I can say is if you ever have to change your coolant, have fun for the extra 1/2 to 1 hour it takes with your method.

I've heard a "sloshing" sound at times on those rare occurances that I've been with my Wife in the HHR.:frown: What I hear is definitely from the rear and I'm assuming there are no, or not enough, baffles in the gas tank. I live in fear that some of the problems you folks are having might pop up in our HHR and my Wife will never notice it since she's the only one driving it! I had just that happen many years ago with a different Wife, and a different car!! She fried the engine!!:( :cussing:

As an update... added 12fl. oz. of (RedLine) 'Water Wetter' to the overflow tank 2 days ago and haven't seen temp's in excess of 196 since!!!! Granted, most of my driving is expressway, however, when I stop- it's usually in some conjested traffic (stop-n-go) area. Although the analog needle never :confused: moved, the digital reading on the DIC fluctuated quite a bit. The hottest it hit was 196 ... and only on 2 brief occasions at that. Freeway driving neted an average of 186*. Not a bad investment for $8 :thumb:!
O-yea... almost forgot. For comparisons sake, it was 92* in Detroit yesterday with 76% humidity.

Ya I Have The Same Thing With The Heater Thing The Slushing Water Noise Its Been A Month With It And Its Bad What Should I Do

Take it to your dealer and start a NEW thread.

welcome...

how about some info on the TR 04 :D:D

If you have the same problem my wife's had...your coolant is too low. It caused her car to overheat and messed up the cylinder head at 400 miles. It is fixed and no problems since. Her car now has almost 8k miles.