Tea pot whistle sound
02-23-2011, 08:00 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Tea pot whistle sound
Tea pot whistle
It sounds like this:
Tea pot whistle http://www.pond5.com/sound-effect/21...t-whistle.html
I was resolved to the fact that there was a hole in one of the radiators.
What do you mean the system can’t hold pressure?
Because there is more than one radiator, it was not losing fluid, and it happened intermittently. I followed the golden rule “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.” I would rather risk blowing the whole thing up than to replace parts that do not need to be replaced. Before I am going to take off that front bumper, I want to be sure it is necessary. I can’t drive it around without the bumper. I can use the car now.
I checked my cap right away it is a VW part, so somebody already replaced it. I have had a few cars fix themselves before, but this was a case of fix by meditation. Instead of going out there like some drop out mechanic and just replace parts, I tried to think the thing through. Time is money. The sound seemed to close too the windshield to be a radiator behind the wheel, unless it was a hose or tube. I did not notice a loss of fluid. The sound did not happen all of the time. So I did not change anything. One night during a sleep-transcendental meditation just like when Archimedes yelled Eureka and discovered how to find gold! I tried to visualize what could make that sound. What was changing, the route was about the same, the hills did not change. I always drive fast. I jumped up and took a midnight drive (top down but with my clothes on). The only thing that was changing was the level of gasoline in the fuel tank. Somehow the gas had to have been causing the sound.The gasoline tank was sucking in air. When I open the gasoline cap it stops. When I tighten the cap it starts again. The sound of something like a radiator cap blowing steam from the right front, behind the petrol inlet. Must have been from the fuel tank. There must be pressure equalizing from inside and out of the tank somewhere in the right front of the car?
Tea pot whistle http://www.pond5.com/sound-effect/21...t-whistle.html
There is no radiator cap at the front of the car. There is a radiator at each front corner located just ahead of the front wheel (though buried deep in the bumper cover behind the A/C condenser). Coolant lines run from the rear of the car to the radiators and back again. A radiator probably has a hole in it. They can suffer from corrosion due to the amount of trash that collects in the radiator air ducting this trash tends to attract/hold moisture. Or if one pulls in too far into a parking spot with a high curb the bottom of the radiator can get damaged and leak. The radiators are a bit at risk due to their location and relatively low height above the road surface.
You need to get the source of that steam/vapor located and fixed. The engine's cooling system can't hold pressure and pressure is what keeps the coolant from flashing to steam. If it does this steam pockets can form in the engine's hottest coolant passages and localized overheating can occur. The engine can be seriously damaged if this occurs.
BTW, the coolant cap at the reservoir tank can leak. If the cap’s part number (s/b visible on the cap) ends in 00 or 01 you might want to consider replacing the cap with a new one that has a part number that ends with an 02 or 03 or even 04. Change the cap with the engine cold. And while you're there check the coolant level is between the min/max lines. And don't be fooled by coolant stains on the tank. Shake the car or have some shake the car and see the coolant level moving about on the side of the tank, or remove the screen and with a bright light peer down into the tank to confirm the level is right.
