Hey Scotty, I have a 2017 Chevy Malibu with 45,000 miles on it. I just purchased it about two months ago. I started hearing that lovely water rushing noise behind the dashboard about the first week of having the car. Took it back to the dealership over and over. The only thing they did was burp the car and did one flush. They also replaced the expansion tank. Fast forward to now the sound is still there but the car is holding coolant. The coolant temperature level is normal and so is the engine temperature. But when turning the car off the hood just seems to be really hot to the touch. I saw a puff of steam today but that was it nothing else. What do I do? Is there really an issue here? Or is it just in my head. I need your help! Also my car is black I know that’s can play into a hotter hood as well but this is mainly on the side where the expansion tank it. A lot of heat comes from that area. Thank you!
The hood is going to get hot after driving for a while especially if there is no insulation. A black car on a hot sunny day will get hot just sitting there. If the engine was overheating the temperature gauge should show it but the dealer should also be able to see true engine temperature using a scan tool.
Water noises behind the dashboard are frequently caused by clogged HVAC drains that allow water to pool in the air plenum and slosh around.
I appreciate the feedback very much! I knew the black would draw more heat and I knew the car would be hot. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dealing with a coolant leak still or maybe the engine was overheating and my car just wasn’t giving the warnings. I think of the worst case scenarios but I just got out of a car that had major coolant issues and even after fixing everything something else kept happening. It was a money pit. Got into this car and got screwed by the dealership over and over. The water rushing noise also happens at accelerating and auto stop. Do you roughly know how much it would be to unclog that HVAC if that was the problem? Thank you!
Is there insulation under the hood? If not you can expect the hood to get really hot when the engine is at full temperature. Obviously we can't really tell from a distance what is going on though, but if you're not losing coolant and the temperature gauge is normal it should be OK. If in doubt bring it to an independent mechanic with a fancy scan tool like Scotty uses to check for problems.
I don't know on that model how tough it is to clear the HVAC drains. When I had water sloshing around behind the dash on my own car I was able to reach the drains pretty easily myself to do it, but they're all different.
That makes so much sense! My car hood does not have the insulation. I will definitely be going to a mechanic to have them run codes to see if anything is going on just to be safe. We are about to take a trip and drive for 8 hours in the car in September and I didn’t want to go and it overheat officially and we get stuck. But I wanted to get some input on what I should do. Or if anyone else thinks it’s majorly concerning. Thank you again.
No problem, just stay away from chain shops (Pep Boys, Firestone, Midas, etc.), and dealers. A good independent is what you want. Ask friends and family if you don't know of one in your area.