2002 toyota camry 4 cylinder. I noticed that when I close the hood, right after I close it I hear a sound like a small amount of liquid is being poured (it doesn’t sound like much, maybe as much as half a shot glass worth). I did it about 10 times and I don’t see anything dripping onto the ground or under the hood. It sounds like it’s coming from near the radiator (although with the hood closed it’s hard to tell, also radiator is new with maybe 10,000 miles on it) I noticed it after changing my oil. Any idea what the sound could be? Something to be concerned about? There are no other problems with the vehicle.
If you don’t see any liquid on the ground or under the hood, it’s not likely that anything is leaking. I think it is more likely that you are hearing the “ticking” sound that results from cooling of heated metal surfaces. That type of noise usually stops after a few minutes, whereas a leak would continue.
Is it possible that your “dripping” noise could be described as a metallic “ticking” noise of uneven frequency?
It definitely sounds like liquid. It occurred even when the engine was completely cool.
Well, then you certainly have something of a mystery, as I can’t think of a situation where an external leak would leave no evidence either on the ground or under the hood.
Anyone else want to give this one a try?
I wonder if you have water sloshing around in the evaporator box for the air conditioning. If you are using the air conditioning and you don’t have the condensate dripping on the ground, you have a plugged drain hose that needs to be cleaned out. My other guess is that if hour hood is held open by hydraulic struts, one of those struts is leaking internally. That happened on my son’s 1989 Mercury Sable. Eventually, both struts started leaking internally and I replaced both of them for him. If you have a prop rod that holds the hood open as on my Toyota Sienna, you don’t have these struts. However I think our Toyota 4Runner does have these struts.
“I wonder if you have water sloshing around in the evaporator box for the air conditioning”
That is a possibility, but in that type of situation, wouldn’t the OP have experienced wetness on the carpeting/floor/floor mats, as the accumulated condensate inevitably leaks into the car’s interior?
OP: Have you noticed wetness on the carpeting/floor/floor mats?
Can you tape and post the sound?
Second guess: Could a drain hole be plugged up on a door? Close each door and see if you hear the same sound. If so, go around the bottom of each door with a stiff wire and poke it into the drain holes in each door to let the water out.
Doors close without making the sound. No wetness inside the cabin. One thing I noticed is that the fabric lining inside the hood is moist in certain places. The tubes for the windshield sprayers go under there, and although they haven’t worked since I bought the car 14 years ago, it’s possible that a mechanic filled up the washer reservoir (it was empty when I checked) and it’s spilling when I close the hood. Although I’ve done it about 15 times now and it’s still the same sound each time. Thoughts? BTW I tried to get it on video but the sound is too quiet to really hear it.
“The tubes for the windshield sprayers go under there, and although they haven’t worked since I bought the car 14 years ago.”
Huh?
You bought this 14 year old car 14 years ago (presumably as a new car), and the windshield washers have never worked?
I’m sorry to have to ask this, but if you failed to have a problem that was covered by warranty taken care of–gratis, by the dealership–is it possible that you may have also ignored some other issues over the past 14 years?
It’s possible. Bought the car as a kid and didn’t care enough to get this fixed.
Windshield washer repair isn’t rocket science. I think you’ve found the problem. If the insulation pad under the hood is getting soaked, it may cause the hood to rust from the inside out. Although a rust hole in the hood might be a conversation topic, I don’t think you want that. It would be a lot cheaper now to fix the windshield washer now than to repair or replace the hood. The windshield washer is safety item. I bought cars back in the 1960s that didn’t have windshield washers. I bought windshield washer kits from J.C. Whitney and installed them. I did this on my 1947 Pontiac, my 1955 Pontiac, my 1965 Rambler and 1961Corvair.
If in fact it is wet, I’d remove it, dry the inside of the cavities in the hood framework out and perhaps even rustproof it with rubberized undercoating, and then replace the insulation with generic by-the-foot. The generic isn’t very expensive.
“If the insulation pad under the hood is getting soaked, it may cause the hood to rust from the inside out. Although a rust hole in the hood might be a conversation topic, I don’t think you want that.”
“If in fact it is wet, I’d remove it, dry the inside of the cavities in the hood framework out and perhaps even rustproof it with rubberized undercoating, and then replace the insulation with generic by-the-foot.”
Good grief. Before I’d worry and go through a bunch of trouble, I’d take a magnet and check the hood, first.
Some cars were fairly advanced by 2002.
My GM Pontiac Bonneville and Bonnevilles from that era (2000-2005) had aluminum hoods (with aluminum hood frames)!
Check that puppy.
CSA
My guess, when you close the hood the impact causes some coolant still sitting inside the overflow hose between the radiator and the plastic bottle to drain into the coolant overflow bottle.
I would still have that windshield washer fixed. It is a safety item. Your other alternative, if you have a dog, is to let the dog do the driving. The dog will have his/her head out the window and not be trying to look through a dirty windshield. (No wonder self driving cars are being developed).
There could be coolant passing into the overflow tank or back into the radiator. The shock of closing the hood may encourage it to move.