I have a 98 Honda Accord EX Coupe V6 with 175,000 miles. In the last 500 miles, I recently starting hearing a gurgling noise when I accelerate. It is rather faint and it goes away when I either let off the gas or my speed is constant. Also, I haven’t noticed any appreciable loss of power or a decrease in gas mileage, but I am curious as to what the noise could be and if I need to have it serviced.
Without hearing the sound…I wonder if it could be engine knock.
Until you get it checked out…Try not to let it knock. If it is engine knock…it could destroy your engine.
Well that doesn’t sound fun.
Is there any other way I can describe it to help diagnose?
You can post audio and video on here…
Best bet would be to have a qualified mechanic hear it.
The cooling system may be low. The heater core is often the highest part in the cooling system and air collects in there, you may hear coolant/air bubbles passing through the heater core at higher engine speeds.
If you think it might be engine knock, you can test it by putting in high octane gas. If it goes away, it’s engine knock, and you might need a new EGR valve or a new knock sensor. If it doesn’t go away, it could be a lot of things. I would guess the fuel pump, but that’s kind of a long shot.
I can check this out today. I hear it more while driving for a while on the interstate and then accelerating a little, like to switch lanes, etc. Is this as easy a fix as to fill the cooling system and then the air will just come out on its own?
Whitey, It is an old car so you are right, it could be anything. I will try the high octane gas and see if that gets any results. I have my fingers crossed…
Check to see if the coolant reservoir if full.
Do you hear a liquid sound, “gurgling”? Or a rattle from the engine (detonation) like a diesel truck?
Coolant low!!
Yes, I think this is exactly what it was!!! I checked my coolant level and it was low but my reservoir was full. Humm… questionable. So I noticed that the pick-up tube in the reservoir had become detached from the cap so the radiator wasn’t able to suck coolant back up but it was able to overflow into the reservoir. Thanks for all the help!!!