My new 2014 Rubicon X within 300 miles developed the trickling water sound behind the dash.
After a lot of research and repairing or resolving the issue myself I come to the conclusion that Jeep is just not getting all the air out of the system. With that said I also think this particular set up is very difficult to get the air out of the system due to the relationship and height of the heater core in relationship to the radiator.
I checked the bleeder on the inlet hose at the thermostat housing and burped the Jeep in the traditional ways while running the heater talked about and still had a little trickling sound now and then.
What fixed the issue for me so far is this.
I let the Jeep sit over night and completely cool. I removed the radiator cap and topped of the fluid to the top. Then I gently squeezed (don't over squeezed forcing fluid out the radiator making a mess, gentle hear is your friend) the top radiator hose up and down its length watching the little bubbles leave the system. Then I topped off the fluid level as it dropped down just a little ( a microscopic amount each time) after it leveled off I replaced the radiator cap and topped off the reservoir bottle to appropriate level. The next morning I did the same thing adding a little fluid small amounts each time. I did this for three mornings in a row until the level of fluid did not need to be filled or topped off at the radiator, very small amounts of fluid each time. Note each time the fill amount added was a very small amount of fluid each day. The morning I pulled the radiator cap cold and it was completely full to the top I stopped the process and checked the fluid reservoir and topped if needed.
Between the traditional bleeding process done and what I stated above I used about a 1/4 Gallon or a little more of fluid. Some of that amount was spilled during the traditional bleeding methods.
NOTE Make sue to use the Purple OIT fluid on 2013 and newer do not mix fluids,as this will really mess things up.
Not a trickling sound since in my new 2014 Rubicon X.
Good post Bill.
My 2014 had the sound from new and I did the exact same thing and I too have not had the trickling sound come back.
Also found my top bleeder screw was a little loose as well.
My reservoir is down on fluid now so I need to go buy some OAT antifreeze to top it off. I know I could get the dealer to top it off but I do not trust they will put the right stuff in. Worth the $50 to do it myself and have some spare if I ever need it in the future.
I am glad it worked for you as well. Also sorry I meant to say OAT not OIT when reffering to the coolant. The coolant ran me about $38.00 a gallon for the Chrysler 50/50 mix purple OAT coolant. I did not want to deal with the dealer to do the work or deal with this issue. I do my best to keep them away from the Jeep unless it is something major and I have to use my warranty.
My waterfall stopped after I put a little coolant in the res. tank and it did the trick. I read that when they put it in at the factory they do it at the radiator and there is a little air in the line since it's not completely full. so when you start the engine it flushes the air out and then water starts flowing.
Ok Bill G77,
I just got my JKURX 2014 5 days ago. After 200 miles on it, it got the exact the same what you just mentioned. I need to do the same, but I am not that much expert in the JKs, can you kindly, please - in your free time - post some pictures of the area I should work with like:
*bleeder on the inlet hose at the thermostat housing ... etc ...
and did you changed the radiator cup with a new one?
Just make sure the bleeder is closed or tight,( if no fluid residue is there it is more than likely tight). It is a plastic large Phillips headed screw on the thermostat cover under the intake going to the throttle body. Then just follow the steps listed above and hopefully if done right your problem will be solved.
In the pic below you can see the black plastic thermostat housing under the throttle bodies intake. The bleeder is right on top of it just under the wires in that pic it has a small green dot on it in the pic, hard to see. It is a little hard to get to and it take a right angle mini ratchet with a No 4 Phillips screw driver bit to even get to it.
It is really hard to explain this stuff to folks on line, hope this helps.
I picked up a brand new JKUR in auto Anvil color last week. Took 5 months to get here lol.
It is a Jan 2014 build Rubi.
The 1st morning after owning it I noticed the same thing as you guys.
Only 50km on the clock.
Basically if the Rubi sits overnight without being turned over, then the 1st start up I get the water trickle sound. Once the vehicle is warmed up no more sound.
Coolant level when cold its at the max line. That's how it was from delivery.
I will grab a bottle of the purple coolant from the dealer in 2 weeks time. Like you guys my thinking is the less they touch it the better.
Just a question on this matter.
Is this something that is dangerous if not looked at asap or just an annoying thing?
Would the air bubbles eventually make there way out on their own?
The noise is just annoying but with it cold I would check the level in the radiator and make sure you see coolant as well as the overflow bottle just to make sure your not low on coolant. It sounds like your Jeep is doing the exact same thing mine was. Remember to be patient working the air out following the process I mentioned. It takes time but I think this would depend on how much air was in the system. Get the 50/50 mix purple OAT coolant it is pre-mixed and ready to go. It just makes things easier, no mixing needed with distilled water this way.
My Jeep is still ok and has not made the trickling sound yet sine I did the process mentioned.
Great post--picked up my new '14 Anvil Wrangler Friday and heard the noise Saturday morning. I was thinking somehow rainwater had found its way somewhere, glad to hear that there is a fix for it. Thanks--
Your welcome, take your time and be patiant with the process mentioned. Depending on the amount of air in the system it may take a few cycles to get it all.
So far my 2014 JK Rubicon X is still trickle sound free and going strong.
For the love of....that bleeder screw is really in a tight spot. I don't see or feel any fluid leaking but did notice the radiator cap was not turned all the way tight. Looks like someone may have dripped some fluid off the side of the radiator when it was filled or there was a very slight leak from the side of it. I'm hoping just to fill the reserve and that will take care of it.
With all due respect to our opinion and advice here. The trickling sound does not always go away completely by just topping off the reservoir tank, sometimes it does (I have read a grip of post on this issue)
I tried doing exactly that at first, topping off the reservoir tank and it did not resolve the issue. I think it all depends on how much air is in the system.
That is why I posted the original post about this subject to help folks out. My Jeep is still going strong without any trickling sounds to date.
Bill G77
thank you for all your effort and explaining ... I followed exactly what you wrote and the 80% of the sound went away ... still hearing some trickling water but totally less than before, I'll keep doing the steps till it totally goes away.
thanks again,
HAHAHA, the joke's on me, I stopped at the stealer today for a chat with the service department about it, thinking they would know something about it. You would've thought there was a large male appendage growing out of my forehead...
My dealership mentioned this to me but apparently, they put the front up on a ramp and let it run with the breather valve open. I forget the rest, since my trickling noise went away after a week or so. Looks like this happens to quite a few.
Thanx a ton I have about 800 miles on my 14 jku and it was doing that exact sane thing and had no clue what it was and was about to take it to the dealership saved me a trip and dealing with the stealer ship ty
Is the trickling noise a problem mechanically? I've noticed it, but I just assumed it was the fluids moving around sort of... like they do. I will definitely look into this, and I really appreciate the high level of detail and excellent grammar in this thread. Thank you for the information!
It's not a mechanical issue in my opinion, maybe a design issue or lack of Jeep bleeding all the air out of the system at the factory.
My personal opinion is I think the heater core sits really high behind the dash in relation ship to the Jeeps radiator height. This by design makes it hard to get all the air out of the system. Also I have heard rumor there is a flat spot on the heater core at the top that is prone to trapping air. This along with the heater core sitting high in relationship to the radiator all makes since to me about why so many JK have this trickling sound issue.
Just my 2 cents on the subject. Also my 2014 Rubicon X is still going strong with no trickling sounds after doing what I posted in the original post.
BILLG77 many thanks for the tip, one time through the bleeding procedure and I don't hear the waterfall noise--and I added very little coolant to both the radiator and overflow bottle.
Thanks guys. I thought I was hearing something in my new jk. The heat works incredibly well and fast in this jeep. I am coming from a 98 tj with 200k on it. I had to bleed the system several times.
Time to check back in.
I am now 3 x days water trickle free.
I followed the above and noticed a few small air bubbles come up when doing so.
My coolant level in the tank when cold is just under the MAX line so its full.
I really did not need to add any fluid into the radiator. Maybe a few mm of fluid.
I have left the vehicle sitting for 2 x days and at start up no sound.
I wont be starting her till Monday so I think if its all ok on Monday the issue may have been resolved???????
I also did a few runs like started her in the morning(no sound), then left her for 6-7 hrs started her again and no sound all quiet.
I have 724km on the odo now on the JKUR, she's a Jan 2014 build and the noise was there from 19km when picked up new.
Will report back on Monday.
Question, if only very little amount of coolant is missing, why not top it of with just some water? This little amount of water added should not really change the overall coolant ratio by much, correct?
If I am not mistaken, OAT is mixed 50/50 therefore should not really be an issue to add just a little bit more water. Not even sure if this little amount of water must be distilled...
Right on! I also would only use distilled water, just to be sure! But with such small amount of water added, even reg tap water would probably not harm the system... in theory :happyyes:
I had the same issue, but my coolant level dropped as the air was purged, so check it frequently after several cycles of the heater. If you are adding coolant, only use the Mopar coolant. There are different chemical properties and additives in different brand coolants.
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