energie

it has been a while now since i've had my CL-S but I am starting to wnat to do some work on it myself (i.e. oil change and learn to fix issues myself)

I have noticed that when I am turning, there is a low gurgling noise from the front (not sure if it's glove box, or the front engine area), but i can hear it through the vents..

Have you guys experienced this gurgling sound while turning? I have done a search but coudln't find anything that's specific to turning..

thanks in advance!
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aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

I hear it too. I think its coming from behind the glove box. Isn't the evaporator there? Next to the filters? Not sure if mine is turn-related though but its definately a gurgle.

LukeaTron

I just fixed this on my TSX. Are you getting the sizzling noise when you make right turns too (kinda like driving over wet pavement for a few seconds)? That part might not apply to the CL, let me explain.

So the problem turned out to be a blockage in the drain hose for the evaporator. Water was building up in the A/C plenum from all the condensation on the very cold evaporator coil. This is supposed to happen. This water is then supposed to drain out of a hose that goes from a low point in the plenum out through the bottom of the car. If it's not draining, that water will just build up until it gets high enough to find another way out. Lift up the passenger side mat and see if your carpet is wet. Mine was soaked.

The sloshing you are hearing the water rocking around there. Now the way the TSX is built, the blower is a squirrel wheel type blower that mounts up from the bottom. It is located above the passenger's foot well. The sizzling noise I was getting was when the water would slosh over to the right high enough to hit the blades on the blower. It would then be slung all over the place inside the plenum.

The fix was simple enough but a bit messy. In the TSX the drain is connected to a nipple right about in the center of the dash. I was able to get to it by pulling the carpet away from the left side of the passenger foot well, towards the firewall. It was kind of a pain because the carpet is attached to a thermoformed plastic backing that didn't want to bend much other than where it's already bent. Much manhandling and minor hand injuries ensued. Once that was out of the way I could see the hose. It had maybe a 3/4" outside diameter. If you crawl under the car you should be able to see its terminus. On the TSX it is just aft of the passenger side axle.

This is where the messy part starts. There was simply no way to get any sort receptacle up under the dash where the hose nipple was. As soon as the hose was off there was approximately a gallon of not so fresh smelling water that was now unencumbered. After quickly putting the hose back on the nipple and a half hour of attempting different solutions (closest to working was the shop vac but I would have had to fashion some sort of reduced diameter nozzle to fit it up under the dash), the only thing I could do was to remove the other end of the hose from the grommet in the floor and use my hands to try and direct the majority of the water to flow out that hole. This worked for approximately 3/4 of the aforementioned gallon. The rest went under the carpet and eventually found another place to escape (there are several small drain holes in the floor pan for just such purposes).

After that I used an air compressor to blow the blockage out of the hose. In my case it was black and slimy decayed plant matter. Damn my lack of a garage. After all that was back together my problem was solved. As a bonus, my windows fogged up far less often and the A/C works a good bit better. You might be able to fix this even easier if you can poke something like a pipe cleaner up through the pipe from under the car. In my case, the hose had several tight bends in only 8 to 12 inches of hose so this might not be as easy as it sounds.

I'd try and find a diagram of the CL parts before starting so you know where to look and what to expect. I just started taking things apart until I found the problem. Not a very efficient approach but it's always worked out well enough.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

If it's the sound I heard, it's normal. Normal on all cars actually after the AC has been on. But I don't know if it's the same sound.

LukeaTron

It's normal for there to be a small amount water in there (that hasn't yet found the drain hole). However, if it almost always does it, you've likely got a problem. There was easily a gallon of water backed up in my vents.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

So would I take this to a shop to get it fixed? or is there a DIY or something? Is there a way I can easily see the water?
LukeaTron, Thanks for looking for the CL. But my carpet isnt soaked, at least not yet.

TCM 01 CL-S

Check your Power Steering fluid level also, low fluid can cause a gargling noise.

Moodist

iTrader: (2)

While turning sounds like a power steering issue. When my power steering was going bad, I'd hear lots of gurgling, to the point that fluid would bubble up through the resevoir. I would use a napkin and see if there is power steering fluid out and around the resevoir.

LukeaTron

It wasn't very hard to pull the blower on the TSX. I was then able to reach my hand up through the hole and could feel that the water was right up to the lip there. To remove I had to pull the plastic cover thing off the top of the foot well. There were friction clips on the front and pegs on the back. Pulled the front down then the whole thing out. After that the blower was clearly visible. It was a round thing with 3 torx screws holding it in and wires going to the middle. Unplug the wires and take the screws out and it dropped right out. About a 3 minutes of work.

I don't know for sure how the CL is put together but Honda tends to use the same concepts in all their cars, often down to the nitty gritty details.

I wouldn't take it the shop personally because I love an excuse to take things apart. As far as a DIY, that's pretty much what I posted. You'll have to use your own judgment here and there but then that's the fun part. There isn't much you can screw up here, have at it.

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

I think i remember my PS fluid was quite full and maybe even above the max line. I'll keep an eye on that since thats easily fixable vs the blower. If it does start to flood inside of my car then I will get it professionally done. Or maybe you can post some pics
lol where is the OP at? He should get some attention since this is his thread. Talk about highjacked.