Hi folks,

Has anyone else seen a similar problem? I have an 05 Fabia VRS that goes fine, no exhaust smoke, temperature is normal etc. However I regularly get air in the coolant. You can hear a quick 'squelch' sound when you turn on the ignition before you start it.

I bought a Haynes manual hoping it would advise me how to bleed the system and it recommends squeezing the bottom radiator hose with the coolant cap off (when cold of course). This does the trick as a few bubbles come out the expansion tank and the squelch sound goes away. However after my next journey it is back again.

It doesn't seem to be losing coolant - the level is at the max and the coolant is clean. On one occasion immediately after starting from cold there was a lound beep and the coolant light came on the dash. I suspected the air must have been around the pump. I drove about 2 miles, stopped for a few mins and when I started again it was fine. I squeezed the hose again after it was cool and have been doing so every few days since. So, I'm getting by ok and have made some longish journeys with no problem but figure this problem is only going to get worse.

Any thoughts, ideas or recommendations would be much appreciated.

Bubbling noise when turning the ignition is just the fuel pump priming AFAIK. Perfectly normal.

The coolant beeping may just be the sensor playing up. People say you can clean the prongs in the header tank to sort it, though I have no idea how that's done...

Edited 29 October, 201114 yr by mark.r.cullen

^^^^As above^^^^^The squelch is the fuel pump starting up and pushing fuel out of the tank. The coolant warning lamp is not connected, either the level is a touch low (It's very sensitive to a millimetre or so of coolant level) or the level sensor is faulty which is a coomon problem but an easy fix, change the coolant spere.

Bubbling noise when turning the ignition is just the fuel pump priming AFAIK. Perfectly normal.

The coolant beeping may just be the sensor playing up. People say you can clean the prongs in the header tank to sort it, though I have no idea how that's done...

Many thanks Mark and Soot1e. It makes alot more sense for the fuel pump to prime and make that noise when you turn on the ignition rather than anything happen with the coolant. I'll ignore that noise from now on!

As for the coolant - I wonder why I always manage to get bubbles coming up into the expansion bottle when I squeeze the radiator hose? Perhaps this is normal too? I only had the sensor report the problem once and my driveway is on a slope (the car points downwards) so maybe that has something to do with it? I'll stop squeezing the hose from now on and see if anything develops...

Edited 29 October, 201114 yr by howarth1000

"Parking on a slope" There's your answer and stop squeezing yer pipes :yes: