a pond in my bravada

[callmemrbill]

Upon turning corners I hear what sounds like 10 gallons of water sloshing around inside but there are no obvious signs of leakage anywhere or wet carpets etc. Now its beginning to smell moldy also. Ive looked for clogged drain plugs but really not sure where they are. It does not seem to be located in any of the doors though and sounds like its coming from below the rear deck/floor cargo area. Has anyone had a similar problem or can advise me where to look for drain plugs? Thnx, Bill

[biv343]

This may not be exactly what you're experiencing, but I've noticed this with my 99 Bravada.

I sloshing may just be the gas tank - I've noticed it with mine when it gets below 1/2 tank. Especially with the radio off and the windows rolled up.

Do you live in a warm/humid area? I've noticed in the summer when I use the AC a lot that sometimes the evaporator drain tube will plug up and start to give a moldy/musty smell. If it gets really plugged (it only did this to me once), you might hear a sloshing noise coming from the passenger side floor area. Typically when that happens you'll have wet passenger side carpets when the evaporator box starts to leak into the passenger compartment.

Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at things) in Michigan we only have these problems about 2 months out of the year....

[clariveros]

is the sloshing around behind the dash??? this might be the rooot of your problems this sound like you might have to replace trhe heater core

[biv343]

Good point - I had forgotten about the dreaded "heater core gurgle" that I've read so much about. I haven't had that problem yet (as I knock on wood)....

[callmemrbill]

I do garage it and its often quite humid in there. The sound does seem to come from the rear but maybe thats just me....sometimes the heater smells moldy when first turned on tho also....where would I find the evaporator drain hose/hole? Thnx to all who replied! Bill

[biv343]

The evaporator drain is on the passenger side of the vehicle just ahead of the floorpan/firewall. There should be a rubber "nipple" on it - it's fairly easy to see if you shine a flashlight up there. I've used a coathanger before to poke up there and "clear the clog" so to speak.

It's kind of a known problem to have the moldy/mildewy smell with some GM vehicles. The dealerships offer a "mold killer" service for this exact issue. Don't know what they charge, but I've found that if the evaporator drain plugs and it smells moldy just to drive around with the vent on high for a while to dry everything out

If you haven't used your AC/defroster in a while, then this most likely isn't the issue. The previous poster had mentioned the "heater core gurgle" which is fairly common also.

[clariveros]

if you want to know wheter it is or is not the heater core turn on te heater and blow air to the front windshield (defrost) if it begins to either fogg up or smell really bad like antifreeze then that is you problem good luck and let us know what happens

[callmemrbill]

I think the heater does sometimes gurgle-its wife's vehicle so I usually only drive it on the wknds. Will try turning on defroster and give it the sniff and fog test today as well as check the evaporator drain which I didnt get to last night. Thnx, Bill

[Schrade]

Some vehicles have baffles - anti-slosh 'panels' - in the gas tank. Do you hear a dull clunk when the tank is near empty, on turns?

Moldy? How's the weatherstriping on the doors/t'gate? Any wet rug? Rust underneath carpet?
Or is the moldy smell only when the fan is on? If so, check the A/C condenser drain in the behind-the-dash areas. When your A/C is on, check where the water is dripping from underneath the car. Follow it back up, and check for a pool that overflows where a drain is plugged with mold!!!
Damn I'm a Swami!!!

[callmemrbill]

I do hear clunks n thunks in the gas tank sometimes, especially when stopping engine. The water slosh sounds as if "right there" inside the vehicle though. No wet rugs and the weatherstripping looks in good condition. Doesnt smell from the fan. After sitting in the garage overnight there is a strong moldy odor. I tried to find the A/C condenser drain but cant find it...We havnt needed the A/C hardly at all yet this season and havnt seen any dripping, maybe its plugged?

Originally Posted by cbec1999

Some vehicles have baffles - anti-slosh 'panels' - in the gas tank. Do you hear a dull clunk when the tank is near empty, on turns?

Moldy? How's the weatherstriping on the doors/t'gate? Any wet rug? Rust underneath carpet?
Or is the moldy smell only when the fan is on? If so, check the A/C condenser drain in the behind-the-dash areas. When your A/C is on, check where the water is dripping from underneath the car. Follow it back up, and check for a pool that overflows where a drain is plugged with mold!!!
Damn I'm a Swami!!!

[Schrade]

Forget the broken 'anti-slosh' baffles in the gas tank, which you'd hear ONLY when turning, slowing, or accelerating, but not turning off the motor.

If the funk is not mold, but IS anti-freeze, from a coolant system leak, it WILL give you kidney stones if you inhale enough. That I know for a fact, and I dont need to see anyone's car to tell you that. But anti-freeze smells sweet, as opposed to moldy, cause it has sugar in it. That's why chiltons and haynes say don't let it pool in the driveway, since fido and fluffy will lap it up, and go belly up...

[biv343]

Originally Posted by cbec1999

Forget the broken 'anti-slosh' baffles in the gas tank, which you'd hear ONLY when turning, slowing, or accelerating, but not turning off the motor.

If the funk is not mold, but IS anti-freeze, from a coolant system leak, it WILL give you kidney stones if you inhale enough. That I know for a fact, and I dont need to see anyone's car to tell you that. But anti-freeze smells sweet, as opposed to moldy, cause it has sugar in it. That's why chiltons and haynes say don't let it pool in the driveway, since fido and fluffy will lap it up, and go belly up...

Antifreeze will give you kidney stones? From breathing it? OK, I'll bite. Ingesting antifreeze can cause kidney failure, but I can't see how you could get kidney stones from smelling antifreeze. Not saying it's terribly good for you though.

You must have one sticky cooling system. There is no sugar in antifreeze. It's a CHEMICAL. Several chemicals have sweet smells - those are aromatic hydrocarbons.

Here are a couple links that explain how antifreeze is made.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...thylene-glycol
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Ethylene

I smell a lot of BS in the above post.

[ralph202005]

i took my bravada off roadin the other day at 9 or 10pm and ofcourse my friend was driving and we were going down dirt trail then all the sudden (doin 30mph) we went into 2ft of mud water and came to a stop. mud water starts pourin inside and i didnt know what to do , but my friend rocked it with Over-D and reverse and we managed to get loose. we finally reversed out of there onto dry land and got back onto the road and was making a left hand turn and heard a grinding. came home called my mechanic and he said i broke an axle and i am stuck at home for now until he gets a chance to fix it. also my engine and bravada is covered in mud ill submit pictures if possible after they r developed but never take a 2 wheel drive bavada in the mud. (used to be 4wheel but now 2wheel drive bc im missing front driveshaft.) just wated to share that with everyone. thanx

[ericn1300]

i posted this unde DEX-COOl post but noticed the comments on anti-freeze here:

we had a small heater core leak that went unnoticed until we went on a long road trip. about three hours into the trip my wife, who was sitting in the passanger seat with the windows rolled up, had a gran mal seizure. very scary. and she has a cdl so she automaticaly lost her job for 6 months and can't even drive any vehicle for 6 months.

common anti-freeze is a veritable soup of toxic chemicals, although up to now i've never experienced any problems even though i've changed three cores and a couple of radiator hoses in the past two years on my vehicles. we think it was the duration of exposure combined with lack of ventilation, or worse her sole source of ventilation was thru the saturated ventilation system. The link to a poison center sheet on one of the worst componets of anti-freeze is http://www.iowapoison.com/index.asp?pageID=155

[ericn1300]

Originally Posted by biv343

Antifreeze will give you kidney stones? From breathing it? OK, I'll bite. Ingesting antifreeze can cause kidney failure, but I can't see how you could get kidney stones from smelling antifreeze. Not saying it's terribly good for you though.

You must have one sticky cooling system. There is no sugar in antifreeze. It's a CHEMICAL. Several chemicals have sweet smells - those are aromatic hydrocarbons.

Here are a couple links that explain how antifreeze is made.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...thylene-glycol
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Ethylene

I smell a lot of BS in the above post.

No BS there. see my post above. you don't have to ingest the stuff. ever noticed the oily vapor that coats the windows and interior of your vehicle when a leak occurs? that's the stuff you breath. the lungs are the second fastest way of getting it into your blood stream, the first would be injecting it. ingesting it is third, but is the most common form of poisoning because the amount ingested is large compared to breathing it for a short period of time.

the big problem is that the taste and smell of most anti-freeze is not alarming or unappealing. car quest is now selling an anti-freeze with an annoying oderant added that will warn you. kinda like the oderant added to propane and natural gas to warn you of a problem.