Water Noise While Braking in Slow Traffic

Michael90

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Never ever heard this before so I gotta ask for some help. Had new front brake pads and rotors put in about a month ago, not sure if that has anything to do with it but I only noticed this just the other day while in slow traffic, creeping up a bit here and there. It is what I can only describe as a watery/sloshing sound rushing towards the front when braking. Definitely appears to be coming from the front under the dash area. It takes hitting the brakes a little harder to hear it but it’s there and it’s one of the most bizarre noises I’ve ever heard from a car. I can't say for certain if it's a fluid of some sort or if it's actually the pads/rotors squealing in a strange way thus mimicking the sound of water.

One key note though which leads me to believe that it really is fluid of some sort and not just the brakes is that the noise does NOT happen right after starting the car up. Instead takes a good 20-30 minutes I’ve realized, to begin. I also have a feeling it may have something to do with the heat being on in the car as it’s only been very recent where I turned that on in my car. Cold weather really just started to kick in here in NY.

Any thoughts??
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Doc_Mello

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Huh! Now, that's a quandary!

Has anything else in the vehicle changed? Any objects add into the interior?

Is it possible to try a troubleshoot: if it takes 20+ mins to manifest, get there, then can you try getting up to speed, then hitting the brakes to replicate the sound, then while the sound is happening, release the brakes? I think that might isolate if it's a brake-related issue, or not. If the sounds disappears right when you release the brakes, there you go. If not, go from there.
 
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Michael90

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Huh! Now, that's a quandary!

Has anything else in the vehicle changed? Any objects add into the interior?

Is it possible to try a troubleshoot: if it takes 20+ mins to manifest, get there, then can you try getting up to speed, then hitting the brakes to replicate the sound, then while the sound is happening, release the brakes? I think that might isolate if it's a brake-related issue, or not. If the sounds disappears right when you release the brakes, there you go. If not, go from there.
Good thinking on releasing the brakes and seeing if it goes away quickly.

In the meantime I've had a mechanic friend tell me it may have something to do with low coolant. Will have to check in the morning.
 

DAVEEVAD

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I had something like this happen to my 2010 Toyota Matrix. I would hear fluid sloshing when I stopped & when I made hard turns. It turned out to be a clogged AC drain tube. The condensation from the AC was backing up into the dash. I located the drain tube, slid a wire coat hanger in and dislodged a leaf, or something. About a gallon or more of water rushed out!

Not sure if this is your issue, since it's not summer, or humid right now but it could be something to eliminate.
 

civicdriver_

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Could it be that the sloshing sound is windshield washer fluid coming from the reservoir? I could imagine if it's mid-filled or a little lower it could slosh around due to the empty space. Also maybe check to make sure it's not coming from the doors, I remember seeing a thread about a civic owner having water trapped inside his doors for some reason.
 


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Since it's Fall; I'm inclined to go with the clogged drain line theory. Keep in mind that, I believe, there's drain lines for the sunroof area also. Also... make sure no lines got disconnected when they raised the hood at the shop.
 

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Had a friend with the same issue with a different car, under braking or turning it sounded like water would slosh around, it got so bad that it sometimes leaked out into the passenger footwell, it was just a clogged ac drain line. We didn’t even need to remove the line, just moved it around squeezing it, and that did the trick, loads of water drained out the bottom. I would assume you got the same issue going on, nothing else would make a noise like that.
 
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Michael90

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Had a friend with the same issue with a different car, under braking or turning it sounded like water would slosh around, it got so bad that it sometimes leaked out into the passenger footwell, it was just a clogged ac drain line. We didn’t even need to remove the line, just moved it around squeezing it, and that did the trick, loads of water drained out the bottom. I would assume you got the same issue going on, nothing else would make a noise like that.
But the thing with my noise is it does NOT happen with every break. It takes a while for it to start to appear. If it were a clogged AC drain with water in there it would happen at every brake back and forth water moving around. That's not the case here.
 

Doc_Mello

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But the thing with my noise is it does NOT happen with every break. It takes a while for it to start to appear. If it were a clogged AC drain with water in there it would happen at every brake back and forth water moving around. That's not the case here.
Good critical thinking here!
 

Pauls1233

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But the thing with my noise is it does NOT happen with every break. It takes a while for it to start to appear. If it were a clogged AC drain with water in there it would happen at every brake back and forth water moving around. That's not the case here.
The same with my friends car, it didn’t always do it. The car would have to move just right for it to happen. If i were you i would just take a look under the passenger side, remove the top foot cover and take a look in there to the left, it’s a pretty quick thing to do and would rule that out if you are correct. (also would happen when the ac was running for defrost, more water would collect and then after a little bit it would become noticeable).
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