I have a 2013 Chevy Malibu and am experiencing the exact same sound. I am guessing I shouldn't panic about driving it to the mechanic in the am? They said not to drive it, but there are no lights on and it is not running hot, not even close.

 

yes, it's all about heat, it should rise to near 200 and stay put. over say 210 your in deep trouble shut it down and walk.

you should not smell a sweet smell (of rad. fluuid) from the air vents, if you do open the windows you should not open any lids or hoses while the engine is warm.

you could check the TSB (technical service bulletin) if chevy will show them to you to see if your exact year/model has a known cause. i doubt there is any serious issue that says "dont drive car" if there were there likely would have been a recall, would have been on news.

how the air got in (if slowly by small bubbles) is another story. consider installing a Prestone Flush kit and wait to see how long it takes to come back, if it comes back. It's not uncommon to need to burp a system and not uncommon mfr offer no practical way to do it. if it doesn't come back quickly (let's say one month) then you dont have any problem.

 

yes, it's all about heat, it should rise to near 200 and stay put. over say 210 your in deep trouble shut it down and walk.

you should not smell a sweet smell (of rad. fluuid) from the air vents, if you do open the windows you should not open any lids or hoses while the engine is warm.

you could check the TSB (technical service bulletin) if chevy will show them to you to see if your exact year/model has a known cause. i doubt there is any serious issue that says "dont drive car" if there were there likely would have been a recall, would have been on news.

how the air got in (if slowly by small bubbles) is another story. consider installing a Prestone Flush kit and wait to see how long it takes to come back, if it comes back. It's not uncommon to need to burp a system and not uncommon mfr offer no practical way to do it. if it doesn't come back quickly (let's say one month) then you dont have any problem. i left a comment earlier (see pg 1) about having done that.

 

A good safeguard in my mind with the gurgling warning with accelerating. The past trip I noticed a coolant odor at a rest stop and not thinking too much about it. After reading these post regarding a gurgling sound from the passenger area, I discovered seepage at my radiator on the L/H upper area. Original unit with 249K miles. Better warning system than in the older days. Thanks for the input!