Need help - unknown noise during mild acceleration

Hey all,

After a several month hiatus from this forum (due to wife's pregnancy, the birth of our new daughter, and now my deployment to Iraq in a couple weeks), I'm in need of some help.

I've put this off for awhile but I am wondering if anyone (esp. the frequent posters here) can help me out with this noise.

For lack of a technical way of describing this noise, all I can come up with is that it sounds like a gurgle of sorts.

It occurs on mild acceleration and I hear it eminating from somewhere behind the center console - the gurgle/chattery sound. When I let off the accelerator, no noise, and when I accelerate moderately, the nosie goes away (only heard during mild acceleration). I also don't seem to notice this sound after I hit 55+ mph.

Any thoughts to quell the anxiety that is forming - I just don't want my wife to have to deal with a "potential problem" while I'm deployed - especially when there is a newborn to take care of at home...

Thanks guys. (And if this has been posted before, I apologize...I briefly searched, but frankly, I've been swamped with all my pre-deployment training and trying to spend time with my new daughter - It was easier to type up this thread).

~Jon

AWD?
Could be a defected drive shaft.

On one of my previous cars we had a similar noise upon acceleration, and we were told it was due to air bubbles going through the heater core. Could happen if you flushed coolant lately. Make sure coolant is not below the Low mark, I think I was told to fill it up, fire up the engine with the heat on, and let the coolant warm up and expand out bubbles by itself, but it didn't really work. Otherwise, a shop should be able to bleed air bubbles from the heater core. We never got it done, went a few years without any issues. So not sure if that was ever the issue on that particular car.

hmm...ceric's reply sounds serious...you'd think that relatively new car wouldn't give me these kind of problems no? though it's a 2009...i just passed 3600miles on it...

i wouldn't think i'd be the coolant given the year of the car...unless it's leaking somewhere already -that'd suck.

appreciate the thoughts thus far...

There is a thread on engine knocking issue when cold under load. It is easy to rule out, put 91 octane gasoline and see if it does not go away. If it does, then it's knock sensor. Easy fix would be to continue to use premium gasoline. Otherwise, it could be any one of the other rattle noises reported in this forum. "Brake Booster Bracket" and "VVT actuators" both have TSBs on them. As for leaking coolant, it's not too new to leak coolant. our 2008 CX9 needed a new waterpump (extensive labour of pulling motor involved to replace) in less than 1 year w/ only about 10k km on it. Good luck.