Chrysler Repair: water bubbling noise on start up, cylinder head bolts, head gasket

Question
I have a 1984 Chrylser LeBaron convertable that a couple of days ago at start up started to make a bubble noise, now this morning when turn it off it made the bubble noise again but even louder. Could you tell me what it is or could be?

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Dee,
If it is coming from the engine or the radiator/hose thereto, I would check to make sure that you haven't lost coolant from the system by checking the overflow bottle to make sure that you have coolant up to the level indicated for 'cold'. Then, the next time you start the engine immediately observe for whether you have an unusual and longer-last white smoke cloud coming out the exhaust pipe and when allowed to condense on your hand and sniffed for odor reveals that of anti-freeze.
If that were the case, I would be concerned that the head gasket on the engine has a void which is allowing coolant to escape into the combustion chamber(s) which raises the pressure promptly in the cooling system when the engine fires up and exhaust gas is expelled back into the cooling system through the head gasket void. If this scenario is true, it means that the top of the engine needs to be removed and the head gasket replaced, although on occasion I have successfully stopped such a leak by loosening slightly/retorqueing to spec the cylinder head bolts. That strategy would be successful if the bolts had simply loosened up but the head gasket proper weren't damaged.
Roland