I'm trying to figure out what this sound is. The dealership checked the brake actuators shortly after this started and it didn't pull any codes or see a problem.
It's a soon to fail 3 way coolant valve. It hasn't failed so there's no codes to pull. When if fails, you'll get a check engine light. You can check if your coolant at the radiator is full. Then turn on your heater and run it for a few minutes. That usually gets rid of the noise for a day......then rinse and repeat until you replace the valve
Thanks so much for the diagnosis! I just had both coolants changed last year and wished I had the mechanic change out this valve at the same time. I read that it could be a 500 dollar fix at the dealership but I'll just keep hope it doesn't fail anytime soon.
I believe it's $77 on Amazon for the part. You can buy a set of plastic hose clamps $10 on Amazon. Clamp the hoses so coolant doesn't leak out and change it out. You can watch youtube videos on how to do this. I would say, it would take a regular DIY person about 2 hours to figure everything out. I can do it in about 1 hour (but I've had a few practice runs and I have smallish hands)
I read that the valve has to be clear of any air bubbles that might seep in the valve, like vacuum tight.
There should not be any air in your coolant loop. The valve is just a bad valve, they stick. Only way to fix them is to replace them.