First, check to see that your wick is remaining in place when you turn the base upside-down to screw onto the tank. Prime the wick lightly; an oversaturated wick is heavy and will fall away from the wick channel when you invert the base. The wick can also get pushed out of the channel by the turning chimney as you screw the base to the tank. I wish the Squape chimney could be unscrewed like a Kayfun's so you could see that the wick is remaining in place.
Loss of vacuum in the tank will allow the fluid level inside the chimney to rise and flow out of the air hole. Check the o-ring at the base and replace if it is damaged or too thin to seal properly. The clone threads are not machined as precisely as the authentic's and may need help to seal. Finally, use the allen key to make sure the chimney is screwed tight to the top. Put a small o-ring on the top of the chimney if you suspect an air leak there.
Thanks petemoss. I changed the base o-ring and rewicked with rayon cutting the tail in two - top wicks flush with outside of the deck and the bottom wicks in the channel. That did it, no more gurgling or leaking!!