Second service (suspension, head gasket and underbody)

[Driver+Passengers]

Nothing is ever easy. Put the roof up to get the 3x2 bed boards out and now I can't get the roof down. Symptom is a) press the lock cancel button, starts beeping, b) press close beeping stops but roof doesn't go down, c) let go of close button and starts beeping again. Possibly just a microswitch anomaly, but I'll need to get it down later.

FAQ: Roof stuck open? How to lower it.

[Driver+Passengers]

Hi Matt let me know if you need any tools. I got a head done at Andersons in Kirkcaldy on the same Estate as Bongo Bill is that who you are going to use?
Peter

Quoted 46+vat for cold pressure test and 38+vat for a skim.

[teenmal]

Hi Matt let me know if you need any tools. I got a head done at Andersons in Kirkcaldy on the same Estate as Bongo Bill is that who you are going to use?
Peter

Quoted 46+vat for cold pressure test and 38+vat for a skim.

Hi,it might be worth considering,that for another £130.00 you can get a New Head.A pressure test often tells that you dont have a leak,it does not tell you that the head is not cracked.

Cheers.

[MountainGoat]

Got the roof down yet Matt. Sent you a PM.

Tony

[Driver+Passengers]

Hi Matt let me know if you need any tools. I got a head done at Andersons in Kirkcaldy on the same Estate as Bongo Bill is that who you are going to use?
Peter

Quoted 46+vat for cold pressure test and 38+vat for a skim.

Hi,it might be worth considering,that for another £130.00 you can get a New Head.A pressure test often tells that you dont have a leak,it does not tell you that the head is not cracked.

Cheers.

I may go £35 for a skim and fall back to a new head if that fails. That way, whatever happens, I will not have lost the cost of a pressure test. Just another gasket, etc.

Edit: that's cheaper than I though. Assuming that's a bare head? A mate in the village suggested just swapping the rest over. Definitely a plan b, but I'll wait until I've got the head off to judge.

[Driver+Passengers]

Got the roof down yet Matt. Sent you a PM.

Tony

Cheers, Tony. No, not yet. I've been in about the AFT control unit before to repair the buzzer that had been physically disabled. I know I've got a dodgy microswitch front nearside and spend an hour probing connectors to find that out. I may manually lower it for the time being and restore to operation when the van is out of the garage.

[Driver+Passengers]

A few snowflakes fell outside the garage today and there's ice in the garden. I had the gas heater on and tea in a pint mug.

My better half 'forgot' to tell me that there was a pile of deliveries in the porch when I came in for lunch - over half of the parts have arrived already! This afternoon, I played with my son on his workbench for a bit and made cribbing clocks out of the bed boards in the roof once he'd gone. After tea, I started final prep in the garage.

The cribbing blocks will be getting more wood added to them tomorrow and I will build a couple more.



I got the van up by about 2130 and began to strip the front end. I really need a new hydraulic jack. Any recommendations?



It looks worse than it is. Most of what matters is still in good condition, which is the main reason I spent the extra buying it. It should buff up well underneath.

Tomorrow, I'll strip down the front suspension and get the engine cowling off.




There was crud in the crud-catcher place.




Here is a spread of everything I have taken off/out


Parts removed:

- heater fan duct
- batteries and trays
- front wheels
- grille
- lights
- intercooler scoop
- bumper
- mudflaps and arch trim

Parts broken:

- a few scrivets
- one bumper stay bolt
- one wheel stud (foolish, but another fun job to add to the list)


I've realised tonight the scale of all what I'm about to do to the van. I've got a 2 tonne lump of Bongo about to be raised further off the ground and a workbench full of parts to clean, a dozen suspension components to replace, metalwork to treat and a head gasket to do... possibly twice!

[peterrc]

Hi Matt you have been busy. Do your cribbing clocks tell the time?
made cribbing clocks out of the bed boards in the roof once he'd gone. After tea, I started final prep in the garage.
I will bring a heavy duty jack over with me today about 11.00am and other bits & pieces.

[mikeonb4c]

Good luck with getting it done Matt. I admire your energy and positive approach. At the end of this you should have a good working machine whose innards you'll know inside out. The AFT is always a concern on ageing Bongos. Mine has been fixed 3 times, hopefully ok now after two expensive new motors.

[MountainGoat]

Matt, I have a few spare scrivets which I got from Simon Jones yonks ago. If you are having trouble getting replacements PM me a picture of what you need.

Tony

[rhino-wayne]

If that's not an excuse for a meet, I don't know what is. Yours got a name?

My career as a mechanic began with this van. I wanted something I could work on easily just to get my hand in a bit with vehicles. I'd never done an oil change until this time last year. After fixing a few of the things last time like the front exhaust section and the rocker cover gasket, I started to look forward to getting the head off at some point. Be careful what you wish for...

A meet ! that's not a meet that's almost a Top Gear Challenge ..........Which one of these amature Bongo Mechanics can get to the Lake District first! .....or even arrive

No name for the "Bongo"............."Bongo" seemed perfect!

Sure you're not my long lost twin brother! I'd never done an oil change until this time last year SNAP! DITTO! That's the fun thing about the Bongo, relatively "easy" to investigate, service, repair the vehicle compared to newer vehicles with "compact" engine bays etc


Please keep up with the step by step photos! ..............
.....and all that vegi oil must be for...........fish and chips

[Driver+Passengers]

Finally got 90 more litres of oil unloaded out of the back of the van.

Today is a big day. Last night I did some prep. I started by removing the seats, then unbolting the handbrake and gear shift in order to remove the cowl and back cover. Meanwhile, I drained the engine oil and coolant.



Then I partially stripped the two sides:





The passenger side is clarty!! I did a couple of hundred miles without the oil cap on and it's blown EVERYWHERE!

Here's part of the haul...

[Driver+Passengers]

Huge thanks to Peter (peterrc) for coming to spend the day with me. Together, we reached the stage where I'm now ready to crack the head bolts.

I've just been asked to spend some time in the house.

[Driver+Passengers]

Ready to crack the head bolts tonight.



The pile is getting bigger.



Should I do it? Vote by pressing the red button, now.

[Northern Bongolow]

NO.