Bongo Fury

OK so I just Googled it.
Loads up there but what one did you plump for?

Hi Bongolia
Check with your insurance company before you start...Even a couple of years back you might have had no problem, but from what I hear in the UK now, they throw a wobbly if you put a bumper sticker on!.
Methanol in my mix is mainly so I don't have any trouble with freezing over winter, but the kit is designed for methanol.
Firstly, you must be aware that methanol is a fuel in itself, and pretty volatile, so you should know how to handle it...it burns ferociously hot with an invisible flame, so it's classified hazardous...plus it's rather toxic. It is also used as a racing fuel, so it does give a bit of extra "go".
There was a write-up on here, but it seems to have gone when I searched, and there were pictures. Bear with me and I'll see if I still have them. If not, I'll have to crawl under the Bongo to grab more, as some of the installation runs underneath. The pump is in the tool compartment, and the tank is in the engine compartment. I also have a second tank yet to fit where the spare wheel sits, so that I can remotely fill the supply tank from the second tank, because fitting a large tank above the pump isn't easy on the Bongo, due to space.
The kit I have is from AEM, but you will need to get a couple of extra bits , because setting up is a bit of a precision job without gauges for water/ methanol flow rate, because you need to get delivery optimised at a given turbo boost, so you'll need to rig a turbo boost gauge as well.Cheap gauges are a definite NO, so it all adds to the kit price I also run inlet and exhaust temperature gauges, and they tend to be very expensive. You will also need a smaller delivery jet to add to the kit, as the smallest jet doesn't come with the kit
I can't remember how much it all cost, but piecing everything together it must be approaching £900 - £1000...but
I have thought of complimenting the kit with dry nitrous oxide injection so that nitrous gives a cooling effect from standstill and first pressing the throttle, then switching off at around 6PSI when the water / methanol cuts in. There is a tricky little switching setup which will work nicely to do that.
I'm not sure now whether I'll complete it, as I have difficulty with maintenance , and I might sell up....
I can look out all the bumph if you're serious, but I'll stress that you'll need to inform your insurer before you think about it....
Cheers
Helen

Bongolia wrote:Helen & Tony
I have been considering this myself, interesting about the methanol add in. Would you have a link to the kit you bought and what cost.
Is the delivery metered and if so ,how?
Would you have any pixs of the kit?
Ta.

Another interesting boost system is LPG injection for diesel engines, fitted (bespoke, at cost) by BF member Hembracho to his diesel Bongo. The installer used a take-off from the LPG tank he wanted fitting anyway for his camping (cooking+heating i think) needs. If its not been deleted (don't get me started ) there was a very interesting tbread about all this.

Hi Mike
There was a chap I knew over here who had that done some years back on his diesel...apparently there are quite a few. The guy went back to the UK , but it's probably not hard to get details...Gas conversions on petrol cars are very popular here...it's almost impossible to find a petrol car without ....I don't like them, so I was looking hard to find a petrol Jeep without!!!!
Cheers
Helen

Well that provoked some interesting discussion. I did think it looked like an insurance company unfriendly installation. I strongly suspect you would be fail to be insured with the YT video set up.

Not something I am planning on but you do wonder why this is not installed standard given its relative simplicity. If it doubles MPG like this guy suggests surely car manufacturers would want to cash in on the greatly improved MPG figures. (such that you seem to be able to DIY it) Seemed too good to be true.

Will stick to the Millers.

helen&tony wrote:Hi Mike
it's almost impossible to find a petrol car without ....I don't like them, so I was looking hard to find a petrol Jeep without!!!!
Cheers
Helen

I'm intrigued - what do you have against petrol/gas conversions? Our current Bongo is 5 years overdue dieing and I was planning to replace it with a V6 with gas....

Hi
As I said, it's a purely personal thing, but it does seem that gas conversions reduce the performance and if anything, I like to improve the performance of the engine, and if the MPG is too little, why not buy something more suitable. I like "Series" Land-Rovers, and one of the most useful I've had was a 6 cylinder LWB Safari that did 15 MPG....I knew it was a guzzler when I bought it. Secondly, why would I buy a vehicle, or have it converted so that I have to hunt to find gas specialists capable of servicing it?,,,Then there's the problem of fitting a tank large enough to be useful on a long journey and pre- arrange my journey to suit the gas stations? I live on the Continent, and whilst where I live, they seem to be a nation of "bodgers", I don't hear any problems with gas conversions, BUT they don't fit torroidal tanks, and as I want a vehicle with plenty of space inside, why would I fill the luggage area with a large cylinder?...Then there's the problem of summer temperatures...when it's 40 C outside, the passenger compartment gets to well over 50....and as far as I'm concerned, that's not ideal for a gas tank. Gas points here are everywhere, so that's not a problem, but the other issue is safety in an accident, and wherever you have a tank fitted, be it in the UK or on the Continent, the issue remain the same from that viewpoint
Now for the query...if a country of bodgers can fit gas conversions that work perfectly , albeit that all gas conversions reduce performance, why do the "experts" in the UK sneer at the Continental conversions, and create a "closed shop" of fitters approved by the insurance companies?....why, it's so that they can charge extortionate prices for something that can be bought for a fraction of the money on the Continent. A gas conversion for a saloon car can be as little as a few hundred quid here....AND they work....go figure!!!
Well, you did ask, and I said originally that it was a personal choice....I work on the assumption that if you want a vehicle bad enough, and it doesn't do many MPG, then rationalise your journeys so you use it less....hence I do a month's shop in the Bongo and make it last...and that's because of ecological issues....I think all cars are ridiculous polluters. I use the Jeep as a runaround...but they both do the same MPG, so I use cars when necessary
Cheers
Helen

mikeonb4c wrote:

helen&tony wrote:Hi
Likewise with the job as a chemist, Mike!....and I use water/ methanol injected in mine....I did mine for other reasons than economy...mainly for improved running in hot weather, but it does tend to boost the "go" factor a fair bit....The chemistry / physics is totally different to the old camel and two bricks method in the thread, and it's impressive when you press the loud pedal
Cheers
Helen

The water/methanol injection sounds a lot of fun.

I think you're definitely the Barnes Wallis of the Bongo world Helen, and much more of a chemist and ingeneur than me

Its spelt e n g i n e e r Mike

Unless Mike speaks Africaans or Croation. More appropriate might have been: ingenjör

Not that I know didly squat about language... I know how to google: http://spellic.com/eng/dictionary/Ingeneur

Sorry about that - i was being a bit cryptic. It was explained to me once (by the civil engineers i worked with) that the ingeneur/ingenieur (sorry - can't suss how to type the e acute on my phone) on the continent is held in a professional regard similar to that we hold medical doctors in here. The clue (i think) is in the (derived?) English word 'ingenious', which is what i think Helen undoubtedly is. For too long in the UK, we have i think (and to our cost) failed to adequately recognise the true skills and promote the value of the ingenious engineer

Phew! But since Brian asked.....

See: http://www.theiet.org/membership/profre ... l/eur-ing/ for more info.

Hi
Mike...thanks for the compliment, but I'm sure I don't deserve it.!!!
Anyway, the first outings were a bit "iffy" because I altered the wiring a bit, and the standard jetting was WAAAY too wrong, and getting what the Bongo needed for jets was a 'mare...and that required MORE instrumentation to get the flow right...The first trip with plain water was a teeth clenching moment, but when it went right....WOW....a kick in the seat that went on and on!.....Adding a BIT of methanol was a whole new ballgame....I couldn't stop grinning for days!
Before initial tests, I did wonder if the engine might go "pop", and when I added extra methanol to the recommended 50% starting point, it sounded like a 40mm Bofors gun....NO KIDDING....so I backed down to 30% (ish).....I really did think the bottom end would part company!
Just for a treat, here's a 40 mm Bofors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuBQyjNcm4U
Cheers
Helen