Yet another overheating query

[Natbasher]

Hi,


Apologies for asking advice in a first post, but I'm a bit desperate as I fear I may have done terrible damage to my Bongo by driving it around whilst overheating!

I started to notice a 'hot' smell when driving a couple of weeks ago but the temperature gauge was fine - it rarely shifts above 8 o' clock - and my partner said he couldn't smell anything and it was probably just the hot weather causing things to run a bit hotter, so I carried on driving like this for several days. Eventually, I got out the car one evening and there was a hissing of steam from underneath and the fan seemed to be running on overdrive. When my partner checked it out, the big coolant hose under the driver's seat had a massive hole in it and the coolant tank was completely empty. I have no idea if this had split in one go, or if it had been gradually getting worse over several days.

Anyway, my partner (whose mechanical experience is mainly fixing old motorbikes) cut the damaged end of the hose off, fitted it back on with a jubilee clip as it was still just long enough, and filled the coolant tank back up with plain water (I now know this is wrong) and I assumed this would be fine....until a couple of days later when on a longish run I noticed the burning smell again.

Now, the tank still seems to have water in and the hose looks ok, but the smell is really worrying me and having read the factsheets on here now, am wondering if I've knackered the cylinder head by driving it around like this.

The person I bought the van from said he'd had a new cylinder head about a year ago but I guess that just means he probably had overheating problems too....I'm also wondering if the temp gauge has been tampered with too.

Anyway, there's no way I'm going to let my OH attempt to fix it again now I've read all the relevant factsheets and realised how complex the cooling system is, but my question is this.... Am I likely to cause further damage - or endanger anyone/anything by driving the van to the garage? I live at the very bottom of Cornwall and the nearest Bongo specialist (who also offers a courtesy car which is vital for me) is over 37 miles away, near Truro. I really can't afford to hire a tow truck....I have RAC cover, but don't know if 'burning smell' would be a good enough reason to get them to tow me anywhere...probably not!

Obviously I'd be grateful for any words of wisdom regarding what's going on with poor Benjy, but I think the main issue for me at the moment is whether I can risk driving him all that way to the garage. - and if not does anyone have any suggestions as to my best course of action please?

I've only had Benjy for a few weeks and already have had to have a new steering rack, so he's not worked out quite the bargain I'd hoped, but I love the van to bits already and don't want to go back to life without him - plus he's now my only vehicle and I can't manage without him!

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this lengthy post. I'm afraid I'm not very good at summarizing!


EDIT: Also don't know if this is anything to do with anything, but I'm sure the engine noise has changed recently - Although my OH can't hear it, to me Benjy's starting to sound more like a VW Camper - don't know if I'm just going nuts here !?

[Gixermark]

Oh! Dear....doesn't sound good I'm afraid!

Simple rule is, any kind of smell ...coolant loss ...anything out of the ordinary ....pull over, stop, turn engine off and find the problem. I would be very, very surprised if you haven't caused terminal damage ( you may be lucky!!! ) and unfortunately this will turn out to be very expensive re repair.

My advice re getting the Bongo to the specialist would be to find out how far from your home you are covered re emergency towing ( some cover from home, some 1 mile away and so on ) & get the car to this point the best way you can. Do it early ish mid morning on a day you know the garage is open then let the AA/RAC take you there ....you pay enough for membership so use them. DONT admit to any earlier problems, say it just happened whilst you where driving that morning!

Good luck and hope you get it sorted

[Bob]

Hi, welcome to the Forum.

As said, I'm afraid this doesn't sound good.

I think you will need recovery to your garage and have them investigate, personally I wouldn't drive it at all until the garage have seen it, you don't want to make things even worse, but just my view.

So sorry to hear of your problems, good luck.

[PaulH]

Been there, done that. I'm afraid it's a familiar Bongo story. One thing I have learned is that you have to be very careful who you allow to work on the cooling system on a Bongo since many seemingly reputable garages (and AA breakdown repairmen) really don't understand how vital it is that a Bongo is bled correctly when renewing coolant.

It may seem a long way to go, but I would strongly recommend going to Allans near Plymouth. He really knows what he's doing with Bongos and sorted me for a very reasonable price (considering I needed a new cylinder head). His details are on this web site.

As to getting it there - if you top up the system (bleed it if you can) it is amazing how far you can get. I pulled a caravan back from Bath to Torquay like that, although I only just made it. Of course, that is only to be recommended if you know the head is damaged anyway, and even then you have to be careful and ready to pull over if things seem to be getting unreasonably hot. But then, if you don't make it, you can call the AA (or whoever). You might surprise yourself and make it without too much hassle. Good luck!

[Simon Jones]

Bear in mind that continuing to drive with a suspect head / gasket or coolant loss can do more damage to the rest of the engine including the block and ancillaries. I've seen an engine that has overheated and melted everything plastic on it including the connector on the temperature sensor. It was beyond economical repair in the end. Get it recovered to your selected garage rather than risk driving it further.

[Natbasher]

Thanks so much all of you for your advice.

Following your recommendations I rang the RAC and was amazed to find they were willing to come out even though the van was still running – I just told them that I’d been advised by fellow Bongo owners not to drive it again for fear of doing irreparable damage, and they were OK with that….so far so good ….

The RAC man said he was familiar with the cooling system (although I’m not 100% convinced as one or two things he said seemed to conflict with what I’ve read on here), but not being confident enough to argue about things I may or may not have remembered correctly from the fact sheets, I felt I had no choice but to leave him to it (and yes PaulH – your words were ringing in my ears!)

The upshot is that he says there’s no reason to believe the cylinder head is cracked and he seemed to think I’d know about it by now if the head gasket was blown. He found that the radiator (which somehow my OH had failed to notice even existed) was very low on fluid but not empty. He said he’d got rid of the air lock and topped the fluid levels back up, and he tightened the hose which my partner had not clipped on tightly enough and was therefore still leaking a bit. He also found a small oil leak which he sorted out and tightened a belt, which he said might account for the perceived change in engine sound. Then he just suggested I check the fluid level in the header tank every morning before use and said if it stays up at the full line, it should be OK.

All in all, I don’t know what to think. Half of me thinks I should still get Benjy to a garage ASAP and have him checked out properly, but then the other half reminds me that I’m skint as a ba***** and if it’s really bad news I’ll probably have to cut my losses and run anyway so what’s the point?!

Anyway, just thought I’d keep you posted as you were all kind enough to offer advice. Thanks again, Nat x

[Jim the Box]

Nat,
Get a pressure test done on the head/head gasket, won't cost a fortune, to confirm your worst fears of if your luck is in.
You should find a garage local to you who can do the test, keep it very local to you so as to minimise any further damage should it be defective.

[Bob]

Did the RAC man spend 30 mins or so with the passenger's seat up and the engine running while he moved a thin pipe up and down?

If not I doubt it has been bled properly.

You Tube vids on here how to do it, should give you a hint if its been done or not.

Really hope you're ok. But do get a Bongo friendly garage to check unless you're 100% sure, it will be cheaper in the long run.

[Natbasher]

Hmmmm....will ring around and try to get it booked in tomorrow somewhere in Penzance - about 6 miles away. Have done a trip to PZ and back this evening and thought it seemed fine on the way out, but was smelling a bit hot again by the time I got home. Have to do 30 mile round trip for work Friday and a lot more milage than that on Tuesday & Wednesday so guess I'd best not put it off. Guess I'll have to hire a car if it's bad.

To be honest I really couldn't say what the RAC man was up to....He was there for about 1/2 an hour, but he seemed to spend a lot of time huffing and puffing and going backwards and forwards to his van - presumably for tools....he did have the engine running for most of that time and both front seats up the whole time he was out there.... I thought it best to just stay out the way - I took it as a good sign that he knew how to get to the engine anyway - which is more than I did until about a week ago !!

Cheers guys - I'll let you know if it's terminal when I find out... crossed fingers/prayers are appreciated!!

[Bob]

Check the coolant level in the morning beforer you drive it.

[beer_monsta]

Pressure test cost me £25 at my local garage.

[Natbasher]

Well, Benjy's booked in with a bongo frindly mechanic on Monday morning - It's going to cost £35 for the pressure test and to have the system bled properly, which seems reasonable - just as well as it's cost a small frotune to hire a car for the next 3 days! ....and I'll remember to dip the header tank with my trusty lolly stick before I set off, even if I have to write it backwards on my forehead the night before to remind me!

[Bob]

I imagine antifreeze will be extra, can't see supply and bleed for that price.

[Simon Jones]

....and I'll remember to dip the header tank with my trusty lolly stick before I set off, even if I have to write it backwards on my forehead the night before to remind me!

Why not just get a low coolant alarm? You can't check a lolly stick when you're driving & a pipe starts to leak.....

Not that expensive to buy, quite easy to fit & much cheaper than a new head when all the coolant has been lost.

http://www.coolantalarm.co.uk/shop/inde ... roductId=3

[scanner]

I imagine antifreeze will be extra, can't see supply and bleed for that price.

And if it's just being bled with fresh water it's a dangerous waste of time.............