So I've had a bongo since August 2017, I bought it with a cooked head for £275, advert just said leaking water pipe. When I looked at it.. the pipe had blown to smitherins.
I bought new pipe, radiator, waterpump and thermastat. Filled her up and tried bleeding it. Took it for a drive and it overheated, had another go at bleeding and there was just steam from the bleeding hose, a cooked head.
Now instead of paying a garage to fix it all and buy a new head and install, I bought a "premium" head from mazdabongo.com for £600( this was my holiday money), then spent money on tools and a very expensive technical manual (£80) which has become my Bible.
It took me several months to take the old head off and install the new one (was doing it every other weekend) getting the bleeding eblow on was a nightmare, I also bought all new pipes, and swapped the cheapy thermastat with a geniune mazda one. Now the new sparkly head was installed, and had the injectors refurbished with new nozzles. Spent a good 2hours bleeding it with help of my late Father (who was the only person I had with patience of a saint) It was a great success, took absoulely forever for the bottom water pipe to get warm on the drive.
So I get it on the road for a 9months, from 2018 to 2019, the temperature guage wouldn't go pass 11'clock no matter weather, hill and revs, it ran mint! I spend more time fixing it up, I cut off the rusted arches (hidden by plastic covers) and welded on new ones from some other vehicle, had a pair off ebay for £75, did a load of bodywork with filler and welding, was very proud of the my first go at welding..and the cover up.
Unfortuently (and this is all my fault) on a way back from a camping trip, I heard my belt squeeking, now just assuming it was a loose belt and i'd tighten it when I had the next chance, I continued drivng home, my belts came off.. second mistake, I continued to drive it home. Now I can look back and realize the magnitude of my mistake, but lesson learnt. Further inspection, one of the bolts for the alternator anchor plate came out, so belts came off. My engine was cooked. Now this concerned me, as I religiously went over all bolts to the required torque setting suggested in the Bible (mechincal book) Could just think.. possibly vibrations..
Anyways, I reconnect everything, fill the bongo up and bleed it, it seems to be running fine. I take it for a drive.. it doesn't overheat at all.. but its losing coolant, I can visibly see water water patches from the head cylinder to the engine. Because its not shown the same kind of symptoms as before, I'm just hoping its a broke head gasket.
I take the head off and decide to get it skimmed (it being a premium head and not being on that long and this being the first issue, im hopeful) I paid £130 for the skim, when I collected it.. I wasn't impressed with the service of the garage, I had asked if it passed pressure testing and the owner said he doesn't know, the boys did it. I also notice the warranty sticker they put on was put on wrong way, and it was marked at hitting 120degrees, the owner takes it off and puts another sticker on.
I put the skimmed head back on, and bleed the system with a not so patient girlfriend, but followed all instructions in the book, I believe the thermastat opened and got all the air out. I drive it to the MoT station, it passes, and I drive it around for over 200miles first 2 journeys, the expansion tank spits out water, but I believed I just over filled it and this was overflow. Temperature has been fine, so Im thinking I just need to get the water level spot on. Thinking all will be grand, I decide to take a week off work and give the bongo a full paint job, days of prep, blood and sweat went into this masterpiece, turns out okay.
Now Wednesday this week, I drove it 10min, put the heaters on and it was cold air, the expansion tank starts gurgling, temperatue guage raises to 12'clock, I switched heaters off it seemed to of stablized. Next morning I top up the water, just inch over full mark, thinking I'll have to investigate this weekend, maybe bleed it more. Unfortuently 15min into my drive expansion tank gurgles and temp gauge raises to 1clock! Thinking its cooked, i've pulled over and rang RAC to come trailer me to a local garage. I checked the bottom radiator pipe, its not warm. I squeeze the water pipe under the thermastat, its not warm and I wondered if the thermastat had just got stuck.
While i've waited I bled the system on side of road for over 2hours, theres alot of froth and air bubbles in the system, but the temp guage settles bellow 11clock. RAC were useless, didn't want to know or even help diagnose, just wanted to drop me off home or at garage.
At the garage, talking to the mechanics they tell me theyve had 2 heads skimmed and know of 3 other skims which have come back naff from the same garage i used to skim mine, when they had rang to complain the garage told them theyve stopped trading and now out of business. (Great) The garage had sent their heads to another garage to have the skim, and apparently they believed the orignial skimmer just lathed them to make it look like a real job. I trust these mechanincs.
So this is where im at, with further inspection i can see wet patches between the head and the engine block, I'm beginning to think my head wasn't skimmed correctly like everyone elses.. but also there is a chance i've cracked my new premium head, as I drove it for a while without the water pump belt connected.
Im wondering weather to have the current head skimmed again, attach it and throw some irontite in there for good measure.. or buy a cheaper complete head off ebay for £340 and just straight swap it, keeping the current head as a spare.
I have so much doubt right now, 1 being when bleeding previosuly the heaters front/back got warm with no issue. Drove it fine for 200miles, besides expansion tank throwing out water (which I believed was just overflow) So either way, I want to change the thermastat, but cant decide weather to have the current head skimmed... if theresa chance its cracked, i'd be taking it all off again.
