Bongo Petrol Probs

[Ayshea]

Bongo Petrol Probs

Hello, I recently got myself a Bongo which was a dream come true for me. It’s a 2.0l Petrol Auto with 30k miles imported from Japan via Algys and Hallen Imports/Funky Ram in Bristol. We got manual pop top roof added and we had it serviced with fuel and air filters when it arrived and I was hoping to get some little chips, bumps and scrapes fixed and undersealing done. The problem is that I can’t afford to run it because it’s using so much fuel. A full tank costing £70 will only cover 100 miles which I think is way less than it should do. I’m taking it back for the garage for them to try and see what the problem is. Has anyone had any similar issues? Thanks very much for any help and info.

[g8dhe]

Yes that's a very bad MpG you should be getting around 25mpg maybe less on short around town journeys and more on longer constant speed motorway trips. Even my V6 gets a lot better than what your getting, peaking at around 27mpg on longer runs.

[Bob]

I wonder if it's not engaging top gear/lock up?

Cay you drive it at, say 60 mph, and let us know what rpm it's doing, or drive at 2,500 rpm and let us know the speed, please?

[rita]

Hi, what method did you use to work out your MPG ??

[Ayshea]

Mileage Calculation
Thanks so much for your replies!
Sunday night - filled up from empty cost £70 and zeroed counter drove home 4 miles. Fuel gauge says full.
Monday - school run, work, school run 30 miles.
Tuesday - school run, work 20 miles.
Total 54 miles
Fuel gauge now reading just over half.
Topped up on the way home cost £30.06
£30.06 at £1.36/litre = 22.1 litres
= 4 gallons
4 gallons over 54 miles is 13.5 miles per gallon
No standing still in traffic, revs below 3, it’s half country back roads and some dual carriageway.
No rainbow patterns or other signs of leakage I can think of like petrol smell.

[Bob]

As Geoff says, it should be doing about double that.

Don't have any more thoughts just now, but someone might.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get it sorted.

[Ayshea]

It does feel like it revs a lot at 60 - like maybe there should be another gear but it’s not finding it?! I’ll try driving it 60 on the way home and let you know the revs. Thanks again. Broke Bongo Owner x

[rita]

This should give you an idea of the gear/speed ratio.

Gear Ratios
(mph/2000rpm) for each
gear.
1st – 11.2MPH
2nd – 20.4MPH
3rd – 32.0MPH
4th – 50.3MPH

I dont think your garage will have much trouble finding this excess fuel consumption .

[Ayshea]

I was wondering what the Rev counter should read when it’s stationary and ticking over. It’s halfway between zero and 1. Sorry if that’s a daft one.

[rita]

800/900 RPM it depends on the condition of the engine.

[Ayshea]

Thank you that looks right I guess then. I drove it at 60 and the Rev counter said 2500 at that speed. The fuel usage still looks alarming though - it’s dropped almost a quarter and I’ve only driven 26 miles. It’s booked in for Friday at 12 noon so maybe the guys there will be able to help me with this too. Thanks in the meantime.

[g8dhe]

Don't rely on the markings to be accurate the only way to measure the amount used is to fill it to the brim each time, record the amount added and then the distance travelled till you next brim it. The various markings on the gauge are not linear!

[Roy748]

I previously owned a beautiful 2001 2.0ltr petrol bongo and loved it but my bug bear was its fuel efficiency, around town I too would only get around 22mph and on a run maybe 30 if I was lucky.
It's a heavy vehicle and in my opinion has an under powered engine for the vehicle. Adopt the mentality of "we are in no rush and what we save on accommodation we spend on fuel" and you will love ownership.

[rita]

I previously owned a beautiful 2001 2.0ltr petrol bongo and loved it but my bug bear was its fuel efficiency, around town I too would only get around 22mph and on a run maybe 30 if I was lucky.
It's a heavy vehicle and in my opinion has an under powered engine for the vehicle. Adopt the mentality of "we are in no rush and what we save on accommodation we spend on fuel" and you will love ownership.

Thats the way normally , but this vehicle at 13MPG is entering the Hilton category .