Overheating advice for a Newbie!

Technical questions and answers about the Mazda Bongo

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mister munkey
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Overheating advice for a Newbie!

Post by mister munkey » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:38 pm

Hi all - Impressive forum, well done.

Had a change of lifestyle over the weekend & bought our 1st bongo. Advertised as recently having a water leak but with £600 since spent on a head gasket & new water pump which had seemed to cure the problem.

Took the gamble, drove the 260 miles to collect & had great night parked up in the Black Mountains before driving back to Yorkshire in the morning.

The 1st warning sign that all was not well was the heater/air con strugged to pump out anything other than very cold air even with the engine running for half an hour.

In the morning it needed a couple of pints of water.

After 30 miles or so, the temp gauge was becoming erratic there came a noise not unlike a trombone sound coming from beneath the passenger seat.

We let the old chap cool down for an hour or so then refilled with water & set off again. Almost straight away he started to overheat again ( still with the heater blowing flat out cold air) Found a pub and called the RAC.

The very nice man ran a few diagnostic checks. With the engine on tickover & the header tank cap off, it was spurting fluid out quite vigorously every few seconds. He believed this to indicate a head gasket gone. Is this likely or should I start looking for a more obvious cause first?


Regards,

Mr. M. :)
platty345

Post by platty345 » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:47 pm

hiya m8, sorry to hear about your probs, you should get all your answers on this site, what some of these guys know is just spot on, dont worry someone will know what to do,
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Post by samuel » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:50 pm

Welcome Munkey

Sorry to hear of your predicament.

He's probably right. This is exactly what occurs when the head gasket goes! Although the head gasket was recently (or allegedly) replaced it may not have put right why it went in the first place. Was the head skimmed or did a chancer simply replace the gasket only?

Best get a cylinder compression test done. This will tell if it is the head gasket.
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Post by mister munkey » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:53 pm

Wise words.

Many thanks.


Mr. M.
flippa

Post by flippa » Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:00 pm

sorry to hear of your woes munkey.......went through similar myself and it aint nice is it....not disasterous tho....if your not going to go down the moneyback route and want to fix it ....sure get the test done .....you said you had to top it up ....you got a leak? investigate ....take the engine cover off underneath(bellypan) you probably have a very weak(if any)coolant mix ,,,this won't help... but for now don't add any.....fill it up with clean water via the header tank , and run the engine ,even take it for a spin, stop check for any visible signs of a leak , back home ....should be nice and hot now, turn it off check again for leaks .....check all hoses (some ill-placed clips are known to cause little holes, abrasions)lift both seats , pass, and drivers, check hoses
check the bleed hose is it touching the alternator (check it) also check the water pump ....without the bellypan off very hard to spot a leak on it may only be a weep (trickle) the foam in the belly pan will soak this up....do these simple checks before your handed a big bill.....believe me these motors are tough ...i should know after six months with me mines still alive and boiled over more times then grannys kettle :roll:

good luck

i hope you crack it :roll: (oops)
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Post by mister munkey » Wed Oct 03, 2007 8:53 pm

Thanks for all the support, advice & reassurance :lol:

Bongo Digger is now booked into a local BongoDoc for a thorough going over by someone who knows these beings well. I'm confident all will be well & will keep you posted.

Regards, Mr. M. :)
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Post by mister munkey » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:04 pm

Worst case scenario day today. Diagnostic Doc reported that the head was indeed cracked.

Bummer.

On the plus side, he had all parts in stock & has managed to get the job done in a day. Bongo's resting overnight to check the coolant bleeding has been 100% succesful, then we're off tomorrow lunchtime to collect our funkybus with a new lease of life & years parts & labour warranty to boot!

Very nice man.



I've also tonight coughed up for my membership to the owners club - so quite an expensive day for me! Money well spent though, this Bongo life is cracking!!

Having our first night out on the coast tomorrow.

Hopefully - all our worries are over :D

Watch this space. . . . . .


Mr. M.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/MisterMunkey
platty345

Post by platty345 » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:19 pm

hi m8, glad you got it sorted,it will be well worth it in the end, :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
raystoke

Post by raystoke » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:39 pm

hi folks had my freeda for a couple of years now.I love her to bits but has cost a pretty penny in parts.Had hoses ,thermostat, water pump,also exhaust,new tyres recently.Then to top it all she over heated, thought it may be cylinder head gasket but no it`s got to be the head.Cracked right through.My mechanic has ordered the parts but i`m looking at a bill in the region of £700 at least. I ask my self is it worth it. I surely hope so because I would hate to have to trade her in
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Post by mister munkey » Fri Oct 05, 2007 9:50 pm

I'd suggest spending the money if you intend to keep yours on the road longtem. Assuming the rest is in good order, its sensible to renovate the "devil you know. . . ."

Seven hundred quid may seem a large chunk but to get another 5 or 10 years life out of your best friend, its a good investment.

Others may disagree. . . .

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Post by mister munkey » Sat Oct 06, 2007 1:55 pm

Sorted.

With a shiney NEW cylinder head too!

Runs like a dream. My life is now complete.

The spannerman is a Gem - really knows his Bongo stuff, anyone needing help around the West Yorks region should check out Dave at Benson Auto Services in Cleckheaton.

Off to the Dales now for a proper test!

:twisted:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/MisterMunkey
papa joe

Post by papa joe » Sat Oct 06, 2007 7:49 pm

Round of applause for keeping the faith mister munkey =D>
hope things go better for you from now on :shock: :D

Cheers papa joe
raystoke

Post by raystoke » Sat Oct 06, 2007 9:57 pm

hi folks things looking good had most of parts but just waiting for new valves .I really miss my freeda.just cannot wait to get her back.If anyone in stoke needs a really good mechanic go to imports direct just off lichfield street. really good service.
ronhud

Overheating advice

Post by ronhud » Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:54 am

Hi mister munkey. Thanks for details of your mechanic - I live in Huddersfield and recently acquired a Ford Freda which I am delighted with. It's always useful to have a personal reccomendation for mechanic services. Do you feel able to tell us what the job cost (roughly)?

When I got mine I took it over to Pen-y-ghent had a walk and spent a comfortable night in it. I guess it would be a bit cold sitting in it in the evening from now on but looking forward to next spring.

Ron
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Post by mister munkey » Sun Oct 07, 2007 4:50 pm

Hi Ron,

Stick this guy on your list. He's straight, honest & (most importantly) knows his Bongo's. Recommended to me by Elams in Mirfield - they farm out work to him when they get snowed under. He took in a leaky bag of nails at 8am Friday, by half ten he'd identified the faults & 24 hours later we collected a fantastically restored vehicle - with a 12 month parts & labour thrown in.

Along the lines of "you get what you pay for", I'd say it was money well spent. Piece of mind & many more years Bongoing is priceless. The bill was a bit of a shock though. £1130 all in. Bear in mind though, this included a complete new head, hoses that needed to be replaced, oil change, filters etc. . .

It would have been half that if I had been prepared to wait for the original head to be sent off & repaired/skimmed.

Just got back from our 1st night out. & yes indeed - 'tis pretty chilly out at this time of year but still had a cracking night up on the hills near Kettlewell. Blissful morning munching bacon & beans while watching Hamilton screw up his F1 hopes, had a few sheep around to watch the last few laps too!

This Bongo lark is the bees knees. Should have done it years ago :!:


Happy Trails,
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