my bongo-should i keep it or sell?

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:11 pm

That's interesting that it doesn't seem to make any difference when you swap two leads over,it implies that your engine is running on four cylinders at the most....Did i read somewhere that you have an oil leak that is contaminating the plugs also?

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:12 pm

As an afterthought, is there numbers for the firing order on the plug leads?

Do they tally with the numbers on the coil pack?

francophile1947 · Post by **francophile1947** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:16 pm

Even more interesting Ste, that it makes no difference if BOTH leads are disconnected

dandywarhol · Post by **dandywarhol** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:20 pm

lizard wrote:
francophile1947 wrote:If you're doing the rocker cover gaskets, you can check the cams for wear at the same time. Contact Mazda dealer for prices of cams and tappets and take it from there.
It might also be worth trying the ATF trick for silencing the tappets.
As your car has been stood for so long, I'd give it a little while before giving up - it's amazing what a good run can do for a "sticky" engine.

The ATF trick wouldn't be an Italian tune up, by any chance.

Fuciffanno....................

hogggman · Post by **hogggman** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:23 pm

hi,
yes,there is oil contamination on 3 plugs,but not sure if/how many are/are not running.i don`t see any numbers on the leads,but the guy who imported it has put l-m- r (left-middle-right,i assume)on the plug leads.forgive me,but i only straed looking the bongo over this last weekend,and as yet i don`t know where the distributor or coils are.
thankyou
jamie

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:32 pm

If the "other" end of the leads i.e. opposite ends of the plugs go to a black box,then that is the coil pack, these can fail, but chances are they will be expensive, it'd be good if a local v6 owner could temporarily swap this item with yours (after new plugs are fitted) to isolate the problem.

At least it will narrow down the amount of new parts you start chucking at the bongo,its throwing good money after bad with that kind of guesswork.

Have you tried a locally respected mobile tuner? Bongo knowledge or not, a decent tune up bloke could pinpoint the problem in no time at all,the priciples are the same no matter what vehicle the engine is fitted to...

The Great Pretender · Post by **The Great Pretender** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:13 pm

Have you done a compression test hogggman?

apole · Post by **apole** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:47 am

Hi,

It maybe worth investing in some spark plug testers, saw some ones in halfords the other day, 4 for under £5. That is a quick and cheap way to see if the spark is arriving at each plug.

Personally I'd do that first, then leave compression testing etc to a good local mechanic, and hour or so of his time would put you in a better position to know what could be wrong.

BTW how does it drive, if it's only firiing on 4 or 5 then surely it would be pretty slow and underpowered?

Keep us posted and don't give up.

Andy

dp bradford · Post by **dp bradford** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:21 pm

francophile1947 wrote: Hi hogggman
I used to be a Mazda Technician and when it came to rattly tappets Mazda technical advised an oil change and when refilling the oil you should add 1 ltr of ATF and believe it or not it does work I have done it several times including on an old Audi 80 sport I had and yes it worked on that as well.

Favourite trick with the Rover V8 was to drain around a litre of oil out and then run the engine whilst rapidly pouring the oil back in. Cured sticking tappets for me

Dave

Glenda · Post by **Glenda** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:00 pm

Favourite trick with the Rover V8 was to drain around a litre of oil out and then run the engine whilst rapidly pouring the oil back in. Cured sticking tappets for me

Dave[/quote]

I am changing my oil filter in a week or so and will try this trick. Will post if succesful.