Replacing hoses ? could this cause more problems ?

[mayk19]

Dropped the bongo in today at Garage to have all the coolant hoses replaced with new ones.. They were a bit concerned that during removal / re-fitting they could disturb all the Steel pipes causing leeking issues. The only leek I've had so far from the Engine HAS been through a Steel pipe from the Turbo... Should they be concerned ?

Cheers.

[missfixit70]

If your steel pipes are that dodgy, it's best they do have problems while it's in the garage rather than on the road, if they look crap from the outside - get them replaced - they'll be way worse inside. Whatever happens, as long as you've got a coolant alarm & you stop when it goes off, there shouldn't be any damage. Are they ok on the bleeding procedure?

[trekie]

dont take it to a welsh garage if you have problems with leeks

cheers

alex and jan

[mayk19]

lol ! doh, I'm so terrible at spelling !

Yeh, have a coolant alarm, so just stopped if it goes off. They have done work 3 times on the coolant system so far and there has been no issue with the bleed. There proper old fashioned car engineers, not part replacers

BTW, as they know so much amount my Bongo now, they would be good to work on others. The garage is George Poole Ltd, Watford Bridge industrial estate in New Mills, Derbyshire. 01663 742168

ta.

[missfixit70]

I agree fully with the preventative measure of fitting the hoses - I've fitted some myself got the rest waiting to go on, but there are many other causes of leaks. The coolant alarm has proved itself over & over, several times just after new hoses have been fitted . They are not the definitive answer to coolant problems nor have they ever been hailed as such, but they will decrease the chance of engine damage greatly, especially if fited with a Mason temp alarm or TM2 I'm not going to get drawn into a debate over it - it's all been said before It's just a recommendation & an opinion on my part Keefy

[missfixit70]

lol ! doh, I'm so terrible at spelling !

Yeh, have a coolant alarm, so just stopped if it goes off. They have done work 3 times on the coolant system so far and there has been no issue with the bleed. There proper old fashioned car engineers, not part replacers

BTW, as they know so much amount my Bongo now, they would be good to work on others. The garage is George Poole Ltd, Watford Bridge industrial estate in New Mills, Derbyshire. 01663 742168

ta.

Be worth emailing that to Ian to go on the recommended list

[Harry]

I followed the debate re Haydn's alarms for a long time before finally taking the plunge.

I've had a total of 7 water loss incidents in the past 3 years (1 radiator, 1 water pump and 5 hose leaks), the last of which involved a hose that was replaced brand new 3 weeks earlier and had sprung a pinhole leak.

In every case except one I was alerted to the potential problem through my daily coolant level checks (as part of my routine as I average about 1,000km per week) thus averting major overheats although I have 'cooked' the engine 3 times but stopped very quickly.

The most worrying incident was when the bleed hose failed suddenly whilst out in the third lane of the M6 in bank holiday traffic and caused the cab to fill with staem. Taking my life in my hands I pulled over asap and fortunately no damage was done to the engine...only to my nerves.

So, in my experience catastrophic water leaks are the exception. Usually it starts with a pinhole leak or minor crack and a slow leak.

Ignoring the 'syphoning' argument about which I'm unsure, most leaks can be detected early through monitoring the level of the coolant in the expansion tank...threfore Haydn's alarm checks my coolant level at least every time I shut the engine down and then restart it instead of my having to do so manually. Considering the 'syphoning' argument it may or may not warn me of a catastrophic leak whilst I'm driving but in my experience this rarely happens anyway.

cheers

H

[missfixit70]

I'm agreeing with you on the preventative maintenance issue Keith ie replacing the hoses & pipes, but that in itself will not elliminate any coolant system issues & it woul be very naiive to think it would.
There are many other component failures that could result in coolant loss: radiator, waterpump, turbo seals just for starters - all proven scenarios that have arisen with members of this forum, all which would have been/have been picked up by the coolant alarm. Are you proposing that these components are replaced as a matter of course? I would love to be able to to have that peace of mind, but have to draw the line somewhere, by fitting these alarms it gives me a measure of confidence to be able to draw that line until such a time as I can afford to or have to replace any of those other coolant system components.
I am not proposing that the alarms are fitted instead of new hoses, but as well as. I fitted the coolant & mason alarm before I fitted the hoses, Luckily it didn't go off, but only by chance did I have occasion to have the seats up & check the engine twice in the same week & notice a pinhole on the top hose that hadn't even started becoming noticeble a few days before.
A coolant alarm at @£70 is a lot cheaper than a FULL set of hoses which I don't think you would get for less than £200 (add in the new clips too & labour if you can't do it yourself) Even if you add in the Mason alarm, it's still under £100, admittedly more if you go for the TM2 - but I see that more as luxury than an ideal
I take on board your opinions Keith, it gives balance as you say, but it doesn't change mine & I will continue to recommend that people fit alarms, as will many of the members on here. This is from a background of working as a qualified engineer on board oil & gas tankers that RELY on a full alarm system despite continous maintenance & checks of all the systems - including the coolant systems
Now look what you've started Mayk19.
I'm off to fit some pointless pimps to my Bongo

[bigdaddycain]

threfore Haydn's alarm checks my coolant level at least every time I shut the engine down and then restart it instead of my having to do so manually.

cheers

H

That's the main reason i invested in the alarms harry, they have paid for themselves in convenience alone.

[missfixit70]

Anyone fancy a drink, now we've got that off our chests

[Peg leg Pete]

I can see both sides to this debate When I had overheating problems, the expansion tank was blowing out coolant, I reckon that if I had a coolant alarm fitted it would not have gone off, but the steam and loud bubbling sound alerted me to the problem
Now I am off for a drink

[Raff]

I don't, fingers crossed have a coolant / leak problem but for peace of mind I'm considering replacing the coolant hoses. I don't think I could stretch my finances to replacing them all. Which would I replace as a priority.

[missfixit70]

I think the main ones to have problems are the 4 larger hoses to & from the rad, the one over the top of the starter motor under the drivers seat, & the bleed hose chafing on the alternator.

[Raff]

I think the main ones to have problems are the 4 larger hoses to & from the rad, the one over the top of the starter motor under the drivers seat, & the bleed hose chafing on the alternator.

Would these be the 4 that Flippa is selling as a set on Ebay

[missfixit70]

These ones? - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAZDA-BONGO-SILIC ... m153.l1262 - yep. Contact him through the "contact seller" or pm him through the forum & let him know which ones you want, or ask him which ones he sells most of? See if he's selling the clips as well, if not don't use cheap rubbish, bigdaddycain managed to source some top notch ones via Manflex.