westonwarrior wrote:There is a theory that the bongo coolant system mostly copes with the normal running without the thermostat opening and then only when under pressure it opens fully and the full circuit comes into use.
This would explaine why a normaly behaving bongo plays up when towing and can be a reason why a sudden failier happens like a damaged gasket or head.
the way it was explained to me was the bongo runns for years with no problams and the crud settles at the bottom with the thermostat not opening properly , then a long run or start towing and the themostat opens fully and all the silt gets disturbed and goes round the system blocking, say, the rad which causes an overheating problem.
This also explains why the bottom hose mostly stays cool when in normal use and why a coolant change is needed every 2 years.
All that said to say check /change the radiator,thermostat and flush the system as there must be a blockage somewhere
Not my theory but some ones who knows far more than me.
That sounds reasonable enough to me...
Rogrech? It could well be an airlock in the cooling system, There's no way your bongo should overheat with the caravan attached in this weather.
The radiator fans can be unplugged where the connector block meets on the side of the engine under the drivers side, this (unusually) makes the rad fans run constantly, as opposed to the temp sender switching the fans on and off.
It may be an idea to try the bongo with caravan in tow with the fans running constantly, to see if that stabilizes the temp,get it straight to the garage, plug the connector back in, then let the head mechanic take the bongo up the road to see for himself.
It might be worth him checking the braking system of the caravan too whilst there. (just in case)
Lastly, you haven't had a mason alarm fitted recently have you?
from Devon (complete with caravan on the back) after overheating.
