Technical questions and answers about the Mazda Bongo
Moderators: Doone, westonwarrior
-
dobby
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2622
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Post
by dobby » Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:59 pm
During the Dobby Bongo losing coolant sagas I removed the Mason alarm. Should I refit it?. The bongo ran a bit hot previously (or did it?)
All the mason alarm seemed to do was woosh the needle further over to the right, then moved a bit more when then engine was working hard up and down the M6 etc.

-
kawasaki kid
- Tribal Elder
- Posts: 687
- Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:10 am
- Location: Liverpool
Post
by kawasaki kid » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:11 pm
I would refit it as the normal temp range is very slow to react and if you where to have any overheating problem in the future by the time the gauge reacted you may well have cooked your engine.
If I had all the money I ever spent on my Freda ............ I`d spend it on my Freda.
-
dobby
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2622
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Post
by dobby » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:20 pm
The problem is that I think that the Mason alarm just moves over a bit further and then if it gets hotter it moves only a bit more. The Mazda one never moves and then just whizzes over to the red once disaster has happened. Maybe the Mason Chirp is the best bit?
Where does your needle sit when the engines at normal op temperatures?
My bongo is now (on the standard set up) sitting neatly at 11.00 am with a head temp of 83c to 93c.
Maybe I should just refit it.
PS my other car is a bike as well 1973 Montesa Cota 247
-
scanner
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 7247
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:20 pm
- Location: Cambs
Post
by scanner » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:48 pm
My bongo is now (on the standard set up) sitting neatly at 11.00 am with a head temp of 83c to 93c.
Without a Mason to modify it I would be surprised if the standard gauge sat ANYWHERE other than 11 o'clock - that's all they ever do.
At least with a Mason fitted my needle does move about a bit and start chirping when it gets near 2 o'clock.
-
dobby
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2622
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Post
by dobby » Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:54 pm
scanner wrote:
At least with a Mason fitted my needle does move about a bit and start chirping when it gets near 2 o'clock.
Aye, but isn't 2.00pm pretty well over to the right and on the limit of movement? I guess the benefit is that the Mason Mod moves it before the standard version even realises the head has gone?
I think I'll refit it

-
bongomaan
Post
by bongomaan » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:19 am
two weeks ago in the snow my alternator belts went and i believe if it hadnt been for the mason alarm i would have defiantly cooked my motor.....ne pas brainer.....
-
Bob
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 15374
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:54 pm
- Location: North Somerset
Post
by Bob » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:21 am
Since you've got it, I think you may as well fit it.
At the very least you will have some space in a drawer/shelf, and it may just save the day.
-
dobby
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2622
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Post
by dobby » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:21 am
That's it, it's going back on.
Thanks Guys
-
cheffy34
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 1369
- Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:17 pm
- Location: Planet earth "mostly"
Post
by cheffy34 » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:33 am
Yes

All disclaimers count as i know nothing
BUY A V6er i like my affair with the petrol pump
-
missfixit70
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 12431
- Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2007 3:53 pm
- Location: weymouth
Post
by missfixit70 » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:24 am
dobby wrote:During the Dobby Bongo losing coolant sagas I removed the Mason alarm. Should I refit it?. The bongo ran a bit hot previously (or did it?)
All the mason alarm seemed to do was woosh the needle further over to the right, then moved a bit more when then engine was working hard up and down the M6 etc.

Is it just me being a bit dim, but isn't that part of the reason for fitting the Mason alarm? It makes the standard gauge more sensitive (as a temperature gauge should be), so that you can actually see when it is getting hot & react to it, it doesn't actually make it run hotter.
It's a no brainer - get it fitted, don't really understand why it was removed, if you were losing coolant, surely you'd want to know if it was overheating?
You can't polish a turd - but you can roll it in glitter.
-
dandywarhol
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 5446
- Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:18 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
Post
by dandywarhol » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:03 pm
Seems to me the Mason doohickey is telling you something - like the engine's overheating
Silted up radiator by any chance?
Whale oil beef hooked
Renault Lunar Telstar
Yamaha TD1C 250, Merc SLK200, KTM Duke 690
-
dobby
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2622
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Post
by dobby » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:32 pm
dandywarhol wrote:Seems to me the Mason doohickey is telling you something - like the engine's overheating
Silted up radiator by any chance?
The head temp guage is loads cooler than before the core plug incident so I reckon the flush throughs and new stat etc have sorted. i'm going to refit the mason this weekend and go from being blissfully ignorant to paranoid.
Need to master the art of driving with one eye on the temp guage the other on the digital guage

-
scanner
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 7247
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:20 pm
- Location: Cambs
Post
by scanner » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:20 am
dandywarhol wrote:Seems to me the Mason doohickey is telling you something - like the engine's overheating
Silted up radiator by any chance?
I hope I'm not being overly pedantic here DWH but as he has not yet refitted the MA it can't be "is" only "was" and maybe that it "was" stuck on 2 o'clock may just have had something to do with his problem.
Maybe after it is refitted it may not be quite so "heatedly right wing" in it's opinion.
-
dandywarhol
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 5446
- Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 10:18 pm
- Location: Edinburgh
Post
by dandywarhol » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:24 am
Hmmmmmm...............got me again............
__________________________________________
Pedants R Us
Whale oil beef hooked
Renault Lunar Telstar
Yamaha TD1C 250, Merc SLK200, KTM Duke 690
-
dobby
- Supreme Being
- Posts: 2622
- Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Post
by dobby » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:33 am
Pippin would have been proud of that one!
Nice debate on the mason alarms!
Will re-fit and see what the needle does