Radiator Blocked

[Mike Jill and Emily]

I have thought that my cooling system was not up to scratch for a while. I did replace the fan sensor on the block which improved matters but still it was getting very hot on hills resulting in the Mason Alarm (Thanks for stopping me blowing my top Dave ) starting to twitter (heaters on full fan managed to get the temp down though)

Before we went to Anglesey I checked the lower hose (warm), top hose (hot) and what I could get to of the radiator surface (cold) - so we took it very steady on the trip and when we got home I removed the Rad and found that there was a strip about 4 inches wide that actually got hot when filled with boiling water and the flow was pathetic. Radflush failed to do any good although it did shift a serious amount of crud so I have a new rad and stat on the way and the bleeding instructions to hand.

The Bongo had had problems b4 we got it and had had a new head fitted - the dealer (Related to the Lone Ranger I think) said that it was due to the stat sticking, but it makes me wonder if they knew the rad was blocked and just wanted rid

So - a big thanks to the fact sheet on overheating and to all the posts i have trawled through in my quest for cooling - Bongo Fury saves the day again

[missfixit70]

Nice one for spotting it before it got to be a big problem .
Once it's fitted are you gona cut the old one open to see how bad it is?

[mikeonb4c]

Hope the 'fix' goes well - sounds like it should. Good luck and keep us posted

[Mike Jill and Emily]

Nice one for spotting it before it got to be a big problem .
Once it's fitted are you gona cut the old one open to see how bad it is?

I will get my hacksaw and camera out as soon as the new one is in

The thermostat is a little fiddly to get out a'int it Luckily I have a wibbly-wobbly in my socket set (universal joint b4 anyone starts to be funny )

[Doone]

The Bongo had had problems b4 we got it and had had a new head fitted - the dealer (Related to the Lone Ranger I think) said that it was due to the stat sticking, but it makes me wonder if they knew the rad was blocked and just wanted rid

It is important to find out why it overheated in the first place and commonly it's due to a blocked radiator. When the radiators get so full of muck, it's a wonder they keep going for as long as they do. Last week Allan took the heaviest one ever out of a bongo. It had sooo much crud in it, he reckoned it weighed almost as much when empty of coolant as when it was 'full'.

[mikeonb4c]

The Bongo had had problems b4 we got it and had had a new head fitted - the dealer (Related to the Lone Ranger I think) said that it was due to the stat sticking, but it makes me wonder if they knew the rad was blocked and just wanted rid

It is important to find out why it overheated in the first place and commonly it's due to a blocked radiator. When the radiators get so full of muck, it's a wonder they keep going for as long as they do. Last week Allan took the heaviest one ever out of a bongo. It had sooo much crud in it, he reckoned it weighed almost as much when empty of coolant as when it was 'full'.

Hear hear

Sounds like you guys have just done your Bongo the favour the previous owner should have done it (but after the bill for the head may have been in denial!)

[missfixit70]

Nice one for spotting it before it got to be a big problem .
Once it's fitted are you gona cut the old one open to see how bad it is?

I will get my hacksaw and camera out as soon as the new one is in

The thermostat is a little fiddly to get out a'int it Luckily I have a wibbly-wobbly in my socket set (universal joint b4 anyone starts to be funny )

It wasn't too bad with my 2wd, once you've moved the dipstick to the side, but it's not the easiest.

The Bongo had had problems b4 we got it and had had a new head fitted - the dealer (Related to the Lone Ranger I think) said that it was due to the stat sticking, but it makes me wonder if they knew the rad was blocked and just wanted rid

It is important to find out why it overheated in the first place and commonly it's due to a blocked radiator. When the radiators get so full of muck, it's a wonder they keep going for as long as they do. Last week Allan took the heaviest one ever out of a bongo. It had sooo much crud in it, he reckoned it weighed almost as much when empty of coolant as when it was 'full'.

Good point Lorna, trouble is for most of the time the rad is doing next to nothing IMO, hence it gets so sludged & doesn't really bother it, but when the rad is called on to do what it's supposed to & it can't, that's when the problems start.

[Mike Jill and Emily]

It certainly seems that for most of the time the Bongo does not really need the radiator - it was only on long hills that I noticed a problem, or with heavy loads.

Still - delivery is due tomorrow - Tues at the latest, we may be using the little tent and the Micra if we go away this weekend

[stilldesperate]

Did my rad last month, don't forget to check the ATF level after it's all back together!

SD

[kelv]

Did my rad last month, don't forget to check the ATF level after it's all back together!

SD

How does the water level in the rad effect the level of the transmission fluid in the gearbox ?

[missfixit70]

There's an oil cooler from the atf in the bottom of the rad

[kelv]

There's an oil cooler from the atf in the bottom of the rad

OK.
Does the ATF circulate with the water then ?
Or do you need to drain it separately when flushing the rad.

Never dealt with an ATF oild cooler before, last rad I removed was from a Morris Ital

[missfixit70]

There's an oil cooler from the atf in the bottom of the rad

OK.
Does the ATF circulate with the water then ?
Or do you need to drain it separately when flushing the rad.

Never dealt with an ATF oild cooler before, last rad I removed was from a Morris Ital

There is a seperate oil cooler cylinder in the bottom of the rad, obviously the oil does not circulate or mix with the water.
If you want to flush the rad in situ, you don't have to worry about the oil cooler at all, it's just when you take out the rad, you'll probably lose a bit of oil out of the cooler. Not done one myself, but have blown through the oil cooler & pipework when I changed my ATF.

[missfixit70]

http://translate.google.com/translate?p ... ry_state0= Find the replacement radiator section & scroll down for pics, read the words for laughs

[Mike Jill and Emily]

Ok - Kirsty, here are your pics.

I prised the plastic top and bottom covers off and the top was not that bad - probably only a third of the channels were fully blocked...... but the bottom

And this was after 2 full days soaking in hot radflush