what is the recommended coolant - V6

[bongomike]

I'm going to do a coolant change and bleed this week following Haydn and Kirstie youtube videos.

Is there a recommended coolant I should be using? Here in Oz there is Red or Green coolant and It looks like it's got green in the Bongo at the moment.

cheers
Michael

[teenmal]

I'm going to do a coolant change and bleed this week following Haydn and Kirstie youtube videos.

Is there a recommended coolant I should be using? Here in Oz there is Red or Green coolant and It looks like it's got green in the Bongo at the moment.

cheers
Michael

Hi Michael,

Haydn or Kirsty should be along shortly to answer your question,they are the experts on this subject.

Take care

[haydn callow]

If your doing a full coolant change...suggest you disconnect a couple of hoses....(rear heater...bottom hose.....bleed pipe) and flush loads of fresh water through....do that and you can put either type of coolant in (alloy suitable)...

[missfixit70]

Main point is, NOT to mix the coolant (as Haydn says, flush it thoroughly to be sure) & not to trust coolant colour, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Some use the longlife OAT stuff which is usually red & in theory you won't have to change it for 5 years (often has the added bonus of showing up in UV light, handy for leak detection), others (including myself) use the standard ethylene glycol stuff which has a 2 year life. The handbook says to use "Genuine longlife coolant" but to replace every 2 years
There are loads of discussions on coolant types on the forum of the various pros & cons, I haven't gone into it very much to be honest.
It will be worth a good check of hoses, pipes, sensors etc & a new genuine thermostat would be a good preventative maintenance measure while you're at it.

[bongomike]

ok will do thanks, I have been looking on the web to find out how many litres the V6 Bongo holds but can't find it anywhere, do you know?

[missfixit70]

Handbook says 13 litres the same as for the diesel.
You'll find from what you think is empty, you will probably not get 13 litres in, as pockets of water will be left in the system, hence the importance of flushing until the water runs clear. Personally I won't use premix for this reason, I put in the neat coolant calculated to get the right concentration for the system first, then top up with fresh water.

[bongomike]

thanks I think I need to get myself a handbook.

So are you saying pour in the right mount of coolant into the Bongo first and then the water and let the system mix it instead of mixing it in a bucket or something?

Is there a right concentration for the Bongo or just what it says on the coolant bottle, sorry for all the dumb questions, I just want to get it right

thanks
Michael

[missfixit70]

Follow what the coolant instructions say, usually a maximum of @50%. The system mixes it up fine while you're bleeding it.

[bongomike]

Thanks Kirstie

that's enough questions for today that's another drink I owe you.

[missfixit70]

Not at all, tis what the forum's about, people helping each other out & pointing them in (hopefully) the right direction.