Temp gauge normal behaviour

[ToolkiT]

start it up

then feel pipes to front lower radiator

if they get warm then stats open

or has had guts removed

mmmm if that is the case, how bad would that be??
i.e. should I cancel my planned trip?

[Muzorewa]

It's easy to remedy. But if that's how it is, is it masking an inherent problem?

You could do with being 100% confident in it before embarking on a big trip

[mikeWalsall]

Re; the lead ..

Has anyone any experience of these?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/U480-Any-car- ... OC:GB:3160

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diagnostic-To ... OC:GB:3160

The scanner works fine on our Yeti but completely dead on the Bongo with the adapter cable.
So, either the adapter is knackered or it simply won't work on the Bongo.
If I can get it to work it could be invaluable.
Any ideas please.

[ToolkiT]

Re; the lead ..

Has anyone any experience of these?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/U480-Any-car- ... OC:GB:3160

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Diagnostic-To ... OC:GB:3160

The scanner works fine on our Yeti but completely dead on the Bongo with the adapter cable.
So, either the adapter is knackered or it simply won't work on the Bongo.
If I can get it to work it could be invaluable.
Any ideas please.

Cable should be there tomorrow, I'll let you know if it works for me..

I drove the Freda for about 5 miles and the temp gauge actually went up a bit:

So hopefully this is all just a bit of a scare and the seller did fix it properly... fingers crossed..

[wonkanoby]

and was the bottom hose still cold

[Northern Bongolow]

to test if the stat is present, grab the bottom hose that leaves the rad bottom, get someone to lift the passy seat to listen, then squeeze hard repeatedly, if its there you should hear a light clicking, this is the jiggle pin in the stat lifting/dropping.

the stat maybe stuck open though, but it is a guide.

[mikeWalsall]

A point to remember with the temperature gauge .. it is like a number of Japanese manufactures in that it as a 'dead zone' ..

It will normally raise and sit at 10.45 - 11 o'clock regardless of any fluctuations in the engines real temperature ..

A few have found to there cost if it as risen well over the 'normal' level it is to late and the engine has actually over heated ..

There are various 'fixes' to get the gauge to read 'true' or gadgets to give a more realistic temperature read out ..

From all accounts it is fairly common to remove the thermostat as some after market ones do not have the 'wiggle pin' that the OEM version has which can cause bleeding / overheating problems ..

The mid engined Bongo is very un for giving with air entering the cooling system .. do not be tempted to simply remove any coolant part .. top up with coolant and be away .. as (in my opinion) it needs either vacuum bleeding ... or this more involved method ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRAKOSxg ... re=related

[ToolkiT]

and was the bottom hose still cold

nope, both were warm.

[wonkanoby]

try from cold

but if gauge was as in picture it should have still been cold

[ToolkiT]

try from cold

Bottom one is a bit slower to warm up than top, and stays slightly cooler.

[Driver+Passengers]

I understand that connector will not give you temperature. There are two coolant temperature sensors (http://mazdabongo.wikispaces.com/Parts): part 6 is wired directly to the dash gauge and part 26 to the ECU for rad-fan control, neither of which is patched to the diagnostic connector. You can probe part 6 for voltage, but it's not going to give you reliable information.

Squeezing the bottom hose and listening for the jiggle pin is a good measure. If the stat is closed, coolant will enter and leave the top of the radiator. If the stat is open or missing, coolant will also leave the bottom of the radiator and the bottom hose will warm up. Running temperature to open the stat is >82degC, so the bottom hose will be significantly warm to the touch if the stat is open/missing. Borrow a laser/ir temperature gun or compare with the temperature of the hose that leaves the head just below part 6.

If you put your location in your profile, someone local might be able to give you a hand.

If you're paranoid - either modify the dash temperature gauge to eliminate the dead-zone (you'll see temp changes when going up/down hills), and/or get an after-market temperature sensor. Search for the TM4, or similar. You could do worse than to install a low-coolant alarm, too.

[ToolkiT]

Thanks, I've updated my location (which is Reading BTW)

I've ordered a adaptor cable so I can read out the engine diagnostics on my sat-nav screen as backup of the temp. gauge..

I'll look into the low coolant alarm too, any recommendations?

[mikeWalsall]

I understand that connector will not give you temperature. There are two coolant temperature sensors (http://mazdabongo.wikispaces.com/Parts): part 6 is wired directly to the dash gauge and part 26 to the ECU for rad-fan control, neither of which is patched to the diagnostic connector...............

I don't think any one as found a reader or a compatible lead / s0ftware to read the OBD ..

Most tend to fit the Haydn low coolant alarm ..

http://www.enginesaver.com.au/images/fit.pdf

But .. look on eBay as there are different versions available from various sellers ..