Mysterious noise from behind the dashboard

[Helen44]

I really hope this question doesn't sound stupid, but will leaving the car stationary without coolant in it cause any issues? We are not going to drive it anywhere, based on the advice of board members, but is it imperative that we sort it out now?

Holiday plans mean that we are probably not going to be able to get it in to a garage now for a fortnight or maybe longer, due to our availability not matching with that of the garage.

[wonkanoby]

no issues

[Bob]

Agree.

[Helen44]

Right, after much to do, we finally got the Bongo to the garage recommended to us on the forum.

The mechanic was able to give it a quick look over and he says that the head gasket looks damaged and therefore it is likely that the cylinder head is broken too. He said that there was also evidence of leakage from the coolant system.

Would either of these issues cause misfiring when the vehicle starts? Cause if so, we have been hearing this noise for 12 months, since we had a new head gasket and coolant system put in by a different garage, almost straight after we bought the car. As non-experts, we were told by our original garage that this misfiring was just something that happened in automatic diesel vehicles, and that it wasnt actually an issue.

[cmm303]

the mechanic will confirm ....

Right, after much to do, we finally got the Bongo to the garage recommended to us on the forum.

The mechanic was able to give it a quick look over and he says that the head gasket looks damaged and therefore it is likely that the cylinder head is broken too.

In all probability it wasn't just the gasket that needed repairing first time around

He said that there was also evidence of leakage from the coolant system.

Would either of these issues cause misfiring when the vehicle starts?

Quite possible but not necessarily

Cause if so, we have been hearing this noise for 12 months, since we had a new head gasket and coolant system put in by a different garage, almost straight after we bought the car. As non-experts, we were told by our original garage that this misfiring was just something that happened in automatic diesel vehicles,

Twoddle. An up together Bongo starts, idles and runs smoothly when cold (vegetable oil burners excepted), as does any other half decent diesel and the auto gearbox has nothing to do with it

and that it wasnt actually an issue.

Hope this doesn't come as too big a surprise to you.

[Helen44]

It came as a small surprise, purely because the garage that told us this is 'supposed' to be a Bongo specialist. As complete newb to old vehicles, we naively believed that this problem was not a problem, because our garage told us it wasn't.

Hopefully our new garage will be more reliable and honest

[cmm303]

It came as a small surprise, purely because the garage that told us this is 'supposed' to be a Bongo specialist. As complete newb to old vehicles, we naively believed that this problem was not a problem, because our garage told us it wasn't.

Hopefully our new garage will be more reliable and honest

That is a real shame. Made me double check my answers to your points and just to be clear, a cooling system external leak itself won't cause misfiring on startup but a cooling system leak inside a damaged cylinder head could result in misfiring. Also an external leak could result in overheating and consequential damage to the cylinder head and gasket, which can in turn result in misfiring. On the other hand misfiring when cold can be, and often is from other things unrelated. My earlier quick answer could have been misleading.

[helen&tony]

Hi
In 11 years of membership, I haven't heard of head gaskets going...well...let's say once , just to be on the safe side. Heads are sometimes a problem...not gaskets...so judge for yourself whether the advice you've been given is truth or bullshine.
Possibly your best bet would be to go to one of the few highly credited garages, even if it means getting a local firm to ship the Bongo...trust me, it's not as dear as you'd think, and it WILL save you money getting the job done properly , and you'll get a fair few good years of motoring once done!
Cheers
Helen

[Helen44]

I thought head gaskets were supposed to be a notorious problem on the Bongo?

The garage is going to send over full details later I think, cause he asked us to order the parts from "the Bongo Club" (which I assume means Bongo Fury!)

When you say one of the few highly credited garages, what do you mean?

[haydn callow]

I thought head gaskets were supposed to be a notorious problem on the Bongo?

The garage is going to send over full details later I think, cause he asked us to order the parts from "the Bongo Club" (which I assume means Bongo Fury!)

When you say one of the few highly credited garages, what do you mean?

Normally the cylinder head rather than the gasket

[helen&tony]

Hi
There are a fair few garages dotted around who have experience of a LOT of bongos, and can sort you out, but in theory any garage could tackle a cylinder head...The bleeding is another matter! I can only repeat what I've said, and as Haydn says...it's the heads that go when the cooling system fails...very rarely head gaskets.
Cheers
Helen

[cmm303]

I thought head gaskets were supposed to be a notorious problem on the Bongo?

The garage is going to send over full details later I think, cause he asked us to order the parts from "the Bongo Club" (which I assume means Bongo Fury!)

When you say one of the few highly credited garages, what do you mean?

Normally the cylinder head rather than the gasket

I recall only one person (SJ) on here reporting a knackered gasket with a cylinder head in tact

[Helen44]

I suspect that if there is a problem with the actual head gasket, then it is an issue which has been caused by the original (supposedly specialist) garage that we used a year ago. Three separate mechanics have raised small criticisms of their work, although we initially dismissed the concerns, because the first two weren't confident about working with Bongos. One even said that if any of his lads had done a certain bit of work on it (i can't remember what component he was talking about at the time), he would have asked them to redo it (he went on to say that this was just his opinion since he had never worked with a Bongo before).

I know, I know, we feel pretty stupid...

The garage which we have the car with now has been recommended to us by a forum member whose opinions I value, so here is hoping we can get it sorted out without too much hassle. Thanks for the advice, and I will keep everyone posted as to the outcome.

[mikeonb4c]

In my experience garages are a bit prone to practising one-upmanship on each other. I'd try to ignore it. However, it should be standard practice to send a head for pressure testing once removed and before just a new gasket is fitted. My Bongo mechanic says in 8 out of 10 cases, it's the head that's cracked.