Bongo took a coolant dump ( leak )

[zippy]

So been at my Grandad's for 3 weeks ish, helping him, and pack bongo for trip home yesturday.

Alarm... so very lucky I wasn't somewhere really inconvenient.

There is a small patch of un-dry under the gearbox area / back of belly pan.

Where do I need to fill the bugger to identify the leak? What should I be using, liquid wise, to find the leak?

I moved it to other side of drive, so it's not in the way, whilst cold.

Will go back to it after Funeral on Tuesday.

[mikeonb4c]

So been at my Grandad's for 3 weeks ish, helping him, and pack bongo for trip home yesturday.

Alarm... so very lucky I wasn't somewhere really inconvenient.

There is a small patch of un-dry under the gearbox area / back of belly pan.

Where do I need to fill the bugger to identify the leak? What should I be using, liquid wise, to find the leak?

I moved it to other side of drive, so it's not in the way, whilst cold.

Will go back to it after Funeral on Tuesday.

Has the level dropped below the header tank Zippy? If not you should be OK to top it up there and drive. Then make sure you're carrying plenty of spare water (ideally you should have 50/50 coolant mix but since you'll be having it all drained soon in order to fix the leak it doesn't really matter. Take it for a test drive to get the engine hot and assess how quickly its losing coolant. Base your travel decisions on what you find, distance to home/ Bongo garage /Have got breakdown cover etc.

If level has dropped below header tank, you musn't drive it for more than a handful of minutes.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Mike

[dnitu001]

Hello zippy

my sympathys to you and your family.

Had this problem a few weeks back. I lost coolant in the header tank. Hayden alarm sounding? (same as yours)

First my advice. (get a stick and put it in the header tank) See the you tube video for advice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRAKOSxgbKo and see if their is any coolant in it?

see what hyden is doing at the header tank.

if this is empty then take advice from others. (as mike says, do not drive) seek advice.

if their is some coolant in the header tank, - then add 50/50 coolant water. Careful I understand their is blue and pink, Don't mix. Use a turkey baster as they are cheap at the moment. (you you cannot get any then follow the advice of others)

I understand their is UV dye and torches you can get to help find leakes. (I have put this in my system to look for leakes) I had no leakes and was just a poor quality bleed from the garage. You have time to order uV kit from the garage from the internet. prior to tuesday. (though you may have more important things to think about.)

I then with the coolant tank topped up. ran my van up to temp watching for loss of coolant and temp. (I have both a hayden and mason alarm on my van)

waited for the bottom hose to get hot and looked for cooolant loss with both seats off.
Also made sure that I had both heaters on and blowing hot. Took at least 45 mins, including 2000revs when heaters starting to blow hot. Watching the coolant level all the time. and the hyden alarm and the mason alarm.

(I have side converstion. so drivers has to come out to have a good look around.)

Then left it to go cold and made sure the coolant did not drop using a stick in the header tank. (ensure you don't undu to the cap when the system is hot.) I almost forgot that one.

then when all was ok I took it out for a drive and it was ok with the top up.

[Bongoplod]

Pour some bright red paint into the header tank Damien,(one of those small trial pots from B&Q should be enough) that`ll show where its leaking from

Brian

[Simon Jones]

Alternatively, you can get UV dye quite cheaply like this and sometimes you can get a kit with torch too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MASTERCOOL-EN ... SwAL9Uhu78