BONGO DIESEL - THICK GLUPE IN COOLANT

[jason-axminster]

hello...first time post for me on the site, howdy bongonauts

Have an issue with my 96 Bongo 2wd Diesel.. bought 10 months ago, with a head gasket (done by a garage a few months prior to my purchase, have receipt.

3000 miles later
A coolant hose split 4 months ago, and coolant and grey thick sludge was thrown all over exhaust...
repaired, and coolant replaced using the see-saw method as described...
same thing again, a month and 500 miles later, another hose split, again spraying sludge all over engine...
Header tank and radiator top full of sludge...
When sludge settled and cooled over time, separated out to some sort of black viscous goo.

So where is sludge coming from? Assumed engine oil getting in to coolant, via a cracked head that wasnt noticed in gasket change?
Could it be gunk still in the coolant system from gasket change last year?

However spoke to a Bongo Specialist repairer and he suggested could be power steering fluid, and some seals that have gone. Does the power steering fluid get cooled via the radiator?

The bongo has used about a pint of oil in the last few thousand miles, but has a few dribbles n leakes, and has also used power steering fluid, again probably about 300ml in a few thousand miles

The engine has not been overheating, there is oodles of power, starts first time, no smoking, and there is no emulsion in the engine oil...

Have a limited budget available and was wondering what you bongonauts advice would be to sort this...

Anyone heard of power steering fluid getting in to the coolant?

thanks
J

[teenmal]

You need to ask the Specialist again. I think you have probably misunderstood him/her, the Automatic Transmission Fluid is more likely to be the cause.

[haydn callow]

I wonder if :- before the cylinder head was replaced 3000 miles ago :- someone tried to bodge it with a load of rad weld or what have you.
Then when the head was replaced it wasn't fully drained and just topped up with a different type coolant......everything has now emulsified and made a dupe.
Suggest you check every coolant pipe and replace all suspect ones, replace the radiator and spend a lot of time flushing out the system whilst rad is out. The refill with blue universal coolant and fit a coolant alarm.

[Bongolia]

Transmission fluid is run through pipework in the rad to cool it and they can and do leek, the consequence of that in a total fail can write off the gearbox. P/steering fluid is not cooled.
As Teenmal says it could be that the mechanic was referring to, but what would concern me is that the sludge is black.

If you are getting black sludge in your coolant and it is black and not very dark red, I would be suspecting soot/combustion gases entering the coolant system.
Very small combustion chamber/ bore cracks can be affected by differing engine temperatures .
I have known engines that pressured when cold but were OK when at higher temperature and vice versa.
Others on here will know if Bongo is wet liner but bore leakage like that is more common in wet liners engines.

So is your Auto fluid clean and red?
Is it at the right level?
If yes then a good flush with a Bio flusher like that sold by Forte, trade only, but I have seen it on Ebay, refill and bleed, may need two goes.
Then closely monitor it over time.
If you have any doubt about the ATF portion of the radiator then swop the rad out to be safe then monitor.

[cmm303]

I note that only the head gasket is reported as being replaced. Worth keeping in mind that it is very rare, though not unheard of, for only the gasket to fail. Normally head has cracked. Pure conjecture, but trying to save on an head replacement with gunge additive is a possibility.

I'm with all previous posters' advice. Check ATF. Clean cooling system thoroughly to get to a known base point and monitor from there.

Can oil, coolant or exhaust get mixed up if something leaks in the turbo?

[teenmal]

Transmission fluid is run through pipework in the rad to cool it and they can and do leek, the consequence of that in a total fail can write off the gearbox. P/steering fluid is not cooled.
As Teenmal says it could be that the mechanic was referring to, but what would concern me is that the sludge is black.

If you are getting black sludge in your coolant and it is black and not very dark red, I would be suspecting soot/combustion gases entering the coolant system.
Very small combustion chamber/ bore cracks can be affected by differing engine temperatures .
I have known engines that pressured when cold but were OK when at higher temperature and vice versa.
Others on here will know if Bongo is wet liner but bore leakage like that is more common in wet liners engines.

So is your Auto fluid clean and red?
Is it at the right level?
If yes then a good flush with a Bio flusher like that sold by Forte, trade only, but I have seen it on Ebay, refill and bleed, may need two goes.
Then closely monitor it over time.
If you have any doubt about the ATF portion of the radiator then swop the rad out to be safe then monitor.

No wet liners involved, I can imagine that the scrap yards would be piled high with these old tubs if wet liners were used.