Cooling system service

[Merlot man]

Good evening all
I'm looking to,purchase a bongo in the near future and in paranoid about the coolant issue and I know when I get one the first thing I'll be considering is a full coolant system service / replacement , so my questions are :
. What are the most important items to replace , hoses , rad , pump, thermostat or all these ?
. I assume all the components should be original Mazda ?
. How many hoses are there in total ?
. What quantity and type of coolant to use ?
. Where is the best place to get all the required bits in terms of customer service and price ?
I understand that the bleeding is a bit of a faff but I'll get over that !
Any and all advice on this project would be greatly appreciated .
Before anyone says it , I fully intend in getting a Haydn LCA with temp read out .
I'm only new on this forum so please accept my apologies in advance for all the questions but I'm so excited about my potential purchase
Brian

[Bob]

Hi Brian, and welcome aboard.

We have people who can answer this far better than me, but as Mike has said on here the Techie Section can be like sitting in A&E.

You'd think all people had broken bones and cardiac failure. Good sense to be aware and ahead of the game, but many Bongos (with a little TLC) give years of fine service.

[Merlot man]

Thanks for the reply Bob and you are 100% correct in what you are saying .
Maybe what might work better for me is to know which bits/components are most likely to fail or wear out, in the communities experience , so by replacing them I improve the reliability of the bus so as to avoid a break down in France , were we will be bringing it a few times a year and avoid all the problems surrounding bleeding by mechanics who are not so bongo friendly as you would like ! (no offence ) I don't want a lazy thermostat or perished coolant hose to lead to poor bleeding leading to a head replacement
As ive said I haven't bought one yet but its in the pipeline very soon
Thank you all in advance for your advice
Brian

[windywatson]

Welcome to the fold.
A good source of information is :- Lushprojects Schematic diagrams. You will find links from this forum to it. You will then be able to have a look at the cooling system for either the V6 or diesel variant. This will help you appreciate the layout and your question about number of hoses etc. I have 2 bongos one being 97 Reg & other 2001, both vehicles cooling systems with respect to hoses have been great. In fact both are still on originals which is testament to the Mazda build quality. And also quality maintenance along the way. I have for the first time this week had the only coolant related issue when the older vans radiator has finally given up & sprung a leak, not bad for 19 years old.
You will only really know how your vehicle has faired once you have been able to give it a good inspection. I would suggest that then & only then will you know exactly what you would really like to have replaced. With respect to parts, they were not the most easy to get hold of things in the earlier days of importation. However as with the club & many now long standing Bongo related businesses parts are more readily available now due to demand. As well as the club I regularly us AVA leisure (bongobits.com) for parts. There are also now good quality pattern parts available. If you buy from businesses who are also using them on customers vehicles you are at least given some comfort in knowing that they are reliable. But as with anything else in life when committing to buying always do your research & of course as you have done, ask the club members for advice if needed.

Cheers & best of luck.

[cmm303]

I'd second windywatson's recommendation to plan your cooling system work once you've been able to give it a close inspection. Also results from monitoring temperature will help identify any areas for improvement.

Based on this forum, no component of the cooling system is immune as old age creeps up. Replacing the lot (rubber hoses, metal pipes, clips, pump, stat, sensor, rad, heaters, caps) is a big expensive job so most choose to selectively play the odds with the specific Bongo. Replacing the stat being high up there.

Before doing a long rural touring holiday I did my own coolant change to learn the bleeding faff so whatever happened, whatever had to be fixed by a garage, team us could bleed the system. ... and I carry my bleeding kit under the passenger seat. Great peace of mind.

Some parts come up here regularly as best to use Mazda - stat and temp sensors/senders immediately come to mind.

[Merlot man]

Thank you both for the responses gents
That's a great idea to learn the bleeding " dance " do as to be able to do it on tour .
I would consider also the use of a coolant vacuum refill kit as they avoid all the faff and help check the system for leaks , what are people's opinion on these ?
Being honest what I was considering we're the pump , stat , all rubber hoses , sensors and checking the metal piping looking for cracks , rust or wear .rad also to be checked and replaced if dodgy . At the end of the day these are old buses .
You are correct cmm303 that all the bits ad up,to a lot of beer ....I mean money ! Where would be best to purchase these ?
A good flush and coolant are also a must , any recommendations on these would also be great !
The bus I'm looking at is a 2.5 td 00 new shape in good looking condition , originally bought from 321away and imported to Ireland having 105000 Kms on the clock .
Is there a set interval for a water pump on one of these ?
That you all for the helpful advice and keep it coming ......I really know nothing about these
Brian

[cmm303]

I replaced all rubber hoses (x17), clips (x34), stat, pump, the 2 wire sensor, and both caps. Also the 3 belts for water pump, air con etc. Inspected rad. Back flushed rad and both heaters. Wire brushed, treated and painted exposed metal pipes. Cleaned up all metal spigots.

Normal running temp dropped from 90s to 80s but I don't know which bit or bits contributed to improvement.

Some related threads
http://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/view ... =3&t=71388
http://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/view ... s&start=30

I purchased hoses, stat (Mazda) & pump (pattern part, though Mazda also available) from Ian here in Bongo towers.

[Merlot man]

Thanks for getting back to me cmm303
Yours sounds like the way to do it alright , I'm also impressed to,hear that the temperature dropped !
If I go down this road yours will be the lead I will be taking . Did you do the work yourself and if so and hints / words of wisdom ?
What are your views on the coolant vac kit for refilling the system ? It sounds like a good idea to,me ie check for air leaks and your sure that the system has no sir when your filling .
Thanks again
Brian

[cmm303]

No personal experience of vacuum kit but people more experienced than me have stated that it does not eliminate the air lock issue on a Bongo. Also doesn't guarantee finding all types of leak but any pre-fill checks must improve the odds. I THINK that ALL the proper experts on here stick with a bleeding method for filling the coolant, we'll hear soon if I am wrong there!

Yes, I did do my cooling system work myself. No regrets. You'll need to work from underneath quite a bit so best pop the front up on ramps. (My drive slopes so I can have the front up on ramps but keep the van reasonably level)

[Merlot man]

Thanks for getting back so quick 303
I can now say that I will need this information and a lot more advice as I've just bought a black 95 2.5 TD
I was hoping that the vacumn kit would make life easier but as you say it would help in the pre fill checks .
I feel I'll end up going your route IE replacing/ reconditioning everything for the piece of mind ..........and to feed the OCD beasts
I must get practicing the bleeding dance !
Any more advice or tips would now be even more welcome
Thanks
Brian

[Gasy]

Cool
Make sure it has a low coolant alarm
If your going to do the bleeding yourself
Get a engine temp thermostat / overheat alarm
Some cheap ones on eBay
I have them taped to my coolant hoses and engine head
You can then see if the dance has worked

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182005085203? ... EBIDX%3AIT

DIGITAL TEMPERATURE CONTROLLER GAUGE ALARM ENGINE WATCHDOG CAR OVERHEATING PROBE

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122176024462? ... EBIDX%3AIT

No alarm on the cheap ones but this one also shows battery voltage, I've taped outside sensor to my bottom
Cooling hose , then I can see when the engine stat opens , all been working fine for over 3 years now

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131173799568? ... EBIDX%3AIT