Bongo fluid leak! But what is it and from where?

[Tim Elmer]

Dear all, I'd be grateful for you advice. I noticed a little damp patch on the drive just under the front bumper on the nearside. I crawled under to have a look and there was a drip of what looks, smells and feels like power steering fluid dripping off the radiator drain plug and I could see where it had been blown back against the bottom hose. My challenge is, the accumulation of this fluid is nowhere near the power steering pinion seal or pipes. I can see them all and they're clean and dry. It's also well in front of the oil cooler and I've checked the pipework which looks fine. So, can anyone suggest what it is and where it might be coming from? I drove her 80 miles this morning and there doesn't appear to be any more/less than there was before. Before I start stripping the front of the engine bay out, does anyone have any idea? Hopefully the linked photos show the issue. Many thanks in anticipation

[Bob]

I'd check the gearbox fluid level.

[Northern Bongolow]

The gearbox oil as Bob suggests is cooled in the bottom of the radiator. It looks from the pics that the thin pipes that take the gearbox oil to and from the rad may be leaking.
They are the 2 10 mm rubber pipes that go to the elbows on the bottom edge of the rad.
The hose clips are the wire type and do rust away so it maybe just a rusted away clip that is weeping.

[Tim Elmer]

Ah! Bob and Northern, many thanks. I think I get it now. I thought the gearbox oil was cooled in the separate "radiator" which hangs down in the centre of the bongo behind the coolant radiator as shown in the third picture. If I understand you correctly, the oil cooler is housed beneath the coolant radiator and the pipes you describe are those you can see entering the bottom of the radiator to the right of the bottom hose. The gearbox oil is exactly on "F" so the leak (so far!) is minimal. I'll investigate further. If I've not interpreted your advice correctly, please let me know! Thanks again

[Northern Bongolow]

That's correct . Check the gearbox oil level with the engine running so that the oil pump fills the gearbox internals and pipework to the cooler etc. If you check it when it's not running you get a false reading as all the oil runs back to the gearbox sump, sounds like the oil level maybe low .

[Tim Elmer]

Thanks Northern. I checked the gearbox oil level with the engine warmed up, running and in "P" and got the level exactly on "F" so I'm pretty confident it's not lost any significant amount yet. Worst case scenario is replace all pipework and new radiator and if it comes to that I'd still consider it worth it. Plus I now know the thing I thought was the oil cooler is in fact the turbo intercooler and its missing the plastic scoop that should be in front of it. It's also covered in road crud. I feel a weekend of "front end TLC" coming on. Thanks for all your help. I'm profoundly grateful

[teenmal]

It would also be worthwhile checking the power steering fluid level.

Take care.

[Mark Wilson]

Think I'd be budgetting for a new front crossmember, too.

[Tim Elmer]

Mark, you're spot on. Previous owner drove it over a low wall and trashed the intercooler scoop as well as denting the cross member under the radiator. Despite this, I bought her unseen with just 85000km on the clock, a mass of history and an original fit cube kitchen. We've been everywhere in her - and until I'm too old, she'll be in my reckoning. Just picked up a Khyam motor dome driveaway for £80 on Facebook marketplace which me and my youngest will trial at this year's Download festival. From a technical perspective, I'm certain it's nor power steering (level checked, 5cc added, no change). I'm really wondering if I'm looking at red coolant that has sat on a warm radiator and become inspissated (sorry, tech term) . Time to find out what it is!

[Mark Wilson]

Sounds like a good 'un Tim, better bashed than rusted! Mine had more problems than that, including a rusted front crossmember which I've changed myself, but well worth persevering with. Mind you, I've been persevering for nearly eight years with a Morris Traveller which still isn't quite ready.....

[Tim Elmer]

So, to bring this to a conclusion, having started to dismantle things to get a better look it became very clear that this red stuff was indeed coolant. The radiator had a leak behind the fan cowling and the stuff you can see in the pictures is antifreeze that's been heated and is nearly dried out. A new radiator and system bleed and problem solved.

What have I learned? Firstly, this forum is an amazing sounding board and just fantastic for dipping into people's accumulated knowledge and Bongo experience, thereby allowing you to consider different options and solutions. From a personal perspective, when I looked at the location of some of the "red stuff", my brain said, "this has to be from the radiator, otherwise it's defied gravity" whereas my sense of touch and sight identified concentrated antifreeze as "red oil" with oil cooler or power steering the likely culprits. Anyway, it's fixed!

[Bob]

Well done.

Glad you're sorted.