Bongo 2.5TD 3 way cylinder head water pipe corroded

[Demon Dog]

[/img]Hi all, I am in the process of changing the rad, hoses, flushing the cooling system and replacing the thermostat on my 1996 2.5 TD Bongo. It's now obvious the curved central pipe is corroded on the 3 way water elbow that comes out of the head, there's a piece at the end the pipe goes on that has broken off, not all the way around. I haven't experienced any leaks from here at all (and we did the NC500 last year) but I can't help but think 'is it stupid just to clamp a hose back on without replacing/repairing' it? Am I asking for trouble further down the line? I was wondering if there is some sort of repair I could do, I really don't want to have to go down the replacement cylinder head route as there's nothing amiss with it (and it's lots of cash) and I know you can buy a replacement 3 way water elbow from Bongo Spares etc. but it seems these are usually fitted to replacement cylinder heads as the old ones tend to 'weld' themselves in. Any advice/ideas would be gratefully received as I really don't know what to do and we're due to go away in it in 3 weeks!!

[g8dhe]

Welcome aboard!

Yes it can be a pain to replace but plenty of others have done it in the past have you tried a search ?
https://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/sea ... w&start=30
Quite a few references and ideas for removing and fitting, just keep going down the list as lots of "elbows" and "water" come up

[Doone]

You can use freeze spray on the pipe, to help remove it, twisting it out. When you fit the new 3-way pipe, put sealer on it and tap the pipe fully into place. That's all the way down to the flange on the pipe. Otherwise they can pop off.