Bongo Fury

Hi there,

Firstly both the belts on the V6 self adjust so it's even more unlikely it's the belts.

Is the noise load related or just engine speed related?

There are quite a few hoses etc on the V6, could be one of those is loose or split. Worth a quick check. Outsider but also check the spark plugs, could be one is a little too loose, don't overtighten mind.

What is the service history like on this. Has it had new plugs, filters, oil, cambelt etc? Could possibly be the cambelt rubbing on the plastic casing?

Personally if I wasn't sure I'd be getting a full service done including the cambelt, diff oil, gearbox oil, plugs etc. It would be money well spent and I'd get it done at discount trucks. Fred is a very good and thorough mechanic. Get the disty cap and rotor arm checked as well. Whilst all the belts are off the alternator, pulleys, tensioners, water pump etc can be checked too.

By the sound of it the place that sold it to you may not be that aware of bongos', especially the V6 which is different.

I'm sure if you ask they will lend you another car whilst yours is there. Their rates are very reasonable too.

This isn't a plug for DT, it's just that over the years Fred has helped me with strange problems more than once (and on more than a bongo) and fixed things that other places (even flash main dealers) couldn't sort.

It's also worth bearing in mind that if you know the car is fully serviced and has had a good once over then it's more likely to be reliable. And if they find something wrong you can go back to the dealer and get them to pay for it.

Good luck and keep us posted. Where are you as well !!!

Andy

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for your kind comments.

The noise is definitely load related and does not appear to be speed related. Our Bongo was inported into the Country Nov 08 and the Dealer advised that all belts, tensioners, filters, oils, service, etc had been replaced/undertaken. Sadly, there are no service records pre Nov 08. We are based in Oxford.

Thank you for recommending Discount Trucks. Other members previously recommended this company. We did take our Bongo to DT earlier in the year, where we met Fred. We agree that Fred is very, very helpful. Sadly, the noise had disappeared by the time we got to DT. That is the frustration!!!! After a long journey the noise just seems to disappear. Fred did offer to investigate our Bongo and also to provide us with a Bongo during this time, which is very helpful. At the time, I thought it would be best to resolve the issue with the Dealer, in the first instance.

I think the time has come to call on Fred's expert advice.

Many thanks again for your comments. I will keep you posted and hopefully we will find out what the problem is.

Kind Regards

Simon & Caz

How did you get on?

Our diesel '96 Freda started doing this on a just-completed 1500km trip, getting more noticeable as time went on. Same symptoms - ascending squeal when under accelerator load, tending to disappear when cruising. Not related to transmission (i.e. will occur when revving in Park or Neutral).

At first it was going away when warm but, towards the end of the trip it was noticeable even after driving 100km or more. It's a cold spring here, weather has been cold throughout.

Based on other comments, I suspect belt wear or tension issues - not the main fanbelt behind the radiator (because that wasn't even turning on the neutral test) but I guess the alternator pump one, which I couldn't spot in that brief under-the-bonnet check.

But did your V6 experience perhaps show it to be something else? If it was the belt, I'm amazed the garage you took it to couldn't sort it. And their "specialist". But maybe my luck with be the same <g>.

Fredanz wrote:How did you get on?

Our diesel '96 Freda started doing this on a just-completed 1500km trip, getting more noticeable as time went on. Same symptoms - ascending squeal when under accelerator load, tending to disappear when cruising. Not related to transmission (i.e. will occur when revving in Park or Neutral).

At first it was going away when warm but, towards the end of the trip it was noticeable even after driving 100km or more. It's a cold spring here, weather has been cold throughout.

Based on other comments, I suspect belt wear or tension issues - not the main fanbelt behind the radiator (because that wasn't even turning on the neutral test) but I guess the alternator pump one, which I couldn't spot in that brief under-the-bonnet check.

But did your V6 experience perhaps show it to be something else? If it was the belt, I'm amazed the garage you took it to couldn't sort it. And their "specialist". But maybe my luck with be the same <g>.

Gosh, that sounds weird. On the diesel Bongo (and most newer cars) the fans are electric, amd not driven by a belt. I can't think of any belt on the diesel Bongo that should not be turning all the time when the engine is running, even in neutral. Could it be that you have found your problem? Certainly, loose belts are a well known cause of squealing along the lines you describe

mikeonb4c wrote:On the diesel Bongo (and most newer cars) the fans are electric, amd not driven by a belt.

Ooooooook. Hmmmm. If not a belt, what could this be then? A transmission issue, even though it happens in neutral also?

I can't think of any belt on the diesel Bongo that should not be turning all the time when the engine is running, even in neutral.

The squealing was happening in neutral/park. So, if there is a belt of any kind that could be causing it on a diesel, it's a candidate. What would the belt be?

Night time now, I'll be taking a better (layman's) look in 12 hours, perhaps taking it to a garage the following day if I have no luck.

Yours is a diesel Fredanz?... It sounds like the infamous bongo sheared exhaust manifold stud to me. Having just re-read this entire thread, i'm itching to know how simoningledew got on with his occasionally squealing bongo...

Fredanz wrote:

mikeonb4c wrote:On the diesel Bongo (and most newer cars) the fans are electric, amd not driven by a belt.

Ooooooook. Hmmmm. If not a belt, what could this be then? A transmission issue, even though it happens in neutral also?

I can't think of any belt on the diesel Bongo that should not be turning all the time when the engine is running, even in neutral.

The squealing was happening in neutral/park. So, if there is a belt of any kind that could be causing it on a diesel, it's a candidate. What would the belt be?

Night time now, I'll be taking a better (layman's) look in 12 hours, perhaps taking it to a garage the following day if I have no luck.

BigDaddy's explanation is a defo. possibility.

As far as belts go, I think there are a pair of belts running in parallel (easy to see) that drive the alternator and water pump, and a single belt that drives the aircon pump. All three will always be turning when engine is running. They should not look or feel slack , as a rough rule of thumb.

Correct me somebody if I've got this wrong

mikeonb4c wrote: BigDaddy's explanation is a defo. possibility.

...and in fact was the right one, if my layman's eyes, ears and finger can be trusted. Accelerating from idle while in park, I can feel gases escaping above what appears to be a missing stud at bottom left on the exhaust manifold, right near the front edge of the heat shield.

I'll put the "best way to fix" info from other posts in front of my mechanic and let him sort out the rest. Hopefully the stud extraction, surface shimmying and refitting won't be too onerous, because he ain't cheap.

Thanks!