Mason alarm going off (part 2)

[downward dog]

Hi,
Mines a 4wd, with a mason alarm, just had a new radiator and thermo plus check/coolant/flush etc (bongo garage), and my readings are the same as yours if not a little higher. My mason is currently set on 4. Just had a run down the M1 and the needle stays towards the H and vaies a little according to load....no alarm though.
Either it's ok or we both have something to worry about! How accurate are the temp gagues anyway?, if mine moves on anincline then the 'range' that the gauge operates in must be quite small. I'm a little concerned now as about to set off for highlands for 3 weeks towards the end of the month.

[jaylee]

OK... I'll pitch in on this thread too..!

Just come back from north Holland gigging near the German border.. All right, great roads & flat & all that! in a 95 Tintop unconverted 4X4 diesel.. Mason fitted & I also have additional digital temp gauge read out too... I keep a hand held digital temp probe in the glove box just in case as well. On this particular trip i have been batting it... Nothing too insane, just fancied checking out my new wheel set up.

Recent new rad from BF shop, new water pump a couple of years ago, all the rest replaced during the services..

What you want to know.. Campergeek's initial post with the pictures looks normal to me!
That's how mine is even before the new rad. (Old one sprang leak.) Never had an overheat.. Lucky i sussed it on my drive!

Now, i have one digital sensor on the top hose & another on the heater outlet stub.. What i have noticed is if the temp readout goes up to about 87/88c? The Mason'd gauge will come down a little before the digital gauge drops its readout by 3 or 4 degrees..? Which may indicate heat getting removed from the engine by the cooling system...? Both gauges tend not to move in tandem... Only when rolling down hill, then they do drop in temp together!

[mikexgough]

I'm mason'd too..... the pics show how mine goes on hilly runs like Hardknott and some long drags etc...

I get a slightly over 12 o'clock in 9c and under cold mornings... but.... normal running is 11:30 - 12:00

New rad in 09 due to split and new rear heater hose in '10 due to pinhole - coolant last changed in 09 with Rad..... using 5 yr Car Plan Red

[dobby]

Mine ran at the temps indicated in the original post, after an overheat in 2006. I asumed it was a bit 'hot'. However, the head went in 2009 when a hose split. The old rad was replaced as a precaution and a while later Ady carried out an Autopsy on the rad and it was found to be heavily clogged up. Whilst Jaylee's comments above are at odds with what happened to mine, I'd suggest that the rad be checked and flushed etc if other easier options don't work?

[Northern Bongolow]

no 2 bongo's run at the same temp.
there are too many factors that can influence this.
your initial sentances say there is something going on, go with your hunches, or at least get it checked again,
ask what stat was fitted. get the rad flow checked, or checked for cold/cooler spots
that said the ambient temps are rising so this could give you increased readings.
the system is designed to cope with all conditions, but yours seem to be struggling a little, will you wait until it is really under pressure like in traffic on a hot summers day before you think, i should have sorted that out.

preventative maintenance is the key, or a little money now may save a lot later.

just my opinion.

[jaylee]

I would whole heartedly agree with the comments regarding getting the system checked out...

I kind of know my vehicle. & even prior to my old rad letting go of its contents & getting replaced i never experienced the vehicle getting too hot in a traffic jam situation... Maybe i was lucky?

"Just because your paranoid don't mean they're not out to get you." & all that.

[campergeek]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll give the garage a call tomorrow and get it checked again. My gut tells me something's not quite right, so best to listen to it. Will post back when I have a better idea.

[campergeek]

So the van's been in the garage today. The mechanic said the fans weren't kicking in, and reckoned it was to do with the mason alarm, which he didn't have a good word to say about. They've disconnected the mason and say the fans are now working as they should.

I'm a bit sceptical about this. Even without the fans working, I wouldn't expect it to get so hot on the motorway. Without the mason fitted, I can't tell what it's doing now. I'll pick it up tomorrow and have a proper chat with them, but I'm surprised a specialist bongo garage is recommending me to put my faith in the standard bongo temp gauge, which goes against most advice I've read on this forum

[Northern Bongolow]

Hi,
Mines a 4wd, with a mason alarm, just had a new radiator and thermo plus check/coolant/flush etc (bongo garage), and my readings are the same as yours if not a little higher. My mason is currently set on 4. Just had a run down the M1 and the needle stays towards the H and vaies a little according to load....no alarm though.
Either it's ok or we both have something to worry about! How accurate are the temp gagues anyway?, if mine moves on anincline then the 'range' that the gauge operates in must be quite small. I'm a little concerned now as about to set off for highlands for 3 weeks towards the end of the month.

i would be wondering if a copy stat was fitted or a gen mazda one. and how well the flush was done and were the front and rear heaters flushed independantly by removing the pipes to and from them.

[Northern Bongolow]

So the van's been in the garage today. The mechanic said the fans weren't kicking in, and reckoned it was to do with the mason alarm, which he didn't have a good word to say about. They've disconnected the mason and say the fans are now working as they should.

I'm a bit sceptical about this. Even without the fans working, I wouldn't expect it to get so hot on the motorway. Without the mason fitted, I can't tell what it's doing now. I'll pick it up tomorrow and have a proper chat with them, but I'm surprised a specialist bongo garage is recommending me to put my faith in the standard bongo temp gauge, which goes against most advice I've read on this forum

my mrs has a mason and i really rate them for what they do. but i fitted one to mine and had to remove it because of weird electrical happenings . all credit to mr mason he replaced the unit, and several phone calls later he admitted that some bongo's dont like the mason, ive fitted several that didnt quite seem right so had to remove them. i never did work out why this was, i pressume its an earth fault thing behind the dash, but who knows.
if they work fine on your bongo they are good.
never heard of them affecting the fans though, but see what they say when you pick it up.

[downward dog]

Mine's a 4wd, 750000km imported 15 months ago, and it's just had a new rad and thermostat at a bongo garage and it still reads high as the pictures you have posted. I have a Mason set at 4.5 and no alarms as yet (also a coolant level alarm fitted by JAL on import). If the gauge is so sensitive with a mason fitted.....what is the likely difference in actual temperature represented by a 'normal' or (as I have) 'higher' reading, given that the gauge + mason is much more sensitive anyway?
In any event, based on my experience so far, don't assume a new rad/stat will pull the reading down, it has not on mine.......

[Northern Bongolow]

the temps shown on a standard gauge or a mason gauge are the same, or nearly.
the difference is how its shown. the mason undamps the gauge to a certain level so allows the temp to be shown earlier and allows the actual temp to move the needle more, more responsive.

the way to set up a mason in my opinion is as follows.

replace the components that worry you first like the rad/waterpump/stat etc.
BUT ALSO the temp sender (for gauge accuracy only) and esential is the fan switch replacement as this is the main engine/head monitor temp switch, it controls ALL the functions for the engine temp management and start up etc via the ecu.
if you consider the stat /rad etc ok then the fault if any must be with the fan switch as this says to the glowplugs when to come on/off, sets the pump and controls the coldstart/egr solenoids and top gear lock up. but most importantly the fans.

once all these are of good order set the mason to come on just before the fans switch on at low speed.(just before the first line into hot) my reason for this is if its getting up to the top of its control temp you need to know, or at least know why its hot, then in a short while the fans should come and drop the temps and the alarm will stop, set the mason any later and the horse is already opening the gate ready to bolt. whatever happens inbetween doesnt really matter as all bongo's are slightly different.

[Simon Jones]

What Ady said . I can't see a connection between Mason alarm and the fans not working. There are two sensors on the engine: one for the gauge (which the Mason alarm uses) and another one which tells the ECU when to switch the fan on.

[jaylee]

Neither can i... all it does is un-damp the gauge removing the un-sensitivity, & gives an adjustable audible alarm when things get hot..

Was this a garage near Bath perchance..?

[dobby]

Ian Taylor's and his mechanic always disconnected the mason on mine when carrying out any work on the coolant system. I think they found the whole needle moving about thing a bit unsettling. Never heard of it messing with the fans though