A forum for Bongo fans and owners
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Not to mention that other miscreant - Shock HeaterBob wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 6:00 pm And safety glasses.
Worth refering to 'Little Johny Head in a Bongo'.
LawrenceStanley wrote: Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:40 pm Hi Guys,
I recently purchased a 1996 bongo, it's old but its a lovely vehicle. I've just completed a 2300km trip to and around Scotland from Cornwall and I have had some strange coolant issues I am hoping someone might be able to help with. fyi it has a low coolant alarm.
So firstly, the bongo looses coolant. I know that because on cold days after the engine hasn't run for a few hours the coolant level drops in the expansion tank and the alarm starts. This is the first thing i don't understand. Why not on a hot day during use?!
Anyway, due to being in remote places I have had to top up with regular water quite often. on one short (3mile) drive we parked up for a cuppa and i noticed loads of coolant dripping out of the bottom left corner of the radiator. checked all over and couldnt see a leak. Assumed it was from behind a fan but it definitely was not the coolant tank. topped up with water, drove around for at least 50 miles and no leak after...
On our 12 hour drive back to Cornwall, around Manchester, we encountered the inevitable traffic jam, after a while of stop starts i saw steam coming from the front bonnet! oh no, engine is cooked i thought, but luckily it was at that moment we started moving again. drove to next services (5 miles ish) and there was evidence of water spraying out, but no leak visible and topped up coolant tanks and all way good. by rights the engine should have been toast! but still cruising along happily...
Drove all the way back and the last 5 miles the temperature gauge started fluctuating, going from 11 o'clock to cold and back... and still no visible leak. radiator is still full. expansion tank not so much...
Does anyone know what on earth is going on?
So it looks like the LCA has at some point done its job. Later on the OP writes about steam from header tank, suggesting coolant could be boiling. I think this is a situation where a low coolant alarm may not detect level drop (maybe since boiling coolant is causing wetness throughout the header tank, masking the true situation?). Mind you, it seems to me its hardly needed by then as the 'steam alarm' has kicked in.So firstly, the bongo looses coolant. I know that because on cold days after the engine hasn't run for a few hours the coolant level drops in the expansion tank and the alarm starts. This is the first thing i don't understand. Why not on a hot day during use?!