How cold is the air conditioning?

[Jon 41]

Really stupid question about checking radiator fans, but does that mean I have to pull over and run round the front and have a listen?

Indeed! I haven't thought that one through fully yet. You can test they come on with aircon by - with key in start position but engine not running - pressing in the aircon button (manual aircon - not sure how you do it with climate control). You should hear the rad. fans start running.

You have to find a position from which you can observe rad fans running when engine is running and aircon is switched on. I'm still waiting for someone to tell me from my query higher up, whether it is normal for the compressor (condensor?) to cut in and out when working properly. I'd assumed it was as the compressors job was to compress something up to a certain pressure before switching off, and switching on again when a sensor detected pressure had dropped and needed rebuilding. But this talk of condensors switching on and off because rad fans aren't switching on properly has got me confused.

In answer to a higher post yes a manual switch could be fitted but would mean that the cooling fans are running at high speed thus overcooling the coolant. There must be a relay or resistor somewhere that reduces fan speed when the aircon is switched on, as mentioned above the fan will cut in or out dependant on air flow through the aircon radiator ie vehicle moving or stationary.
It is quite normal for the condensor to cut in and out as you say when pressure is reached but it also has a thermal cutout for protection if the aircon fans are not working. One thing I have done to test how cold the aircon can get (because the fans don't start up to cool normally) is with the vehicle stationary and the bonnet raised have a hosepipe spraying onto the aircon radiator obviously with the aircon switched on, leave for 5 mins then open the bongo and feel how icy cold it is inside. Incidently this was the only way I could get the system re-gassed without the fans working properly. But does anyone have any idea what controls the fans for the aircon, is it a fault in the climate main control unit or a relay somewhere or a resistor????

[kelv]

It's not as cold as on any other car that I have driven.
Which adds weight to my belief that the Bongo does everything that other cars do, but only half as good

Camper ............... does it Ok but too small
People carrier............does it OK but MPG is poor
Saloon Car..............does it OK but handling / speed and MPG are all poor
Braking ability.........It has some, but not as good as a modern car
Air con................yes it has it but it's no as cold as other cars
Lights .............yes, they do the job, only just.


I guess, being kind, the only thing you can say about the Bongo is that it's OK............ just.

[New Forest Terrier]

Kelv

If you have a Bongo , you obviously have a cr*p one.

Mine has ice cold air conditioning, excellent brakes, good lights, high and bright and all the speed that is safe for a two ton brick. The steering is light and precise and all that stops it peforming like a saloon car is the laws of aerodynamics, that a long high vehicle does not handle as well as a short low one.

The small size is its selling point as a camper. A good conversion packs in a lot. If you want a mobile house get a Winnebago and a HGV licence to drive it.

Buy a fleet if you want the lot. The Bongo does an awful lot for one vehicle, very competently, at little purchase and running cost.

My only complaint is mpg, but since I had a V8 4.2 Range Rover before the Bongo it does not seem too bad.

[scanner]

Hear, hear, perhaps where it is needs publicising so that someone can nick it and he can replace it with a better one.

[mikeonb4c]

The Bongo is almost uniquely versatile, but you have to want (and be prepared to pay for, though the low purchase price can be used as an offset argument for the MPG issues though 32mpg on the open road for a useful 2 ton brick aint bad) that versatility, as it is otherwise all too easy to see it as no more than a collection of imperfections. The buoyant resale price of Bongos seems to suggest its attractions are being more widely appreicated.

Drive and handling. Now thats an interesting one. Clearly its not great in high winds - how could it be? But I find it beautifully balanced and surprisingly agile for what it is (a friend following me in his Jag down twisty roads the other week and remarked how surprised he was at the way I moved down the lanes, and I'm no speed merchant). The centre mounted engine must help I guess. But I like driving vehicles that have character, and present their own challenges, and the Bongo is a beautiful sweet and sour mix of good handling, need to treat with respect, and challenges such as high winds. I never get bored with driving it.

PS - excellent post again Jon 41 and thanks v much. I agree about overcooling. I think I'd want a Mason alarm if I fitted manual rad fan control so I could keep an eye on engine temp and poss. overcooling.

Just to check, are we talking about rad fans or the scavenger fan as I'd thought it was the latter that came on when key was put in ignition position with aircon button pressed in. If so, thats great as I already have a manual over-ride on that, and I think engine overcooling would not be an issue.

[kelv]

[quote="New Forest Terrier"]Kelv

If you have a Bongo , you obviously have a cr*p one.

No, I can't follow the logic of that


I have a Bongo, I don't have the rose tinteds would be more accurate but there you go.

[kelv]

Hear, hear, perhaps where it is needs publicising so that someone can nick it and he can replace it with a better one.

If you like .

You have never seen my Bongo Mr Scanner, I don't think there is a requirement for a "better one ".

Rose tinteds, where you get yours from?
Got a spare set, mine broke a while back

[Doone]

Back on topic.

I think the book said something about leaving the temp on 18 means the a/c will be on automatically but is 18 degrees really the lowest it will go?

I've been in bongos which blow out cool (aircon) but when it's working properly it will blow cold. But yes, 18 is the lowest. If yours isn't blowing cold you can either top it up yourself or get it topped up. Ours has manual aircon and we find that to get the van cold we need to run the rear aircon as well. If it's a really hot day then once it's cold we just keep it set on 'cold' and 'recirc' (with the occassional blast of fresh air to keep me happy ).

[scanner]

Hear, hear, perhaps where it is needs publicising so that someone can nick it and he can replace it with a better one.

If you like .

You have never seen my Bongo Mr Scanner, I don't think there is a requirement for a "better one ".

Rose tinteds, where you get yours from?
Got a spare set, mine broke a while back

If yours is just as you describe it, IMHO it is clearly not up to par.

Just a personal view, no right view, no wrong view.

[kelv]

Hear, hear, perhaps where it is needs publicising so that someone can nick it and he can replace it with a better one.

If yours is just as you describe it, IMHO it is clearly not up to par.

Exactly,
Bongos are not up to par compared with modern vehicles.

I describe a good condition, unmodified Bongo, just like many others.
Personal opinion as to what each thinks of it.
Which brings us back to the original question " How cold is the air conditioning"
Well, I am confident to advise that the air con is not as cold or efficient as in modern cars.
My air con is working 100% well, like many other aspects of the Bongo. It doesn't cool as effectively as the five other cars of less than 3 years old that I have compared it with. Comparisons carried out with similar sized and glass to space ratio vehicles as well.
A good example of the Bongo not being "up to par" just like you say.

[mikeonb4c]

Bongos are not up to par compared with modern vehicles.

Sell it and get one then. Simples

[scanner]

Compare the 15 year old Bongo - Compare the 3 year old Peugeot, not even sound the same.

Seemples...............

[helen&tony]

Hi
Here's my two penn'orth for what it's worth:
Comparing the Bongo to other vehicles is to compare an ice cream to a steak sandwich. Its not a car its not a bus its not a camper...but I can't find anything more useful..It's moderately comfy, by any standards, it's adequately powerful for what it is intended in the country it was designed for...it stops well, everything works as it should, (including the aircon in 40 degree heat, after a run), the lights are good. The handling is reasonable due to much of the weight being contained at chassis level, and a 4 wheel drive version has a fair bit of weight...it's not very thirsty for what it is, and it's an extremely useful load lugger, and the dogs love it (well, they would like anything)....and the rear aircon stops them getting hot if we need to transport them. I always compare cars to the Jaguar we owned once...no other car comes close, but Tony always says it's a close second when all is considered
All in all, what else is there?...I wouldn't buy a new campervan...even a new Bongo , if they made them, and as a previously unknown quantity, it doesn't have the markup of a VW...so as far as I am concerned, it is a smashing little weekender, cum hobby wagon, with the possibility of a longer break with an awning stuck on....Our next camper is likely to be a Winnebago (not set in stone), as we will want to tour for longer periods to avoid winter here, and if we indulge, I'll compare the two.
Cheers
Helen

[Hippotastic]

It's not as cold as on any other car that I have driven.
Which adds weight to my belief that the Bongo does everything that other cars do, but only half as good

Camper ............... does it Ok but too small
People carrier............does it OK but MPG is poor
Saloon Car..............does it OK but handling / speed and MPG are all poor
Braking ability.........It has some, but not as good as a modern car
Air con................yes it has it but it's no as cold as other cars
Lights .............yes, they do the job, only just.


I guess, being kind, the only thing you can say about the Bongo is that it's OK............ just.

I respect you point of view, You own a Bongo, and you hold your opinion of it as you see fit. I hold a different opinion than you about my bongo, and I guess that is what makes the world interesting.

You voiced your view on here as it is your right, but I would not have done if I agreed with you. No point arguing the toss.

I would not compare a 15 year old design not meant for this country with a 3 year old design. In fact I would not compare a 5 year old car with a 2 year old one which was the same make and model as the cars have moved on so fast its untrue. Its like comparing apples and pears.

[Jon 41]

The Bongo is almost uniquely versatile, but you have to want (and be prepared to pay for, though the low purchase price can be used as an offset argument for the MPG issues though 32mpg on the open road for a useful 2 ton brick aint bad) that versatility, as it is otherwise all too easy to see it as no more than a collection of imperfections. The buoyant resale price of Bongos seems to suggest its attractions are being more widely appreicated.

Drive and handling. Now thats an interesting one. Clearly its not great in high winds - how could it be? But I find it beautifully balanced and surprisingly agile for what it is (a friend following me in his Jag down twisty roads the other week and remarked how surprised he was at the way I moved down the lanes, and I'm no speed merchant). The centre mounted engine must help I guess. But I like driving vehicles that have character, and present their own challenges, and the Bongo is a beautiful sweet and sour mix of good handling, need to treat with respect, and challenges such as high winds. I never get bored with driving it.

PS - excellent post again Jon 41 and thanks v much. I agree about overcooling. I think I'd want a Mason alarm if I fitted manual rad fan control so I could keep an eye on engine temp and poss. overcooling.

Just to check, are we talking about rad fans or the scavenger fan as I'd thought it was the latter that came on when key was put in ignition position with aircon button pressed in. If so, thats great as I already have a manual over-ride on that, and I think engine overcooling would not be an issue.

yes mikeonb4c i'm talking about the radiator cooling fans not the scavenger fan.
Looks like I might have to find an auto-electrician who's clued up on Bongos. Might be difficult