Bongo Fury

jonnyred wrote:Just been topping up the steering fluid this morning, and noticed (not sure why i have not noticed before) that there appear to be bolts missing from the engine ? Surely this cant be a good thing. Trying to post a pic but how ever small i make the image says its too big.

They appear to be for holding covers or some such. Others on here may be able to identify what covers they may be. It not uncommon for plastic covers to be left off like this. If all appears to be OK I wouldnt worry to much as long as nothing is flapping about. Would be nice if anyone with a V6 could ID them tho.

Just getting ready to slide under the van and count the number of nuts holding the sump on as per the comment from mazdabongo.com

Normally I would say it should be the V6 Petrol Alternative being the late model.
Please see the link below and expand the picture, you should then be able to compare it with gearbox sump on your car, The differences are the number of bolt holes and their spacing.

http://mazdabongo.com/catalog/mazda-bon ... ternative/

The chassis number is showing a unknown part number which is available to special order from Japan,£25.44 + VAT + delivery. Special order items normally take 2-4 weeks for delivery.


Just my luck to have a special order from Japan for the gasket !

So last weekend i went ahead and changed the fluid, good job i did ! As you can see from the picture links it was totally black ! I removed 2.5 litres via a vacuum pump then the rest by loosening the sump cover. Despite the dark colour there were very few bits in the filter or on the magnet. Also lucky that i already had the metal gasket, which never moved at all while cleaning the pan. Burnt smell now gone while driving the van, and gear changes seem better, although the van does not seem to kick down as far when overtaking. All in all fairly simple task with the right tools.

https://goo.gl/photos/KLC8GR3sGTg2d8KD6

https://goo.gl/photos/MMGD1BUAb8HdpYb89

Well I’m ready to push my van off a cliff. 4 times I’ve had to redo the gearbox oil pan due to one corner leaking. Been through a gasket (card type) and 3 attempts at rtv style. Got a cork gasket in the post en route and after that I’ve ran out of options hoping the cork is slightly thicker

Cork and wellseal might do the trick. But the o-ring on the bottom of the dipstick tube can split. When stationary, that looks like a leak on the front, drivers side. When driven, it blows back.

Are you using a torque wrench to ensure all the bolts are tightened the same?

So upon further investigation, I discovered the front edge of the pan was slightly distorted and not sealing properly. I think the previous owner may have even clipped the sump driving over something due to a dent in it. Hammer and assorted punches managed to get it much more flat and I was able to get it to seal with the cork gasket finally. Now for the cleanup of atf from everywhere I’ve been parking

Well done.