Bongo Fury

Good to hear!

Yes all done now, pleased with that. I put all my nuts and bolts into a food container so they don;t get lost, that is now
designated the nuts and bolts container for the Bongo. Thanks again.

Sounds like you had a right rigmarole getting the starter motor off... I had similar problem out in the middle of nowhere, starter "click" but no engagement...

With a few bits n pieces from the back of the van I got the starter motor off, thoroughly cleaned up the contacts & shoved the starter motor back on & carried on Bongo-ing...

For anyone unlucky enough to find themselves in a similar bind, here's a roadside fix:

Carry a few tools always, an old but trusty 3/8" drive metric Stanley set has served me well rattling around in the back for years! Find a bit of 3/4" steel pipe or box section that fits over your socket handle about 18" long, tuck it somewhere & use to create more leverage on sticky bolts. Notably in this case the 14mm motor bolts.

Add some penetrating fluid, some kitchen roll, a small bit of emery cloth and some cotton earbuds to your toolkit.

I had a few intermittent "click click click brum brum" moments leading up to a "click click click no brum brum today buddy" headache fest just the other day. I already figured it was the solenoid contacts, with hindsight I was winging it, starter simply not engaging.

So rolled to a kind of natural dip & jacked the offside rear about 3" so the wheels still on the ground to get a bit more elbow room, a few bits of wood & a handy brick to act as an axle stand.

Disconnect battery then rem air intake over the starter motor, 12mm + cable nut and spade connector (which is push to release type), now can see the ends of the 14mm starter motor bolts x3, squirt with penetrating fluid then make a brew before the fun starts.

Crawl upside down with your natty bit of steel pipe & 14mm socket, get the socket on the bolts from underneath then slip the steel pipe over the handle, you should be able to get enough leverage to crack the bolts kind of incrementally due to the limited space, & swear like a sailor as you whack your knuckles on everything.

Optional: Get the wife to tell you how great you are at this point. I don't have one, but sure would have boosted morale.

Pat yourself on the head when the bolts are out, then ease the starter motor out from above. 3x 8mm bolts hold the solenoid plunger; clean off as much road crap as possible before taking the cover off.

Take out the plunger, clean it, and *very gently* emery the oxidation and residue then squirt a little penetrating fluid on the rag as contact cleaner, should get it clean n shiny.

Pug the plunger hole with kitchen roll then gently clean n shine the contacts whilst trying not to let any grit or stuff get inside the starter motor gubbins. A few strokes of emery paper fashioned over the end of a flat screwdriver then earbudded out any crud, dunk a clean one in pen fluid to really clean them...

Replaced plunger spring, a *very light* smear of copper grease round the plunger, bolted back the cover, then ease the starter motor back in from above, note the +ve cable gets in the way so tuck it down, clean and light smear of grease on the holding bolts will make it easier to put the 14mm bolts back in from the top, then upside down tighten from underneath.

Reconn +ve cable and spade connector, then battery & check it now engages properly. Refit air intake & remember to lock the steering wheel back in place before packing up & driving off feeling pretty smug.

I know, I know, not exactly City & Guilds, but 3hours of work got me going again from conked. Good idea to check the tightness of the bolts with a torque wrench, & place an order for some new contacts.

Proper Bongo-ing, right there. It's going to take a week to get all the crap off my hands & knuckles to heal up.

Well done that man.

It is difficult wnough to do at home with the right tools to hand.