Bongo Fury

Bloody things in hospital with coolant problems. Lakeside has had it since last Friday and they can't get it pressurised. The system keeps taking in air. This keeps going on they will have to give me 'gas and air 'when I get the bloody bill!

Oh crap! Sorry to hear that. I'm not an expert, but surely they can do some diagnostics to find out why (e.g. test for exhaust gases in coolant to see if its to do with the head gasket). This should be quick and cheap. They don't have a licence to print money just by standing around hor after hour trying to repressurise it. You are paying them to be skilled diagnosticians - end of!

Taking in air, as in keeps getting air locks as air seeps in some where in the system? or its loosing coolant and so air is drawn in via the expansion tank?

Hi Weston. they say air is getting in somewhere in the system. It did have a coolant leak but we have found that problem and they sorted it.
Not heard anything from them today, so will have to A, resort to a canoe, or B go to Panama

Do they know how to bleed a Bongo properly??

Hmm perhaps they aint sorted it, certainly is a base to start from but they must be able to find it somehow, even if it is only a leakey rad cap.

Hi guys , the garage is recomended by BF. I have had them do work before. They had another sick Bongo a black one in there as well.
I don't doubt their integrity it's just that the wife is getting the hump having to get up at the crack of bird s**t every morning to take me to work and that my wallet is getting shakey with every passing day.
Did'nt get a call at all yesterday so will have to contact them this afternoon.
Last time they had it it cost £700 to get it through the Mot!! Everything that could go wrong, did
Siezed cv joint, suspension, anti roll bushes back and front etc. etc.
Ok had a service as well...but the labour + vat is the killer

The problem I think is the cost of fixing cars, not the Bongo especially. But it is scary nonetheless. Our last car was a Sapacewagon. Cost £8k to buy and within 12 months (and just after I'd been made redundant) its brain blew and cost £650 to fix. Bongo cost £3800 and has - so far - been faultless. Mind you I've changed antiroll bar bushes, discs pads and serviced it myself even though I'm not an experienced mechanic. Have you considered tackling the service items yourself? Not that hard and could save a decent amount.

Good luck getting it sorted - its not fun when this happens

Hi Mike I would have done all that myself but the time factor was against me. The M.o.t and joint problem was 2 day's before the National Bongo Bash in Stourport. Just didn't have the time to do anything myself.

Anyway it appears that the fan switch seems to be faulty.
The fan comes on but won't switch off as it should do after reaching tempreture. So far it's £39 quid for a new switch which they can fit tomorrow. The other thing they have found is an oil leak from the inlet manifold..........god when will it end
That's another job for the new year I think I expect before it's finished I'll have all but a reconditioned engine.....and then I expect the bloody bodywork will start to fall apart ... where's that canoe.

Oil leak from the inlet manifold? Never heard of that one before. Any BF mechanics able to comment

handyman wrote: The other thing they have found is an oil leak from the inlet manifold..........god when will it end
That's another job for the new year I think

Is this not just due to the egr system pumping the sludge back round, mine had a bit of an oily leak from the air inlet manifold, but since removing the egr, seems to have stopped. should be easy enough to check just by disconnecting the egr inlet to the manifold & sticking your finger in.

Thats what I wonder MissF. This one could definitely be in the 'its not critical and I can save dosh with some DIY' category

Hold on a minute - If it's leaking oil/gunge OUT of the manifold joint then it must be drawing unfiltered air INTO the manifold and cylinders

I know this doesn't affect performance as in a petrol engine but still isn't ideal.
Best to have a new inlet manifold gasket fitted methinks...........

Well guy's it looks as if my bongo isn't the only one with coolant problems.
I rang the garage earlier to ask how they are getting on with my Bongo, bloke said "which one"? I said "green over silver" he said "which one, we got a few with coolant problems"
I said "the fan switch problem"
They had problems locating a switch which took 2 day's to source and thought it might be an order from Japan job. Luckily they got one today. So just waiting for the call to come and get it. They don't work Saturday's.
What a caper this bleeding lark is.
You would think with the Japs techno history they could design a simple coolant system for dummies

Well we are back on the road again . Blasted up the M40 to Brum and back again with no probs last week. I say no probs but...£300 lighter in the wallet. I suspect the bus had not had the coolant changed since it's escape from Japan ( 2003/4). The garage guy's said that so much brown gunge came out of the coolant system it looked as though it had not had a change since Japan. Which makes me wonder that the importer I bought the van off had'nt touched it, and a Bongofury advertiser whom I had paid for a full service inclusive of coolant recharge had'nt had much to do with it either. So lessons learnt.