Bongo Fury

Hi there,

I have found the following 3 replacement Bongo engines on eBay:

(1) JapAutoPart - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0181090392 - £910 inc. P&P
(2) MDKL Motors - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0162527286 - £925 inc. P&P
(3) Motor Giant - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0010826829 - £933 inc. P&P

I am also getting a quote from API Engines for a STANDARD unit and a RECONDITIONED unit.

From what I have seen posted on this forum, the prices for the engines on eBay sound reasonable. Options (1) and (2) include 3-month warranties and I am venturing towards option (2) as, based on the item's description, they appear to have the best testing regime out of the 3.

If anyone has any comments on the 3 items, they would be greatly appreciated. Furthermore, if anyone has anything they think I need to be aware of then please let me know. i.e. I will double check that the engine is a Bongo engine and not a Ford Ranger, but is there anything else? Should I insist upon a reconditioned engine and steer clear of standard 2nd hand engines or "refurbished" units? Is it best to supply and fit to overcome any issues arising from questionable installation?

For those of you interested in why I now need a new engine, I have recently had head gasket and overheating problems. In a nutshell, a water hose burst whiltst I was in France. The vehicle was repatriated to the UK and my mechanic in Northeast London believed it was a standard head gasket replacement job. As such, the head was removed, pressure tested, skimmed and refitted (with new thermostat, all genuine Mazda Bongo parts). Unfortunately this did not resolve the problem. Whilst running the engine the temperature would sit just above halfway then after 5mins would shoot up. The head was removed and refitted but the problem remained.

By a process of elimination, my mechanic felt that the engine must have suffered some form of damage to the block and that it would need replacing. However, it was agreed to first replace the radiator on the slim chance that this alone would resolve it, and if not, it would need done regardless as part of the engine replacement.

The radiator did seem to resolve the over-heating issue with the engine running comfortably for long periods with the temp. below halfway. Unfortunately quite a lot of smoke was coming out of the exhaust and the water level would drop whilst the vehicle was running. Therefore, my mechanic is again adamant we need a replacement engine.

Hi again,

I have just heard back from API engines. They provide two options:

(4) API Standard Engine - £1050. Low mileage engine, stripped, checked and parts replaced as necessary. 3-months, 3000-miles warranty.

(5) API Refurbished Engine - £1350. Low mileage engine, stripped and all parts replaced (not sure exactly what those parts are). 6-months, 6000-miles warranty.

Option (4) above seems inline with option (2) from eBay. The guy from API said that if I planned to keep my Bongo for quite a while then I should go for the refurbished option as it is the only option that will provide me with as close to new an engine as possible.

The additional 3-months and 3000-miles of warranty don't really mean much to me as I hope I'll be more than confident with the engine within the first 3-months.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should go for a Refurbished unit over a Standard unit? My main query is how much better will the engine be if all parts are replaced as opposed to simply checked? Is the benefit great enough to warrant the additional £300 outlay? (I realise this depends a lot on my personal preference and I guess finances, but interested to know other peoples opinion and/or experience).

i have used a place in Barking london for replacement engines for japanese cars,they are supplied and fitted with 6 month warranty on parts and labour,and you get you old engine back for £50 complete with pump and turbo,have pm'd you

i have one here that i bought to fit into this bongo but the mechanic insisted on doing just the head....28 days warranty 800 quid delivered mainland uk wide !

Hi Pizzer, options 4 and 5 sound like the same engine to me, but you will be paying an extra £300 for an extra 3 month,3 thousand mile extension on the original warranty.

Or am i being just a little cynical?

Hi BigDaddyCain,

I've just talked again to API Engines. (4) which is a Standard unit is an engine that is run tested, the head is removed and pressure tested and the internal components of the engine are thoroughly checked for wear/damage. (5) is a Refursbished unit which, in short, is a Standard unit which has a complete overhaul of the head and all the rings and bearings are replaced.

So from what I can tell, options (2) & (4) are "Standard" units and (5) is a "Refurbished" unit.

I see, cheers for clearing that up Pizzer...It sounds like they know there stuff....