Bongo Fury

yesterday i set off to tesco and the temperature rose to the top...! and i had no heater...i got to tesco..only about 3 miles and wondered what was going on...did my shopping and set off in the bongo and it went to 11 0 clock as normal and the heater got hot as usual..figured maybe it was an airlock or something..but how does that happen with no intervention by myself..?..dropped my son off this morning at nursery and it did it again...this time the guage didnt go to the top just slightly higher than normal but no heater and when i switched it off and back on the fan was going....
i noticed on this forum that there seem to be a lot of problems with the cooling on bongos..and have thought i have been lucky that mine has always stayed at 11 o clock and been trouble free so far.....

any ideas...??...why are they so prone to airlocks..?? how do i check if thats what it is..??i remember someone saying that the chance of a thermostat sticking was like a gizzillion to one.....
other peeeps seem to have the same problem quite often but the replies seem to be so varied...logic would suggest that the problem is something common to all..??

its crap weather and i dont really want to be fannying around with it....
help.......!!!!!!!!!

cliffy the naffed off climber.....

Yep definitely sounds like an airlock. Needs bleeding out I'm afraid. Is the coolant level staying the same - you aren't having to regularly top up are you?

I would not expect a engine that has been running o'k' for ages to suddenly develope a airlock, normal this only occurs when you have been messing around with the cooling system.
I would keep a very close eye on things and check the coolant level every day. (dare I suggest fitting a coolant loss alarm)?
If it turns out to be a airlock, how did it get there? has the level in the header tank dropped very low at any point and you have topped it up?

Can we ban any more advertising of a 'coolant loss gizmo' in the forum pages?

Surely its been mentioned enough in the Forum to get it off the ground that a paid for advert will pay for itself now, after all Haydn has said he is now in profit. Its a bit like watching ITV now, 'we will answer this one after the break' - 'Get your cooling warning gizmo now - you know it makes sense???' And now on with the show.

Other than getting that off my chest ( hee hee, see previous post) and awaiting the back lash from the non techies I would suggest to cliffy to check for leaks and rectify if necessary, check for circulation by feeling the bottom hose when the temp gauge shows it to be up to temp, it should at least be warm to the touch - if not then the radiator may need a flush or the thermostat may need replacing, and check your fan belts for wear or slippage, hope this helps.

That's a little abrupt vanmanerik.... Ciffy only joined the forum in october 07, perhaps he's not aware of the coolant loss alarm?

Cliffy? It does sound like an airlock from what you have said...

Consider it banned. I just felt it was particularly relevant in this case.
On second thoughts !! changed my mind. unbanned.

Take no notice Haydn. The coolant loss alarm (as is the mason alarm)is a bongo must have in my opinion...

Unlike women's clothing if you are male....

So BD how does an airlock suddenly develop in a motor that has been running with no probs for ages?

looks like this thread is heading in the direction of big girls blouse

greg wrote:looks like this thread is heading in the direction of big girls blouse

AHHHH wondered what that section was for.

Socket Set Sue...are you indeed a reincarnation of the Vanmanerik that gave me loads of grief months ago when I was developing the alarm and left in a huff saying you would never return??
If this is not the case and you are in fact Sue then I apologise.

Socket Set Sue wrote:So BD how does an airlock suddenly develop in a motor that has been running with no probs for ages?

The symptoms "on the surface" sound like there is an airlock in the system.

I'm not a mechanic in any way,shape, or form... so the answer to your question is I DONT KNOW.

I'd imagine that if the level had dropped low, then the system is topped up, then that COULD be enough to introduce air into the system, that of course is IF its an airlock....

Yep, me too....

You should look at the question that was posted:-

'why are they so prone to airlocks..?? how do i check if thats what it is..??i remember someone saying that the chance of a thermostat sticking was like a gizzillion to one.....
other peeeps seem to have the same problem quite often but the replies seem to be so varied...logic would suggest that the problem is something common to all..??'

Not, is there anything I can fit to warn me of coolant loss?

So what is the answer to these questions?

I would suggest that if the temp gauge rises and the coolant is at the correct level then the temp rise is caused by exaust gasses escaping into the system and displacing coolant. However... this you would expect to cause a rise in the coolant level....and then...why.... does it seem to not overheat next time out? if the head gasket has blown you would expect it to be in a constant overheating condition.
These Bongos really are strange beasts.