Bongo Fury

About a month or so ago I bought my first Bongo and, full of excitement, took it out for a trip to the Peak District.

We camped over and when we woke up in the morning the weather was freezing and the van was full of condensation. To clear the windscreens I started the engine and ran the fans on full blast for about five minutes until the windows were clear enough to drive away.

As I drove off, I noticed what appeared to be a small trail of water dripping behind us. Naively (or stupidly!) I assumed it was probably just rainwater or condensation and didn’t think too much about it.

I drove for about half an hour and didn't notice any sign of overheating on the temperature gauge. But when we stopped, I thought I’d better check under the bonnet and was very worried to see that the coolant tank was empty.

Being a complete and utter novice with all things mechanical, and completely oblivious to the problems that Bongos apparently have with overheating/coolant loss etc, I just filled it up and set off again, stopping regularly to check on the coolant level. No more coolant was lost, and the temperature gauge stayed at its normal level.

Since then I’ve done about 1000km and not lost any more coolant and not had any problems with overheating, so I didn’t really think too much of it until I took it for a full service at a Bongo friendly garage.

They didn’t find anything dodgy during the service but, during a chat about general Bongo issues, I was warned about the potential overheating problems that Bongos experience, and it was only then that I started to panic a bit about the coolant that had disappeared on the first day.

The mechanic suggested that I might have had an air lock that worked itself out. Does this sound like the most likely solution? Might I have caused some serious lasting damage to the engine by driving it on the first morning when the coolant disappeared?

After reading some of the other stories on the forum, I’m now panicking that I might have problems ahead. I’ve got some big trips planned in the Bongo and am worried that I might end up parked on a hard shoulder somewhere before too long!

Any advice would be gratefully received – please bear in mind though that a) I’m completely unmechanical and b) pretty skint!

(PS – I’ve ordered one of Haydn’s alarms, shame I didn't have one in the first place...)

I think the mechanic may have been right about the airpocket. If you had just bought it, it may have just had the coolant changed and not bled properly. Haydn's alarm is a definite good thing to have. The temperature guage is pretty useless though. It is desensitised in the middle range and I'm told this is standard on Japanese vehicles. My guess is that the engine is quite safe operating over a wide temperature range but that the average driver will worry if they see the needle moving up and down. So they arrange it to stay in the 11oclock position over a wide temperature range. I believe the Mason Alarm addresses this

Dave

Welcome bongoturtle (almost a neighbour, you being in Didsbury). Sounds like you've gotten away with it although I'd like to hear it has been properly re-bled since the incident, just for safetys sake. Out of interest, is the coolant nice and clear (no rust coloured water etc.).

My main concern, as mentioned above, is did the place you bought it from undertake any work involving refilling and/or bleeding the coolant system. If they did, how familiar are they with the proper procedure for bleeding Bongos (and have they had plenty of practice too, as written instructions only get you so far). Are you able to ascertain that? If any problems do arise at a later date, it is too late then to bring this episode up with them.

Thanks for the replies guys. I've no reason to suspect that the mechanic was wrong with what he told me (he's definitely a Bongo expert) but it's nice to get some other viewpoints since I didn't really get chance to explain the full story to him.

I bought it form a bloke on Auto Trader and from what the guy told me, he'd simply imported it and put it through its MOT (it needed four new tyres and a couple of windscreen wipers, apparently). I doubt he would have done anything more than that.

I'll check the coolant tonight and see if there's any signs of rust or anything.

bongoturtle wrote:Thanks for the replies guys. I've no reason to suspect that the mechanic was wrong with what he told me (he's definitely a Bongo expert) but it's nice to get some other viewpoints since I didn't really get chance to explain the full story to him.

I bought it form a bloke on Auto Trader and from what the guy told me, he'd simply imported it and put it through its MOT (it needed four new tyres and a couple of windscreen wipers, apparently). I doubt he would have done anything more than that.

I'll check the coolant tonight and see if there's any signs of rust or anything.

Oh dear - there could be another problem looming though. Japanese coolant is different to European coolant and they should not be mixed. Here's a wiki article - there are others on the web.
http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Coolant
May be a good idea to flush and replace.

Aethelric wrote:Oh dear - there could be another problem looming though. Japanese coolant is different to European coolant and they should not be mixed. Here's a wiki article - there are others on the web.
http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Coolant
May be a good idea to flush and replace.

Thanks for the info. I didn't actually add any new coolant, I just topped it up with a bit of water, it didn't actually need much for the tank to go back up and it's stayed the same ever since. (I did warn you that I'm clueless mechanically!) I assume the coolant would have been checked at the full service I had done to make sure it was ok?

Either way, sounds like it'll probably be worth me getting it flushed just in case.

I think a Bongo with that background should have a little spent on to make sure its a happy bunny. A good Bongo mechanic could give it the three times over and service and fit replacements as required (including a low coolant alarm and engine block temp gauge). Dull, costs, but worth it I think.

mikeonb4c wrote:I think a Bongo with that background should have a little spent on to make sure its a happy bunny. A good Bongo mechanic could give it the three times over and service and fit replacements as required (including a low coolant alarm and engine block temp gauge). Dull, costs, but worth it I think.

Thanks, seems like sound advice!

I checked last night and my coolant is a clear bluey colour, so maybe it has been changed since the car's been in the UK?

If you have any doubts it is worth the peace of mind to thoroughly flush & bleed, backflush & flow test the radiator. Check all the hoses & pipework for signs of stress/pinholes or rust. For the sake of an hour or two's work & a few quid, you know it makes sense What about the trail of water you left behind in the first place?

bongoturtle wrote:I checked last night and my coolant is a clear bluey colour, so maybe it has been changed since the car's been in the UK?

Suggests to me it has ben changed in UK (also possible a good sign for a clean system though can't rely on that completely). Does sound like it wasn't bled 100%. Whether you'll ever get the dealer to concede that and accept any consequences is - I fear - another matter. But you do at least have the garage you took it to as something of a 'witness' to the event. With luck, the Bongo should be fine but I would flag up the episode to the supplier (tactfully but firmly) if it is still under guarantee. Good luck

Are your heaters working, if they are at least you know that the system is full of coolant.

Thanks again everyone for the advice!

oldgit wrote:Are your heaters working, if they are at least you know that the system is full of coolant.

Yes, the heaters are working fine, in the front at least - I guess I should probably check the rear ones to be sure. The mechanic told me the same thing - if my heaters stop working, that's a sign of problems.

All good advice and the best of luck