Bongo Fury

Well blow me down I did it and it was eezy peezy.

I put the Bongo on ramps for easy access and identified 2 wires from main harness feeding to removable plug on front of scavenger fan, easily accessed when vehicle was on ramps. One wire is black, the other green/yellow. There are markings on the mating face of the connector plug that show + and - to confirm that black wire is negative and green/yellow wire is positive. I cut both though found I only needed to have cut the green/yellow positive wire. I spliced a fresh feed to come direct from the main battery vie a fused dashboard switch. Circuit is fused at 15 amps as I had a switch, wiring and 15amp fuse from the spotlight kit I bought but that weren't needed. As I didn't have a spare relay I opted to wire the fan direct with the 15amp fuse. If it blew, I would know wiring etc. was under-rated. It seems to run fine, wires cool so reckon its OK. The theory is that the scavenger sensor driven wiring is still live so the fan should kick in as per design, but I can opt to fee power direct from the dash switch and decide for myself when I would like to remove heat (and any fumes) from the engine compartment. I reckon I don't need an ignition only feed as the fan is easy to hear once the engine is stopped and you exit the vehicle so very unlikely you'd forget to turn it off, and this way it is available for use whenever you choose. Interestingly, the fan is almost impossible to hear once in the vehicle with engine running, and the same when outside it except when standing in front of the vehicle, when it can just be heard.

As I had used screwblock connectors to remake the wiring by the scavenger fan connector and because these were bulky, I sheathed the wiring and connectors with some good quality plastic sheathing that stretched and slid nicely over the plug. I bound the other end closed with insulating tape and then put a cable tie tight over the ending of the tape winding to hold it in place and keep the plastic sheath closed. Made for a neat installation. Here's couple of clickable thumbnails (the white wire is the live feed from the blue illuminated switch on the dash).

heey well done.
I tested mine yesterday as I just got the bongo in march and its has not switched on yet.
It was weird though!!
I removed the plug from the sensor, switched on the ignition, shorted the contacts on the plug
and the fan switched on. Excellent - it works . I removed the short, and it stayed on.
I switched of the ignition and it still stayed on I don't know where it was gettings its power - maybe from my leisure battery?? Wondering how I was going to stop it now, I reconnected the sensor, and switched on the ignition. It stopped
I have no idea what was going on - but switching the fan the way you have done it is the only way while preserving sanity.

Dave

Good work Mike, im still baffled by electrics really, but i am learning.....slowly Certainly works a treat for me, my eye still watches the temp gauge like a hawk. I usually switch it on for a small stint after about 20 miles.

Hope you are happy with it.

Now excuse me for being a bit thick but why fit a switch to the scavenger fan, doesnt it do that automatically ,switch on and off ,all on its own. like i said sorry for being thick but don't understand why this is needed.

The scavvy fan hardly comes on at all, and with the switch, you can use it to test the fan, and also will help if stuck in traffic in the summer.

I decided to have it done, as an extra cooling bonus. before the cylinder head went in mine the fan came on, so it proves that it only operates with very extreme heat. So i thought it would help component life and try and reduce any chance of the engine becoming too hot.

My mechanic is one of the best in my area, if he saw a big problem with the idea, he would not have done it for me. And i do trust him alot.

Hmm, i see the reasoning behind that concept....

it would be handy just as a "check switch" when doing the weekly dipstick/coolant level regime....

Good work mike.....

im not as thick any more, now i understand what its for.

Coco and pippin have - between them - said it all. Oh they missed one other important bit. Its good to have loads of switches n stuff to play with and monitor on the dashboard, and this is my first switch with a blue light on it. Verrrrry important that. I've got about 3 more blank slots to put stuff in. Running out of ideas on what more gadgets to fit

But seriously, it was a surprisingly easy mod., and I can't help but think that both the engine and the occupants will benefit from being kept a bit cooler in hot conditions. It'd be interesting (and easy I suspect) to fit a retracting flap to scoop air into the compartment when on the move on good roads.

Mike,Is your goal to make the cockpit of your Bongo similar to an aircraft?

Hi All

Aethelric - the fan is controlled through the ECU and this has direct feed as well as feed via the ignition switch and so can hold the fan relay on for as long as the temperature is high and is timed off after the temperature falls even after the ignition is switched off. The feed for the fan is also direct rather than through the ignition switch.

Regards Grahame

Does anyone think there is a possibility the fan may become more "active" if the sensor was moved - maybe nearer the engine?

Haven't actually come across mine yet, so not sure how it's position by the gear lever is able to sense engine temp - is there a slot that heat crosses it - or does it actually point down into the engine compartment?

Mike

Hi Mike, the sensor is fitted thru a hole just by handbrake lever & pokes down to just above the rear of the rocker cover. As this is towards the rear of the engine, it is probably going to be warmer than the front of the engine which has a greater airflow.

Once I get my engine back together / replaced, I will consider fitting an over-ride switch too.

The interesting thing about all this is that I guess Mazda/Ford designed the sensor to cut the fan in when engine bay temp. threatened to be detrimental to the engine and components. But, as with so many Bongo features, it provides an opportunity to adapt it so as to keep the cab cooler (well that's the theory, I need some hot weather and a suitable run to test it out). But the mod is simplicity itself. A neat touch is that when I switch the illuminated switch off it fades to black as the fan spools down. Is this because the fan outputs volts as it dies down? Hey, if so we could use it as an air driven generator by fitting a retractable scoop. Wot a larf

[quote="mikeonb4c"]Well blow me down I did it and it was eezy peezy.

I put the Bongo on ramps for easy access and identified 2 wires from main harness feeding to removable plug on front of scavenger fan, easily accessed when vehicle was on ramps. One wire is black, the other green/yellow. There are markings on the mating face of the connector plug that show + and - to confirm that black wire is negative and green/yellow wire is positive. I cut both though found I only needed to have cut the green/yellow positive wire. I spliced a fresh feed to come direct from the main battery vie a fused dashboard switch. Circuit is fused at 15 amps as I had a switch, wiring and 15amp fuse from the spotlight kit I bought but that weren't needed. As I didn't have a spare relay I opted to wire the fan direct with the 15amp fuse. If it blew, I would know wiring etc. was under-rated.


Thanks for this Mike Copied this fab idea on mine today. Another chance to keep Bongy cool
when really hot. Now I have another switch to play with and a good way to test the fan works.Thanks again.