Bongo Fury

Hi All - I'm new to the club. Having bought a 2.5TD 2WD tin top Freda from a dealer in Nottingham and driven it down to the Hautes Pyrenees, it now has the dreaded over-heating problem. It has all the same symptoms as on other posts, which has led me to believe that the head has now gone. I am not especially handy, but I've changed the thermostat, flushed and back flushed the system thoroughly and tried to bleed the system, but as soon as the revs go up, so does the temperature. The secondary fan does not appear to come on and the top of the rad barely gets hot whilst the bottom pipe stays cold. Also, the heaters do not seem to be functioning. I need to get it fixed quickly as it is an essential form of transport for a holiday business we are operating down here. I am worried that even if I get all the parts sent over from England, the French mechanics will not know how to fix it properly and won't be able to understand the useful fact sheets obtainable from this site. I am also concerned about the cause of the overheating in the first place. To be honest, if I had read all the posts about overheating problems that I have now seen, I would never have bought a Bongo in the first place - but they seem so versatile and a lot of fun! Can anyone reccomend an experienced Bongo mechanic in this region (near to Tarbes) or (an even bigger shot in the dark!) would anyone be prepared to take a few days fully expensed holiday in order to help us out? (You can see where we are located at http://www.pyreneesmountainholidays.co.uk) Many thanks, Andy.

Sorry to hear of your problems. Might be worth you chatting to Humbi who has similar probs in France recently. I think in the end he advertised the van on Ebay (collection from Provence), but it did have spare head etc & he was friendly with the local mechanic. Good luck.

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... rance+head

Revs up + Temp up. Is tht a symptom of a cracked head or of a continuing coolant circulation problem? Others know a lot more than me but two thoughts arise from you description:

1) Do you still have a circulatory blockage and if so where. Is the radiator a likely candidate? Has it been flow checked? Was the coolant you drained off initially mucky/rusty, suggesting a badly maintained system.

2) Are you sure the head is cracked (steam in the exhaust etc.). It may not be. People have boiled Bongos before and got away with it. Also it sounds like you are on the ball about spotting overheating and switching off at first signs of.

Don't give up hope quite yet. And Bongos are not a bad car, the problem is (with any similarly aged and complex car) that the service history is uncertain and the car could have been neglected. Which is why it cannot be stressed enough that reading up on BF is essential before buying, and fitting low coolant alarm and engine temp gauges highly recommended.

The guy whose Bongo blew up in S France recently put it on ebay for collection 'as is' and got £323 for it. It's be nice if we could help you not to go there.

Good luck and keep us posted - ask away with any questions

Mike

Hi
Sorry to hear about your troubles...Firstly, are you ensured with a reliable recovery system....If so, and your reason for travel is holiday purposes, get the car relayed home.
Secondly, don't decry the Bongo....you could have bought a French, or German nightmare of the same age....apart from aircooled VWs, none of them are any good.
You may read of Bongo problems, but statistics show that there are around 4000 plus Bongos in the UK, and on this site you haven't even read of 100 members with a cooling problem......that's a 2.5% CHANCE....and only a chance , of buying one with such problems.
Thirdly, France is a civilised country (according to some ), and you'll have no problem finding a good mechanic....as regards the language barrier, you can , sure as eggs is eggs , find a qualified translator to translate the bleeding instructions if you write them out exactly....it will cost a bob or so but worth it....we manage that way, even over here....and there aren't many translators.
The bleeding is the only part that a mechanic will have any problem with....same as England , if they don't know the Bongo system.
Lastly, run us through your symptoms step by step, when, and what occurred, and what you did...as Mike said , you may be lucky.....and if you tell us exactly, we may be able to point you in exactly the right direction....or, at least, someone will. If it is just a minor problem, make sure you are thoroughly "read up" on the bleeding , and be there when it's done, explaining that many garages need special help....You're now promoted to specialist.
Above all......don't despair...unless you're over here!!!
Cheers
Helen

Shippa, although he has not been added to the official list yet, we have a Bongo Brigade volunteer in the South of France (near Angouleme) who should be able to help you.

Phone Brian on 0033545389908 anytime after 4pm today (Wednesday).

I have spoken to him, and he says it is OK to contact him. Brian has excellent mecanical knowledge and is about 3 to 4 hours north of you.

Eeh you lot like to waffle don't you?

So back to Andy's problem who is not on holiday but is trying to run a business in the Pyrenees with an ailing Bongo. He wants to know does anyone know of a garage in the area or failing that someone with expertise in the UK who is prepared to go out there and fix it.

To answer your problem Andy - first you need to know if you have a failed head or not. For piece of mind and because it is the most obvious. Tell-tale signs are coolant in the oil which show up as droplets on the dipstick and/or mayonnaise on the oil filler cap. You may find your oil level has risen if really bad. Or oil or gas in the coolant which will show up as discolouration in the coolant ie. brown or even oil. For exhaust gases in the coolant, remove the cap on the rad (when cold) and start her up. Big bubbles and the HG has gone. A definite test is to get the system pressure tested at a garage - assuming you know enough of the lingo to ask for this.

If the diagnosis is that you don't have a failed head or head gasket then you may have a blockage somewhere. The rad is favourite. Remove, inspect and backflush. If holed or suspect then replace. Also flush the system again. The water pump may also be a suspect.

If you don't feel up to the job then ask around for a recommended garage but be sure you provide them with details of how to fill the collant system properly (factsheet).

I'd love a free holiday but don't have the time sorry. Best of luck.

Sorry Ian, that wasn't aimed at you. You posted while I was typing.

I do have a safe address (my son's) close to Tarbes (actually near Negaro) where the van could be left temporarily.

We are due to visit him in our Bongo in a couple of weeks, if any of that would help, you can pm me.

Geoff Smith

Hi Veg_Ian
Yup, I waffle a bit....trying to hide that he is on holiday/business, rather than run a holiday business...insurance companies read the forum...insurance breakdown cover and relay home may not cover a holiday business if he can't get it fixed....EU law says if you stay in the country, you must re-register the car after so many months(you can't register a non-runner), or remove it....hence the member selling on e-bay for peanuts. My sister's friend tried to fly out and leave her Landy in Greece.....no luck As I said any garage can fix it if no offers...it's not a hard job...just the bleeding.
I wish him luck
Cheers
Helen

Oh, just re-read the original post, and realise that you probably have a safe parking place.

Nonetheless, if we can help ... My son Gary works there so speaks fluent French, but is not a mechanic. We would not be able to carry much, as we'll be touring.

Veg_Ian wrote:Sorry Ian, that wasn't aimed at you. You posted while I was typing.

That would leave me and Helen then. Right Helen, you go for the throat and I'll grab him round the knees

haha glad you took that in the way it was intended Mike. Life would be dull without your anecdotes.

Hi
OK then mike...on the count of three
Helen;...is that go on three, or one, two three and go on go.
Mike:...no...fool, one two three and go on three........
.....helen still working this out
Cheers
Helen
Ps....
Sounds like he's got it covered now.

Hi Andy,
If you need any parts flying into Tarbes from Manchester let me know, the company I work for charters aircraft to there twice weekly until Oct.
Regds.
Paul.

Many thanks to everyone for their helpful comments and very kind offers. Sorry I did not reply sooner but I had trouble getting back into the forum! Thanks Ian for sorting it out.
When I first suspected that the problem might be the water pump, I phoned an established Bongo parts supplier, who I had previously used for other parts (as spares), he would not sell me one (an honourable gesture) as he suspected it might be the head gasket, hence my original post.
I have now checked the rad flow and flushed back and forth through several of the pipes. I have replaced the thermostat and extensively bled the system (to the best of my ability) and on idle there is no problem. Leave it at 2500 prm for 15-20 minutes and it heats right up. The top rad hose is warm but the lower one cold. The coolant loss is via the outlet pipe on the expansion tank, but it is coming out cool.
If I remove the bleed pipe plug there is masses of steam. If I try and run it with the rad cap off it is throwing water out - could this be the symptom of (violent) bubbling which shows engine gases are getting into the system?
There is some white/grey smoke on starting, but after that the exhaust is blowing hot & dry. There is no sign of oil in the water nor water in the oil. Can anyone tell me when the second fan, situated in front of and just below the engine, is supposed to kick in?
I must admit that it is all very perplexing!