Bongo Fury

Can anyone help.
Occasionally my Bongo dumps it's coolant out of the header tank,I believe this is because the cooling fans don't kick in.
When I disconnect the Coolant temp sensor on the side of the block the fans come on full.

I am pretty certain it's the temp sensor at fault.
Does anyone else have any thoughts on this? Have you had the same problem?

Do you know where I can get a cheap sensor? Anyone know the part number?
The part currently fitted is a Denso 179700-0220.

Thanks
Garry

the scavenger fan will come on automatically when you disconect the multiplug, its a failsafe.
have you noticed if the handbrake is very hot to touch.
you will rarely hear the scanvenger fan come on, it has to be very walm and stood in traffic for a while before it kicks in.
you can test the radiator fan to see if its working, take the bongo for a run to get walm, when you get back turn off the engine and leave it for 30- 45 seconds or so. turn back on the ignition and 9 times out of ten the fans will kick in. the engine will be hot and it will turn it on to cool down.
ive never heard the scanvenger fan running in the three years weve had ours.
you could bypass the sensor by putting a manual switch into the wiring but i wouldnt advise it. also you could check to see if its a good connection electrically with the sensor, as any corrosion will effect it. they easily pop out and you should be able to get one from someone breaking a bongo.
hope thats some help

dreamwarrioruk wrote:you could bypass the sensor by putting a manual switch into the wiring but i wouldnt advise it.

Oi! Why? Done that to mine and its fantastic. The hot air being flushed out from underneath it last week by the scavenger fan after a drive in traffic last week was phenomenal. And after a drive back from Liverpool when I forgot to switch it off, the handbrake was ice cold (well not quite, but it was cold!).

Seriously though, I've not seen a downside. The fan is also useful as I have a slight diesel leak from the injector and it removes the slight whiff of diesel in the cab you can get when stationary in traffic.

i would probably foget to turn it off and end up with a flat battery. that fans quite powerful. also i may be wrong but wouldnt a cold engine work less efficiently.do you have a problem with the glow plug flashing with the switch disconected. when i tested mine it flashed, also the main radiator fan wouldnt fire up with the plug undone but that could be me. it was about two years ago when i played about with it.

dreamwarrioruk wrote:i would probably foget to turn it off and end up with a flat battery - that fans quite powerful. also i may be wrong but wouldnt a cold engine work less efficiently?

Mike, i don't think the scavenger fan would actually cool the engine perse... I reckon its simply a device to take the place of airflow when the bongo is moving.

I'm a bit concerned about cooling fans too - which is the sensor you disconnected to get the fans running? Is it on drivers side just above inlets and about level with the rocker bolts?

I'd like to test the fans properly and make sure they are coming on under normal driving.

gazza wrote:Can anyone help.
Occasionally my Bongo dumps it's coolant out of the header tank.

That could be symptomatic of a cylinder head issue.... (hope i'm wrong)

Lewy wrote:I'm a bit concerned about cooling fans too - which is the sensor you disconnected to get the fans running? Is it on drivers side just above inlets and about level with the rocker bolts?

I'd like to test the fans properly and make sure they are coming on under normal driving.

I've never investigated on where the actual connection plugs are lewy, but if you want to test the scavenger fan without disturbing anything, leave the engine running for a few minutes after a run, (change the time on the turbo timer if you have one fitted)Then shut the engine off...Wait a few moments, turn the ignition on (position 2 so you get the ignition lights) Chances are you'll hear the scavenger fan spinning away,especially in this warm spell we are having at the moment. Feel near the bottom of the sill under the drivers door, you'll feel the hot air being pushed out from that area by the fan.

i have followed mikes tip and fitted a switch to run the scavenge fan and whilst it may not directly cool the engine it definitely keeps the bay cooler which is a real plus on hot days in slow traffic.
i do agree it will not cure any overheating problems .

I'm seriously considering doing the same rob, the principle's in doing so are sound.

bdc its an easy mod to do-and i found it worthwhile

I think I heard my scavenger fan come on a few weeks ago - at the same time my Mason alarm started to pip too. On my drive home there are a few miles of steepish but quite long climbs - on this day at the top of the last hill there was a roadblock and sitting there thats when I heard fans coming on I've never heard before.

Incidently, I've always had a reflective piece of insulated mat that sits underneath the plastic cubby / engine cover thing that you have to take off to get to the clips to release the engine bay. Until I realised it was missing after a recent stint with my mechanic who did some welding for me - since not having it I've noticed that area to be a little more warmer to the touch.

Thanks for all your replies.
I am hoping I have sorted it.
I changed the Engine management coolant temp sensor under the drivers seat, about half way down the head, behind the air intake tube.
I used an Intermotor 55123 sensor - Cost £13.

Contact SMP on 01623 886410 and they will be able to tell you their nearest Intermotor retailer to you.

If you want to check your rad cooling fans then switch the ignition on to 2 and disconnect this sensor the rad cooling fans will come on full.
To check the engine cool fan (some call it a scavenger fan I think) then disconnect the sensor located on the bulkhead next to the handbrake lever. This fan should then come on full.


The sensor located at the front on the engine (with only 1 wire coming out of it) is purely for the dashboard temperature sensor.

Hope this helps, and fingers crossed i've sorted it.

Ian, is it worth you putting these details on the parts database?

Garry

Gazza is the sensor to the left of the head as you look at it, below the injectors and directly above a water pipe going into the head - grey 2 pin plastic connector? If so I've just disconnected it and NO fans at all at the rad on second click - so I wonder what the problem might be?

Do the rad fans have a fuse? Will check the fuse fact sheet.

Any one with any ideas of where to go further with this would be cool

Hold the phone - yep it is the right sensor - took it off and fans kicked in after a second or two.

Thing is I've taken the van out today and on both occasions when i stopped I turned off engine waited for a few minutes and then clicked back on to see if fans would kick in on both occasions they didn't - I ran the engine on tickover for the last one and the TM2 was up to about 91 and still no fans.

Although these may have been the ones I heard the other week after stopping at the top of a longish steepish climb.

So how do you check the sensor - it looks in good nick as far as I can see - and would I be better running with the fans on till I sort it out?

Gazza when you changed the sensor did you loose any coolant?