Bongo Fury

Hello,

I have 2WD 97 Bongo which seems to whine a bit from 30+ mph when
you press the accelerator lightly, but not when coasting.
I've looked through the forum and many of you have mentioned
tyres as a possible cause. Its not that bad really but just out of interest
I had a shifty at the auto gearbox oil dipstick.
Its seems a nice clean translucent red colour and one of the posts
suggested than changing it is rather pointless as the crud stays where it is.
The only thing is, there seems to be small black bits on the dipstick.
Maybe carbon or even possibly small metal bits.
Has anyone else come across this ?
Is it serious ?
I had an Escort with gearbox troubles a few years ago and wish I had
got shot rather than pay huge sums to fix.

Chris - Southbourne - Dorset

PS Great tip on here about taking out middle seats. More mpg, more room for stuff

Could the whine be a turbo related sound?

Some seem to have a bit of a whistle to them . . .

Only way to check is to drop the sump off & have a look for any bits in the bottom. There is a big magnet stuck inside the sump & that will catch any ferrous material, but black bits could be from the brake bands or whatever things they have in there.

The fluid is supposed to be changed every 50K so unless you know it has been done previously, its probably worth doing. Not a tricky job: get a 5 litre bottle of Dextron 3 fluid from a motor factor (about £15) & be prepared to make a mess of your driveway in the process. A set of ramps will make it quite easy to get to. There have been several posts in the past about changing the fluid & cleaning the filter. It seems the newer models may have a different filter to the '95 - '99 models, but definitely worth stripping it out & cleaning any bits out. If you're handy with tools & have a suitable container to catch the fluid in, the you can comfortably do the job in 2 hours. Refilling & getting the level right can take some patience though.

does the oil smell burnt or does it smell of toast ? if so possible solenoid probs but i hope not...