Bongo Fury

I'm sad to say it but our Bongo has just started to lose water and the temp gauge rose past the usual postion then dropped back down again.

I had a full service and mot carried out on friday. but today noticed the fan cut in for the first time since owning the van for two years but this was early in the morning and didn't think anything of it sadly. Any how later today after driving home 17 miles i parked and hopped out and heard hissing from underneath and thought puncture but on inspection water (i think) water running from a cover under the gearbox ( another guess). I then drove .5 of a mile to the garage and noticed the temp gauge going up and down highest point was just past twelve oclock ( normally just under). Mechcanic lifted bonnet and the water tank was boiling literally. He let it cool and got a watering can out and filled it back up, I asked how had they filled it on the service and he said using the same method?? I explained our Bongo's hate air in there systems and he said it could not enter filling this way. He said to drive it till it warms up and see what happens?? I drove slowly back home and have been worrying ever since and searching on here for answers but i'm thinking bad things are heading my way.

Any help anyone can give would be much appreciated.

I live in Helston Cornwall and the garage was laurance bray also of helston.

Happy Camper wrote:I'm sad to say it but our Bongo has just started to lose water and the temp gauge rose past the usual postion then dropped back down again.

I had a full service and mot carried out on friday. but today noticed the fan cut in for the first time since owning the van for two years but this was early in the morning and didn't think anything of it sadly. Any how later today after driving home 17 miles i parked and hopped out and heard hissing from underneath and thought puncture but on inspection water (i think) water running from a cover under the gearbox ( another guess). I then drove .5 of a mile to the garage and noticed the temp gauge going up and down highest point was just past twelve oclock ( normally just under). Mechcanic lifted bonnet and the water tank was boiling literally. He let it cool and got a watering can out and filled it back up, I asked how had they filled it on the service and he said using the same method?? I explained our Bongo's hate air in there systems and he said it could not enter filling this way. He said to drive it till it warms up and see what happens?? I drove slowly back home and have been worrying ever since and searching on here for answers but i'm thinking bad things are heading my way.

Any help anyone can give would be much appreciated.

I live in Helston Cornwall and the garage was laurance bray also of helston.

Pm sent

Thanks for the help Jolly Roger.

I'd be cautiously optimistic as it sounds like it didn't boil dry. I presume it didnt' have a low coolant alarm fitted? Has a hose gone? Water pump? Or is it that it just spewed out its coolant for some reason?

Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks mikeonb4c,

I'm hopinig it's a hose gone, I'm going to lift the seats and have a really good look around and hope to god I find some thing obvious.

I really could not beleive this has happend as last year was the worst of my life and this year and followed suit. It does make you wander sometimes what it's all about.

Heyho must keep my chin up.

ps if anyone is able to offer advice on wether it's safe to warm the engine up and see if that helps me spot anything?? I'll do it cold to start with.

Happy Camper lol

An update.

I lifted the seats and crawled under van but nothing obvious, large diamiter pipe on right hand side of drivers side was swollen and soft so needs replacing but no sign of leakage around it or the area so, I lifted bonnet and water resevoir level low so filled up and slowly warmed the van to normal temp and it stayed at the 11.45 sih postion as normal, the fan did not cut in at any stage and i could hear no hissing noises and no water leaking anywear?? I'm unsure what do next, i'm afraid to drive it, but a gagare I know and trust are 12 miles away. The last time he serviced it he used the vacuum method and I had no problems there after.

Is it a coinsidence that this has started within 200 (max) miles of a full service?

Any further advice would be great.

House bound Happy Camper.

I have just changed my hoses radiator and water pump. I tied the engine bleed hose up to the passenger side grab handle and ran for about 20 minutes at 2500rpm in the drive with the hose open and coolant tank cap off and had no problems since. When doing this my fans cut in.

Is there any chance of letting me know where the engine bleed hose is? sorry I'm very un technical.

Thanks for the response.

Happy Camper

Sorry Happy Camper cannot help with that, sure someone will be along soon and enlighten us both

Happy Camper wrote:Is there any chance of letting me know where the engine bleed hose is? sorry I'm very un technical.

Thanks for the response.

Happy Camper

It's under the passenger seat. It's a small hose that runs over the top of the alternator and clips to the chassis - there is a bung in the end, that you remove when bleeding the system.

Hi Happy Camper.

In your opening post you said; "He let it cool and got a watering can out and filled it back up, I asked how had they filled it on the service and he said using the same method??"

A couple of things: (1) You CANNOT fill up a Bongo's cooling system by just pouring water into the expansion tank if the level has previously dropped to below that where the two pipes connect to it, and if the car has overheated then this amount of drop will almost certainly have happened. And (2), why did they touch the cooling system at the service anyway? Did they replace the coolant (in which case warning bells should be sounding very loudly), or just 'top it up' in which case this might have nothing to do with what's happening now.

Either way, running the car with a potential airlock inside is ASKING for trouble - expensive trouble.

Don't forget, the standard Bongo temp gauge is pretty much useless - it's action is so heavily 'dampened' that if it moves at all, it usually suggests impending overheating - which may already have occurred. DON'T feel reassured that it only goes to 12 o'clock - treat it with great caution.

You mentioned another garage that refilled your coolant system using a vacuum pump - I'd be inclined to go there to have it redone if you don't want to try bleeding the system yourself.

IF last Friday's servicing garage replaced the coolant and just refilled it like a 'normal' car, then fair chance this is what's causing your problems - and if damage has been done, then they are liable. However, the most common cause is a burst/leaking hose pipe. (Of course, if you find a burst hose, this may have been caused by overheating due to incorrect refilling...)

Bottom line - WHAT did the servicing garage do with the coolant system last Friday...?

Thank you francophile1947, I have seen the hose you described.

Quick update, the van is booked into the garage that I trust on the 6th.

I have since asked the original garage about the service and he said it took 4 pints to top the system up!! I guess this is how the air got in the system but there must of been a reason for losing the water in the first place. We'll find out on the 6th I hope.

Does anybody know if it's safe to tow a 2wd using a bar type towing system? or does it have to be low loaded?

many thanks

Happy Camper

Oh, and you mention that you are 'un-technical'! In which case, doing a DIY bleeding isn't the best task to start with. Best to leave it to a knowledgeable garage.

Hi again, HC.

I think you've answered my question - if the garage just filled up the coolant system using a watering can, then an airlock will almost certainly have been introduced. I've read on this forum about someone who had an intermittent overheating problem due to an airlock, so having air in the system doesn't mean that it will always overheat - it can 'wait' for many miles, and then 'pounce'...

You can tow your Bongo 12 miles no problem, but you shouldn't exceed a certain speed, nor travel too far. I can't remember what these figure are - I'm sure someone will clarify - but 12 miles at 35mph will be fine. (It's not the 2WD vs 4WD that affects this, it's the fact it's an automatic transmission.

Happy Camper wrote:Thank you francophile1947, I have seen the hose you described.

Quick update, the van is booked into the garage that I trust on the 6th.

I have since asked the original garage about the service and he said it took 4 pints to top the system up!! I guess this is how the air got in the system but there must of been a reason for losing the water in the first place. We'll find out on the 6th I hope.

Does anybody know if it's safe to tow a 2wd using a bar type towing system? or does it have to be low loaded?

many thanks

Happy Camper

All advice here seems to say you can't tow an automatic with its driving wheels on the ground, except there was some talk about short distances at slow speeds being OK. Wait and see what replies you get and/or PM Dandywarhol and/or do some Google searching.

I'm trying to decide whether - if you topped up and set off straight from cold (set all car heaters to max. heat and fans full on for any extra cooling you can get) you could drive to the garage. Alternatively, I wonder if there is a techie BF owner anywhere nearby who might come over to assist.

Keep your chin up whatever - we'll get it sorted