Bongo Fury

hello eveyone at bongo fury
we are new members and a very recent bongo buyer my name is steve my wife is jacqui and our sproglet is name skye. I have wanted a bongo for quite some time now and have recently been fortunate enough to get one.the weekend after we got it we went to skegness in febuary and we were quite cosy since then we have been to the llyn peninsula in wales and most recently I used it to take me and my friend to snowdonia for a climbing trip.
having used it a few times now one or two problems are becoming aparent the first is at first I thought the steering rack was worn as it seemed to sway a bit I have since found out it might be the wishbone bushes.my question is do I replace the bushes or the complete wishbones so that the ball joints are done at the same time the difference is £300 for two wishbones complete with bushes or £80 for the bushes +fitting for both?
thats the small problem
when I drove the bongo away from the seller it smoked like anything but only for a while when I got home I did an oil/filter change I also added injector cleaner too but its still smokes a lot from cold my thoughts are it could be the valve seals? iI also noticed oil around the head gasket as if it was leaking oil [not sure] with what ive read so far I am getting worried that it may be quite serious as people suffer a lot with overheating and head trouble
the other symptoms are,when you put your foot down you can hear what sounds like air and water going through the pipes behind the heating controller it sounds like there is a lot of air running in the system. any help will be most appreciated as its the start of summer and I dont want to miss any of it I want to go here there and everywhere and hopefully meet a few peeps along the way
but at the end of the day we absolutly love our bongo and I will probably spend all my money on it there are lots of accesories that we want to get but I need to know the van is sound first.
we live in stoke on trent and look forward to maybe going to the 2009 bongo bash. do I need to book? where is it? how much is it ? do I need to book?
thats lots of questions and im new to this forum so I apologies if they are in the wrong place

Sorry to hear about your teething problems.
Someone on here recently said that there is a good Bongo experienced repair garage in stoke.
Maybe you coud take it there for a checkup ?

Someone hopefully may post a link to that garage.

Don't forget there is a mini meet on cannock chase this Sunday, you could maybe go there and chat with other owners who could offer some advice etc

The bushes can be replaced on the wishbones.

Are you sure the oil is coming from the cylinder head? Many a bongo has a slight oil weep from the rocker cover, could it have dripped down lower?

The rushing air noise sounds like you may be low on coolant.

I'm not sure who the Stoke garage is, but I used Ian Taylor in Market Drayton following advice from You've Been Bongod

Ian did a good job on ours and I can confidently recommend him.

There's a few of us meeting at the Tackeroo campsite on Cannock Chase tomorrow from 11.00am so bring it down if you want.

iImay turn up tomorow I dont know yet still a little wound up at the mo ive just drove a long way to find an awning shop in wallsal and could I find it! no not only have I wasted a lovely day and spent about 25 quid in fuel for nothing I got stuck in a big traffic jam on the way home my brakes have started grinding.
I did check the coolant and it was empty so thats one job done anyway next job is to measure the roof for some memory foam im still needing a good awning I also want a tail awning ive got to try and make sure there is no air trapped in the cooling system?and I have probably got to take all the wheels off to check the brakes
I paid 4000 for the van which is not to much compared to what some people pay but I didnt expect to have so many things to sort out on it.I am trying to get all my kit together which is expencive enough without all the repair work as im trying to get enough cash together for a 2/3 week touring holiday.
ok im calm
thanks for your replies and if i dont see you tomorow i may do for the bongo bash
steve

Don't drive it anywhere until you've got the coolant sorted, an overheat can easily result in a new head - up to £1800.
Find out where it is leaking from (check hoses, pipes, waterpump for staining indicative of a leak if not immediately visible), fix it, flush it out thoroughly & refill with coolant & water & bleed as per factsheets, if you're not sure ,someone local may be able to assist, or there are bongo friendly garages listed in the database section of the members area. It may be worth getting a sniffer test on the header tank to see if there are exhaust gases in the coolant if there's already a head gasket/head problem.
Personally I'd get on to the seller (was it trade or private?) & find out a bit more about it's history, or get them to sort it if it's trade.

the jonesys wrote:I did check the coolant and it was empty steve

Been said already, but here it is again:
Don't drive it until you have found out where the water from you coolant system is going
Must be leaking somewhere to be empty, unless someone did some repair work and didn't refill it properly.
So, just because you have topped it up it isn't "job done " unfortunately.
Not just yet anyway.
But I wish you all the best for a quick solution on your technical teething problems.

If your coolant tank was empty and you just filled it up then STOP RIGHT NOW.....get it bled properly by a garage that knows how to do a BONGO. If not then BIG trouble.

I am a bit pissed off with my bongo already peeps [sorry if swearing is not allowed but thats how I feel] its been nothing but trouble so far I am already thinking sell it and get a trailer tent instead
but seriously today was the first time since weve had it that we have decided to give it a good clean starting from the top I lifted the roof and the interior of the roof is minging the stains on the interior are [well i dont want to know what they are ] horrible, the mesh is filthy the canvas is mouldy [slightly] and it will take a good deal of elbow grease to clean.but I am 100% confident we can get it like new.
the interior of the van is a bit rough too the owners dog ragged the roof a bit the carpets are minging but the seats are like new.
ive got oil around the head the brakes grind the wishbone bushes are knackerd it needs waxoyling it needs t cutting, waxing it smoks like f~~k making me think its the valve seals or maybe worse the head gasket!
its only part converted and thats not great either.oh and the fridge has an horrible smell that just wont go away like its had a dead cat in it or summat
when you stand back and look at my bongo it looks awsome thats why i brought it
i ahve just paid 300 quid for an awning today too [sorry bout the spelling bit tipsy after today ]
and ive just smoked a cigar and i dont smoke!
I will get this bong othe way I want it even if I have to sell my left lung to get it right or even get a new engine I have always wanted one I have now got one all paid for with no debt and its going nowhere its mine [well actually its my 2 year old girls motor as every time she sees it she says mine mine mine even pictures on the pcshe loves it more than me]
I am self employed and as a result the longest holiday we have had in the last 10 years is about a week i was hoping to have 2/3 this year but with the repairs needed it may just be weekends again
but all said and done we own a bongo and we all love it even if we have to sleep in the drive in it

Being pissed off with Bongo, makes you happier when Bongo mended.

( old Japanese saying )

the jonesys wrote:I am a bit pissed off with my bongo already peeps [sorry if swearing is not allowed but thats how I feel] its been nothing but trouble so far I am already thinking sell it and get a trailer tent instead
but seriously today was the first time since weve had it that we have decided to give it a good clean starting from the top I lifted the roof and the interior of the roof is minging the stains on the interior are [well i dont want to know what they are ] horrible, the mesh is filthy the canvas is mouldy [slightly] and it will take a good deal of elbow grease to clean.but I am 100% confident we can get it like new.
the interior of the van is a bit rough too the owners dog ragged the roof a bit the carpets are minging but the seats are like new.
ive got oil around the head the brakes grind the wishbone bushes are knackerd it needs waxoyling it needs t cutting, waxing it smoks like f~~k making me think its the valve seals or maybe worse the head gasket!
its only part converted and thats not great either.oh and the fridge has an horrible smell that just wont go away like its had a dead cat in it or summat
when you stand back and look at my bongo it looks awsome thats why i brought it
i ahve just paid 300 quid for an awning today too [sorry bout the spelling bit tipsy after today ]
and ive just smoked a cigar and i dont smoke!
I will get this bong othe way I want it even if I have to sell my left lung to get it right or even get a new engine I have always wanted one I have now got one all paid for with no debt and its going nowhere its mine [well actually its my 2 year old girls motor as every time she sees it she says mine mine mine even pictures on the pcshe loves it more than me]
I am self employed and as a result the longest holiday we have had in the last 10 years is about a week i was hoping to have 2/3 this year but with the repairs needed it may just be weekends again
but all said and done we own a bongo and we all love it even if we have to sleep in the drive in it

Why did you buy that one?

regarding the smoking (the engine, not the cigar) check out the egr, may be worth blanking it, this may help - http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 43&t=14463
The oil around the head is quite common, depending on where & how much, sounds like you need a knowledgable local member to cast their eye over it for you.
Stick your location in your profile by clicking on user control panel top right, hoefully someone local to you will be able to help.

why did i buy that one?
good question! buying a new motor is always daunting and you dont tend to see the bad bits when you are buying.i thought i was buying a bargain and it looks stunning and its probably not as bad as i make it sound i just love it and want it perfect

the jonesys wrote:why did i buy that one?
good question! buying a new motor is always daunting and you dont tend to see the bad bits when you are buying.i thought i was buying a bargain and it looks stunning and its probably not as bad as i make it sound i just love it and want it perfect

In that case you need to get it checked over by a recommended knowledgeable mechanic who can honestly assess what it's like and what really needs doing.

As has been said the Bongo cooling system is complicated by the fact that it has two heating circuits and MUST be bled of all air and not just "topped up" if it has lost any more than a small amount of coolant. It must also ALWAYS have a good strength of coolant/corrosion inhibitor never just plain water. Any deviation from that is asking for trouble. Treated right it will do you right, but if you try and cut corners it can turn around and very expensively bite you.

The motto of the story is "if in doubt - don't".

thanks everyone for your replys and I heed your words, my bongo is going nowhere till the system has been properly bled and the wishbone bushes have been done[it has got 18" wide wheels on it and have started to feather at the edges which could also be very expencive]
and a big thank you to haydn for taking the time to phone me and put me straight on exactly how to do it. I didnt do it today as I want to give myself a full day to do it to take into account of any unexpected problems.and I will be investing in one of your alarms as soon as ive topped my bank account back up after spashing out nearly £300 on an awning
but we have been working on the bongo all day just cleaning it most of the day went on cleaning the roof canopy it was minging inside and out and its now fit for a queen to sleep in and ive just orderd some cut to size memory foam
what an amazing roof canopy it is too and I look forward to having an afternoon snooze with the canvass rolled up and a lovely sea breeze blowing through Cant wait!