Bongo Fury

At various times: (i) Temperature gauge increases to maximum, then reverts to normal, (ii) Coolant in header tank boils over out of overflow pipe, (iii) Problem may be more likely to occur when AC is operating. Coolant level is difficult to determine by sight. Have I overfilled it? Could it be that the coolant system is blocked and needs flushing out and refilling? Where can I get one of those special dipsticks previously mentioned? Vehicle is going in to Bell Hill next week for 10K service. Thanks. Leo.

PM me your address and a dipstick will be yours.......However...get a lolly stick......put a line on it 1.5 cms from the bottom....."dip it vertically down into the header tank till it touches the bottom.....the coolant level should be on that line when cold..I belive your head gasket or cylinder head is allowing combustion gases into your coolant and causing the problems you describe (unless you have recently run low on coolant) Ask Bell Hill to check it out.
Good luck

There may be a local Techie that can give it a once over for you but in the meantime, I'd drive it as little as possible until you get it to Bell Hill, a straightforward fix would be more likely before any damage is incurred. Run it & you could do head damage.


Bell Hill have a top reputation on here & will give you an honest & accurate diagnosis.

Good luck & keep us updated on how its going.

Thanks Haydn and Mister Munkey. You asked me to come back with my results for the benefit of other members with a similar problem. The Bongo was overheating. There was no sign of headgasket or coolant leakage. It was just boiling away. Investigations showed there was a very poor flow of coolant through the system. The radiator was removed and the system flushed through, revealing a very high content of debris. The radiator was changed for a new replacement model and the themostat was replaced. Dried coolant stains on the body of the water pump were found to be coming from a tiny hole in the pump casing and the water pump was replaced. An overall improvement but the engine was still running hot because of what was found to be a faulty temperature switch, which was replaced. Everything now apparently OK. Apparently the radiators on second hand imported Bongos don't have a good reputation and this is not an uncommon problem but not insoluble. Hope this helps. Leo.

Bongoogleo wrote:Thanks Haydn and Mister Munkey. You asked me to come back with my results for the benefit of other members with a similar problem. The Bongo was overheating. There was no sign of headgasket or coolant leakage. It was just boiling away. Investigations showed there was a very poor flow of coolant through the system. The radiator was removed and the system flushed through, revealing a very high content of debris. The radiator was changed for a new replacement model and the themostat was replaced. Dried coolant stains on the body of the water pump were found to be coming from a tiny hole in the pump casing and the water pump was replaced. An overall improvement but the engine was still running hot because of what was found to be a faulty temperature switch, which was replaced. Everything now apparently OK. Apparently the radiators on second hand imported Bongos don't have a good reputation and this is not an uncommon problem but not insoluble. Hope this helps. Leo.

Thanks for the update. Sounds to me like you did all the rights things and I think the various points made are all spot on. I'm trying to think what temperature switch you are talking about though - could it be the one that is suposed to switch the rad. fans on? Interesting if so as it has been suggested before that a failure here coud have 'consequences'.

Fingers crossed you've got away with it without any degradation of head or gasket.

Happy Bongoing