Bongo Fury

Hi everyone

Just bought myself a lovely 1996 Bongo 2.5 diesel auto with full professional side conversion. I've had v-dubs and motorhomes when my kids were younger but I absolutely love my new Bongo!!!

This is my first Bongo so I'm on a fast learning curve and I have a few questions which I'd really appreciate some help with. Could any of you kind souls please point me in the direction of the correct guidance? Many thanks...

1. The engine makes a really loud screeching sound when I accelerate. It only screeches when I actually welly it. If I coast or just cruise it's not quite so bad, but it's always there apart from at very low speeds. The pitch or volume of the screech doesn't go with the revs of the engine - nor does it go with how far the accelerator is depressed. Instead it goes with how hard I push the engine. On the motorway for example it seems not so bad on the level below about 30mph, but the harder I accelerate the higher pitched and louder the screeching sound. Once I reach cruising speed and slacken off the gas a bit then it quietens down a fair bit, but then if I wanted to overtake or climb a hill it comes back with a vengeance. The screech is always there - it's just much louder when I ask the engine to work hard. It's been suggested that all Bongos make that noise. It's also been suggested that it's the turbo bearing. I have my doubts. I've also read something on here about a missing manifold stud. The dealer said a new turbo is about £20 and a couple of hours labour, but I wasn't sure about that. He said he would send me a replacement turbo. Any ideas fellas?

2. It all looks a bit rusty underneath. I'm aware that they were never undersealed in their oriental incarnation and that ideally they should be now that they've arrived here in these damp salty climes. Should I get this done? If so how much should I expect to pay and where could I get it done (SE London or NW Kent)?

3. Does anyone know a good, reliable, reasonably priced, trustworthy specialist Bongo garage in SE London or NW Kent?

4. The dealer had acquired this Bongo with a cracked head. He replaced it and the rad, and gave it a full service. From what little I've now read, Bongos are prone to cooling problems from incorrect fluid maintenance and coolant bleeding. When I viewed it I turned on the engine and let it tick over for about 40 mins. Then I test drove it. Then I let it tick over for another 30 mins. The temp needle gradually rose to about a quarter of the full gauge after the 1st 10 minutes and then stayed there for the rest of the time. 'Good' I thought. Then I bought it and took it on a 2 hour motorway drive home. About 20 mins into the journey the gauge dropped off the scale (cold) and stayed there for the rest of the journey home, even through London traffic towards the end of my journey - apart from a random period on the motorway when it rose to a quarter for about 10 minutes and then back off the zero scale again. In hindsight I probably should have stopped, but the engine performed faultlessly, delivery cracking (but squeely) power. Also the heater seemed very inefficient. All in all it just felt like the engine was running really cold. Now that I've read a bit more it seems more likely that the coolant needs bleeding properly. Am I right, or is this a different problem?

Many thanks in advance for anyone's help.

Cheers

Chris

no1 manifold stud!!!!!!!screaching maybe.check the one nearest the alternator,look for sooty deposits around here, put on some washing up liquid to make bubbles,check the stud properly,even if it looks ok,put a spanner on it,it may be just sat there,remove the tin sheild and check no8 stud also,this is caused with the manifold warping,and taking out the studs.
check its not water pump bearings,belt noise,pulley noise,could also be turbo as its already had temp issues to have a new head.

sounds like he has removed the stat altogether.heater cold,engine cold all the same issue.

the temp gauge if not modified only reads at approx 11 oclock,once warmed up,its dumbed down and stays there,there are modifications you can do to make it read the truth!!!!.

sounds like someones hiding something to me are you under warranty from your dealer.

put your location in your profile,that may help.

oh and welcome to the forum .

Congrats on your new bongo. We had problems when we got our one, but the dealer we bought of was great and since then we've done plenty of bongoing and lots of mileage without a hitch. Do you have any kind of warranty having bought it from a dealer?

Northern Bongolow wrote:sounds like he has removed the stat altogether.heater cold,engine cold all the same issue.
sounds like someones hiding something to me are you under warranty from your dealer.

I'm afraid I agree with Ady, the only reason I can see that the temp gauge would drop off when you actually get out for a run is the lack of stat, I would have this vehicle checked over by a third party and then return to the dealer with the findings and a list of things to put right or my money back.

It is common to replace the disc with every pad change on some OE parts but with EBC it is quite common to see one disc last TWO sets of pad lifetimes, offering significant savings. This does NOT mean that the EBC pads wear quickly either.


never know a motor need disks like that

Thanks for your replies everyone. I've put my location in my profile now. I bought the Bongo economically as a "sold as seen" deal .

It was originally on Ebay.

As it was so far from where I live so we agreed to knock £500 off the price for it to be 'sold as seen' so no receipt and no warranty implied.

Not sure if I've done a good thing or a bad thing

chrisvb wrote:Not sure if I've done a good thing or a bad thing

Bad I'm afraid Get in touch with Trading Standards for their advice. Even without a warranty, I believe the goods have to be of merchantable quality and,as they've worked on the cooling system, they should know about a missing thermostat.
The number 1 manifold stud can go at any time, but it's nothing to worry about and is a reasonably cheap fix.

The dealer said a new turbo is about £20 and a couple of hours labour, but I wasn't sure about that. He said he would send me a replacement turbo. Any ideas fellas?

You've spoken to the seller about the problem and he's offered you a replacement turbo. So that's something positive. The trouble seems to be that you don't know if that will cure the problems you've described.
You could contact the seller again and explain what you're worried about.
It's sensible to give the seller a chance to put it right.

If you get no help, as John said, get in touch with Trading Standards for advice. Here's a link to Trading Standards website.
And if you have a look in THIS FORUM you may find a garage in your area.

Hmmm not looking good ; google CAB advice guide second hand cars ( sorry on iPhone and can't paste link). However, check your motor and failing that house policy and you should have legal cover which will give you free legal advice direct from a solicitor ( I've used mine on a number of matters)

Good luck and keep us posted. Incidentally did it seem a real bargain deal compared to similar vehicles and values ?

flossie wrote:
Good luck and keep us posted. Incidentally did it seem a real bargain deal compared to similar vehicles and values ?

I thought so yes. In terms of other vehicles for sale in the same place - they were all comparable so this wasn't marked down, but all in all it seemed a good deal. The cooling issue is my only one to date, but I'll get it checked out and keep you posted.

Cheers,

Chris

chrisvb wrote: but I'll get it checked out

Check with Trading Standards first. If you let somebody else play with it, it might well affect the outcome - the supplier might be able to turn around and say that it must have been something done after it left us.

Hi Chris,

Have you contacted the Dealer regarding your cooling system problem,that will probably be the first thing the TSO asks you.

Contact the Dealer first,this could cause bad feeling between you and the Dealer if you dont give him a chance.


All the best,

Mal..

Point taken - and a very valid one, thank you!

I'll give him a ring.

Cheers,

Chris

Hi, I too am a Bongo Newbie and experienced the same problem with my temperature guage about 20 miles down the A1M having just bought it. As everything else seemed Ok I continued the 350 mile journey back home stopping everyso often to check coolant levels - all appeared Ok. Having taken the Bongo to my local garage the fault was found to be with the temperature sender unit ( a known weakness apparently). This was replaced for the princely cost of £44 plus labour and since then (so far) all has been ok. The temperature needle sits at the 11:00 o'clock position when warmed up. My seller has agreed to meet the cost of the work, so definitely worth going back to your dealer. I hope that your problem is as simple as mine was to fix.