Bongo Fury

Hi i noticed there is a wet patch on drivers footwell where feet go. I have had the carpet lifted up and it is wet underneath but i can not see where it is coming from. Also when you feel it, it feels greasy and smells a bit like coolant. As far as i can see there is no holes in the body and the seat is sealed down. Don't know if i am just paranoid but i think i can smell coolant when it warms up. Any ideas anyone?
Stuc

Leak in the heater matrix/pipes entering & exiting maybe???

if it was that wet your colant level would be noticably lower

This may help explain why coolant is where you found it...

Picture by widdowson2008!



& here is some relevant stuff by helen&tony from this subject here! http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ter+matrix

"Here's the actual picture . The two stubs sit horizontally and go through the bulkhead. there are no actual hose stubs for attachment...they broke off (reason for replacement). The stubs become embrittled with age, and just break...This is a reasonably common fault with older Bongos. Apparently mixing shoddy plastic with metal on cooling systems is the way forward...good old all-metal construction is a silly idea (apparently)...plans are on the books to make plastic matrixes next , I expect...after all, we don't want cars lasting more than 5 years , do we...and deny all those manufactures their profit:"



I may be wrong...?!! relevant part 61-A10 here http://www.lushprojects.com/bongopartsm ... mgno=.html under the dash. (centre.)

Hope this points in the right direction?

Had the same thing happen in our car - the passenger footwell was sopping wet. Took me a while to figure out what it was - the rubber seal around the windscreen had perished and so the rain was running down the windscreen and collecting somewhere hidden in the car. When the level got high enough and we turned a corner, the water would slop out over the carpet. It was surprising just how much water was collecting there.

Hi
If it smells of coolant, it may be the heater matrix stubs about to let go....that's what happened to mine...the stubs where the hoses fit snap off...BIG problemo...that's mine in the piccies Jay posted...it luckily happened just as I drove onto the drive after a run ...you can see where the stubs are missing...if it is that, I suggest you don't drive AT ALL...my rear one went the same way 6 months later....the pipe and stub just dropped off with no warning...I stopped within 100 yards thanks to the LCA
Are there any drips under the car?
Cheers
Helen

Coolant level seems to be ok, car very slow to warm up, heaters are warm when it does warm up, can you see these heater stubs without stripping out the dash etc. Temp gauge when warm sits just below 1/2 way dont know if normal or not cos new to this bongo thing.
Stuc

More info for you... http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ter+matrix If you haven't seen this already!?

I can't really comment much more on this subject as i haven't had this problem... (Touching the wood on my desk as i type..)

Hazarding a guess though, if you got coolant in the footwell, & the level in the header tank seems OK... There could be an airlock??

Call the temp gauge thing "standard" if it hasn't been modified/un-damped in any way... (Mason alarm fitted.) Which would mean the temp gauge would only start to move up when it way too late for an over heating episode to occur!!

Hi,

My heater matrix had a leak from the core into the heater box which which then allowed the leak to spread out onto the drivers side well - if this is the case you should be able to see the drip from the bottom of the heater box on the console if you crouch down.. I'm guessing that if the leak is in the passenger well then its the stubs cracking - which seem to have more potential for catastrophic coolant loss (I had my eak for ages until I found out what it was).

Steve

Hi
You can only get to the heater stubs under the bonnet once you have taken the heater motor out. if the coolant level isn't going down, then it may not be coolant you are smelling???...It could be the windscreen as stated, or...It might be the pipe under the windscreen is blocked...If you look at the drain channel under the windscreen, where there is the rubber seal for the bonnet to sit on, there is a drain tube which sometimes gets blocked and water overflows and runs into the heater and fan resistor...pour a little water in there to see if it runs out the other end of the drain tube!....it could , perhaps, run onto the heater stubs and seep into the cab?....failing that, you're looking totally in the wrong direction, and it's coming through the door...in which case you're going to have to sit in and watch while someone pours very soapy water in the door shut! ....check the seal for the cabling to the door electrics!
Cheers
Helen

Checked today and hole in scuttle panel is clear,i blew it out with an airline and nothing was stuck.cant see any drips inside but will have a closer inspection.The water is in drivers side but in middle so i suspect not coming from outside.It does feel greasy when on hands and i think does smell of coolant. Appears to be worse when hot?

Hi
The most likely place for a coolant to leak is the passenger side, unless it is the matrix itself that has had a pinhole leak over a period. if the latter is the case, then you would likely get a lot of misting on the windscreen when the heater is blowing on screen. If this is not occurring, the most likely candidate is a door seal, and the coolant smell could be residue from previous ownership.
The greasy feel under the carpet is quite usual, from past experience with old minis, and leaking floor bungs
Cheers
Helen

in my opinion if you have a leak in your heater matrix,which it sounds like you have,the leaking water will be replaced by an air lock,the front heater matrix has quite a potential for this because of the angle its mounted,this airlock will sit there until it suddenly moves to the head with possibly dire consequences,please dont drive your motor until you have bled it or done a pressure test.

Hi thought i would reopen this post as i have been driving for a couple of month without losing much coolant,just had to top up once a week but not much. Now though it has got worse as both sides of the floor are soaking wet and when i park up on the kerb,whichever side is lower the coolant comes through the floor onto the ground. It now has a visible drip right in the middle coming from the bottom of the heater box. I now need to sort it. Is this likely to be the stubs or the matrix or pipes. where should i start? Any ideas?

Are the stubs on the matrix accessible to reach from under the dash? Could a bandage or something similar be wrapped around the suspect stubs? If so you could feel/check the bandage/lagging for dampness or discolouration after a day or so. Have you checked the seals on the door jambs for a good seal? It may be worth removing them, checking for water stains/marks, and re-fitting them.