Bongo Fury

One of the problems with Bongos and "other" makes is that the tanks become badly stained over the years and the level of the coolant can be hard to determin.
The Delica club looked into this and sourced purpose made aftermarket tanks at a cost delivered to members of £65 instead of approx £120.......I have seen those tanks and they seem very well made and exactly like the factory ones.

This could be a "bulk buy" project for someone to look into.

Just a thought

That sounds like they had manufactured there own "version" is that the case ? Or was it just a similar one that fitted ?
Certainly ought to be a demand, unless everybody is now using lolly pop sticks and don't need to look inside

It was made as a special run and a exact replica/

I would be intrested in one if this ever got off the ground. Having now changed from the original green coolant to the long life red I am finding the coolant level a tad harder to read these days.

Tony

The pukka factory Delica tanks are available at £85 now from dealers and are not opaque any more...... Delica's are well known to suffer splitting tanks with UV light and age.... not found the yellowing a problem with my Bongo has anyone else? on the note of splitting...anyone had a split in their header tank and needed a replacement?

Ok, numpty question but to fit a new tank would it be safe to clamp the hoses and not do a full coolant flush?

dobby wrote:Ok, numpty question but to fit a new tank would it be safe to clamp the hoses and not do a full coolant flush?

I wouldn't think you'd even need to clamp them - aren't they the highest point in the cooling system?

I was hoping it would be something like that, suspect Haydn will be along shortly with some guidance

I just put a bung in each hose as I take them off......easy job to do.....almost every 2nd hand tank that has passed through my hands has 2 0r 3 small splits on the underside.
Anyone with a untraceable leak would do well to check this out.

Thanks Haydn.

I agree it would be a sensible group buy if the numbers worked.

While sitting here for 2 hours at Hospital waiting for mother to have her CT scan (got to wait as she has to drink some substance and wait for it to wean it's way through her system) Thought I would post some findings....

I made some calls and I can get some tanks produced reasonably locally to me, obviously these are UK sourced & not Chinese made a) to keep control over quality and supply b) so as not to get done over from thousands of miles away with poor quality stock - it obviously means it's not pukka Mazda stock but a "near as" copy with a decent life Guarantee against splitting etc.....BUT there is a caveat or two.... to keep the makers warranty the tank must not be tampered with i.e drilled etc...so from that I guess there won't be many, if any takers, along with the set up tooling costs to add on which will make them as expensive as Mazda ones.... along with the commitment to the stock which would need a large production run.

So for me at this time.....I'm out.....and if I need a tank...I will go to Mazda.

I guess there might be scope for a small buy of say 10 units to get a VAT free or discount purchase from Mazda or perhaps if a Trader might be up for such a buy and pass said tanks on at Trade cost plus postage? the other way of course is for someone to take a big gamble and hope that the Chinese sourced tank route pays off....

I'm not 100% sure about this ,, I think the Delica tanks come from Oz and from the 10/20 that have passed through my hands the quality was excellent. (wherever they came from)

As regards the warranty being void if tampered with.....there are "other" ways to get a sensor into the cooling system.....not as quick and easy but on the other hand not to difficult.

Having shown the photos of the tanks that have crept onto the Water Pump thread to a just retired MOD engineer (who has used many different materials and involved in Weaponry and other Classified kit) who is also a Mazda import owner......his verdict on the photos, and he says verdict as a caveat as he has not inspected them internally and externally....is Stress fractures....
He says they can be caused in several ways and an absolute forensic answer can't be given without testing however, his experience with plastics and storage tanks leads his suspicions to be internal stress as the main cause, which in the case of engines can be through heat or pressure. He has seen similar in Land Rovers that have been used in extreme conditions and also ones with incorrect coolant. We all know the effect that incompatible coolants has, gelling and sludge....causing more pressure due to poor circulation ....
My question to him then was "if your tank was weeping due to a stress fracture what would you do?... Factory replacement or otherwise.... having seen this Delica tank he went for the alloy job...but then I guess he would.....
Personally, I would be interested in an alloy tank.....anyone else?...obviously Internals would be baffled like a Bongo's to perform the degas stage of the cooling cycle....so costs would depend on getting that spot on....
Let me know and I will ask around up here.....

The only problem i can see with the alloy one is ,you cant see whats inside , i know the Mazda tanks are cloudy and not easily visible from the outside, but you can see the level if needed with or without the cap taken off.
That's my twopenny worth, i will shut up now because i don't really know what I'm on about .