Bongo Fury

Bongo automatic 2 wheel drive. O/H drives about 8 miles to work each day. Last bit is up hill and when he slowes down to turn into work and then puts foot down again engine stalls. Same place every day. Does not do it after same milleage when coming home (no work shy jokes please!). Thinks ought to check gear box oil levels - where & how please - ashamed to say don't know - usually get it checked at service.

Something blocking the fuel pickup in the tank?

dandywarhol wrote:Something blocking the fuel pickup in the tank?

There was a mystery problem once solved when a leaf was found in the tank..!

http://lushprojects.com/bongopartsmk2/c ... no=.html#9

Thought i would borrow & post up these pics to help you out..

You could always try going to work with the fuel cap removed.

Thought you might like to know the outcome - took our Bongo (Denzil) in for new glow plugs as it was just a bit iffy on starting and winter coming etc. Garage was also going to check about the conking out problem when they spied a bit of oil on side of engine and rang to say head gasket startng to go. Left Denzil there while head skimmed and all the rest of it. When they put it all together it wouldn't run beyond 1200 revs. Then they found gunge in a fuel line - cleared that (conking out?). They said cooling systen very difficult to do - took 3 people - one filling, one on throttle and one on pipe - is there an easier way?! We now have Denzil back purring happily like a litttle cat . Pocket reduced by £889 but could have been worse from what I've read on site. PS - couldn't help thinking that "Skimming the Head" sounds like a new Country Dance! )

I hate to say it, but I'd be very surprised if the oil leak was inidicative of a head gasket going, do they have any experience of bongos? most of them leak oil, usually from the rocker cover or egr, sometimes the cam seal, but very rarely the head gasket. If you weren't losing coolant or having any overheating problems I doubt you had a head gasket issue TBH.
Sounds like they made a meal of bleeding it after watching the bleed videos ( I can quite easily bleed it on my on my own), which would say to me they had no previous experience of bongos & you've probably just been well overcharged for a simple glowplug change & fuel blockage.

Ditto

I note all your comments but think its just a bit unfair, unless you actually know the garage and mechanic - he looks after several of the many Bongos on the Island and has worked on ours since we had it. I was warned when I had my first car (too many years ago to admit now!) about 'Ali Baba and the 40 garage proprietors'.

Must point out that the head gasket was not done as cure for the stalling - that was probably something picked up from the fuel tank, though strange that it stalled at the exact same place every day for 2 weeks or more!- There was indeed a very small amount oil coming from the head gasket - no where else. We could have perhaps carried on for a time but we preferred not to risk doing a lot of damage when it finally went. You could say we were lucky that it was spotted when it was. We were due to set off for a few days away on the mainland and then we might indeed have been at the mercy of an unknown garage.

Will view bleeding videos and pass on - he obviously hasn't had to do that on a Bongo before.

QUOTE - he looks after several of the many Bongos on the Island and has worked on ours since we had it

QUOTE - They said cooling systen very difficult to do - took 3 people - one filling, one on throttle and one on pipe - is there an easier way?!

Seems they cant have done that many

QUOTE - Then they found gunge in a fuel line - cleared that (conking out?).

And seems the job should have been as simple as that and cost around 30 quid

Its easier to be conned by a garage you trust and even easier to make excuses for them, i suggest you change your mr Fixit fast or you will lose a fortune

I presume you know our garage and mechanic then, if you can write him off so easily? Just because he has worked on several Bongos doesn't mean he has blead the system before, or knows them inside out - Don't forget that we have a ferry crossing to access some of the recommended bongo menders and that can be £40 day return and much more for a period or open ended one. So perhaps don't be too hasty. What would you have done if oil was seen coming from your bongo's head gasket?

Was the "oil leak" on the front offside of the engine? If so, it is almost certainly gunge from the EGR and they all seem to do that, unless the EGR is blanked off.

Glad you got it sorted and you're happy..................................

Thank you - yes we are - Denzil is running like a sewing machine . Thank you everyone for your varied comments - I think we will now close the issue.