Bongo Fury

Before you ask, I have searched the forums, looked at the Bongo clinic and read the fact sheets, so I apologise if I have missed something obvious.

I have a fantastic Ford Freda 96N reg 2.5 Diesel 2WD. We bought it privately a couple of years ago, from a members advert on here, and we have had lots of miles of pleasure including daily commute of 40 miles and lots of camping trips.

It has developed an overheating problem and after following many of the suggestions on here my local garage cannot find the problem. The next step will be to do the head gasket, but before we do that I thought that I would post on here in case there was something that we have overlooked.

About a year ago the radiator went and was replaced, everything was fine for several months including several long distance camping trips.

Overheating occurred again in the Autumn and it was traced to a couple of old hoses giving up so replaced them - ok for a couple of days then overheated again.

Replaced thermostat with aftermarket one, still had problems.

Ran for a week (40 miles per day) with no thermostat while Mazda one sourced, no problems at all, no overheating and no loss of coolant.

Replaced thermostat with Mazda one, it ran brilliant for 18 miles and then overheated.

Replaced header tank cap with 1.1 bar replacement and again ran perfectly for 15 miles before overheating again.

The garage has pressure tested the system and checked for exhaust gases in the coolant and it seems fine. The next step is the head gasket but they don't want to do such a big job and then find that it has not solved the problem. So before I end up with a big bill does anyone have any further suggestions.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Steve

steviet wrote:Before you ask, I have searched the forums, looked at the Bongo clinic and read the fact sheets, so I apologise if I have missed something obvious.

I have a fantastic Ford Freda 96N reg 2.5 Diesel 2WD. We bought it privately a couple of years ago, from a members advert on here, and we have had lots of miles of pleasure including daily commute of 40 miles and lots of camping trips.

It has developed an overheating problem and after following many of the suggestions on here my local garage cannot find the problem. The next step will be to do the head gasket, but before we do that I thought that I would post on here in case there was something that we have overlooked.

About a year ago the radiator went and was replaced, everything was fine for several months including several long distance camping trips.

Overheating occurred again in the Autumn and it was traced to a couple of old hoses giving up so replaced them - ok for a couple of days then overheated again.

Replaced thermostat with aftermarket one, still had problems.

Ran for a week (40 miles per day) with no thermostat while Mazda one sourced, no problems at all, no overheating and no loss of coolant.

Replaced thermostat with Mazda one, it ran brilliant for 18 miles and then overheated.
Replaced header tank cap with 1.1 bar replacement and again ran perfectly for 15 miles before overheating again.

The garage has pressure tested the system and checked for exhaust gases in the coolant and it seems fine. The next step is the head gasket but they don't want to do such a big job and then find that it has not solved the problem. So before I end up with a big bill does anyone have any further suggestions.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Steve

Are you sure it was bled correctly after the thermostat was replaced? also just because it's new does not mean it cannot be faulty, so it may well be advisable to check it before you do the head

Was it bled properly after the thermostat fitted? It sounds like you may have an airlock.
Unfortunately, a cracked cylinder head doesn't always show up in a pressure test, as the crack closes when the engine cools.

You say it overheated a couple of times....I'm afraid that means that the Cylinder head is almost certainly cracked.
It also sounds as though your garage are not experienced with Bongo cooling systems and cylinder heads.
I would strongly advise you get your Bongo to a Bongo experienced garage to sort out exactly whats wrong and fix it.......LPG Imports of Coventry is close to you and good..
If you let a inexperienced garage get involved in the cylinder head/cooling system you could back to where you are now and out of pocket £2000 in 3 months time...

Sniff/gas tests and pressure tests are not reliable and the cracks are very hard to spot...


Good luck

Hi, I had the same symptoms, my issue was when i brought my bongo the thermostat had been butchered so it was only the gasket, the bongo ran fine for many miles, with the very smallest of coolant loss, only when i replaced the thermostat and the engine got to the correct temperature did it overhead, on stripping off the head and a hot pressure test did we find a crack on No2 cylinder chamber.

I hope yours is an easy fix for you and you get back to enjoying your bongo soon

Kind regards Mark

Thanks to everyone who responded, will bleed the coolant and keep my fingers crossed.

Steve

How did you get on steve???

Sorry not been on for a while.

My local garage, Pillerton Garage in Pillerton Priors great people, has admitted defeat. They tried bleeding the system as per the instructions on here but still no better, still overheats but not until you have been driving about 15 miles. They have agreed that I should talk to a specialist, so I have left a message for Simon, the guy who advertises on here to have a look, although I think it may be a cracked head , so it's going to be expensive. I just want to get her back on the road especially as we have booked Easter weekend in the Peak District!

Thanks again to everyone who helped, I will update again when its sorted.

Steve

have they had a digital thermometer over the whole system and traced heat around the system, to ensure there are no blocked pipes or restricted ones, also have the done the same on each vein of the radiator to ensure it is not blocked?

Paul

At last it's back. Thank you Paul for giving me lots of your time on the phone, your recommendation of Mark at Ettington Garage was great. He really does know Bongos and has sorted all the problems. Yes it was a cracked head, so it has been replaced with water pump belts etc also found two of the glow plugs burnt out. Can't wait for our trip to the Peak District over Easter.

Thank you to everyone who responded and, although it has been an expensive exercise, I am really glad to have the Freda back. May I especially thank Paul for his totally free advice on the phone, you are a top bloke and I will try and buy something from you when I have gotten over paying for this.

All the best
Steve