Bongo Fury

OK please people dont judge me i need some good advice and some experianced opinions.
i know i have harped on about staying positive but now its time for me to get real and stop chucking money at a problem that isnt getting solved.
This issue has also caused a big rift in my family as my step dad got involved to "Help" and clearly didnt have a scooby doo what he was doing.

I purchased my Van last June, Lovely looking Van mint green 2.5TD N reg.

used it twice for 2 short holidays then September the head gasket blew, i was unexperianced in the bongo field and my step dad (mechanic of 30 years) offered salvation so i thought yeah great, which isnt my opinion now i have to say.
we removed the cylinder head saw the gasket had failed and was leaking coolent into the head.
with my mum and step dad paying to repair it he said buy a head gasket, head bolts, thermostat that was it. he didnt pressure test it and i thought this was odd he said it didnt need it so i trusted him.

consiquently the van has not been right since gulfing water, so i have since changed the water pump and the radiator as this was blocked solid after discovering my step dad had put K-Seal in the coolent when the job was done,
again these things havent stopped me loosing coolent or the system pressurising when it wanted to and came back from a short break away to Sutton-on-sea completely demorilised for not going with my gut feelings in the first place.

i have read posts by some one suffering the same symptoms on another bongo site these being:
Water loss, coolent systems pressurising when it has been allowed to cool after a long journey, no signs of leaking from any pipes 50% of which i have replaced the clips on, and no signs of oil+water emulsification.

the van has had in total since last september fitted by myself, Cambelt kit, new radiator, new water pump. new Mazda Thermostat, 50% new hose clips in various places, and 1 x 5litre red carplan (drunk) and i have blead it up correctly using 2 x goefers so not that issue and oh yeah new rad caps.

basically i saw Hayden Callow answer the other forum member saying this is the head gasket/ head itself if so i am prepared to sort it the right way but i am unsure as to weather just pressure testing and Skimming the head will cut the mustard or to buy a new head either way the jobs a pain but i cant give up i want it right.

Opinions please does it sound like the head being bodged in my head thats how it plays out?

also is it worth pressure testing/Skimming the current head or not shall i cut my losses and buy a new head?

no silly opinions please this is a serious matter for me thanks.

problem is as i understand it a pressure test is done on a cold head

and it may still be bad once hot and a tiny crack expands

Some companies can pressure test the head at close to operating temperature such that any small cracks will tend to open up. Contact Tom at Bellhill Garage for more details on who they use. To get a head skimmed and tested will probably set you back £100, but if it puts your mind at rest that the head is ok, then it's a good investment and may save you forking out several hundred pounds for a replacement head.

Have a read up on "decking the block" which could possibly be the step that was missed out when the head was previously refitted.

The coolant thats being lost: is it coming out the expansion tank under pressure, or getting mixed up with the combustion process and appearing as white smoke from the exhaust? A sniffer test should prove the second point. Have you ruled out the possibility of the coolant leaking from a split pipe or loose clip?

Decking the block oooo sounds nasty, well previously i know the head was not pressure tested or skimmed but i will have a read up on that.

if im honest i have been all round the van for leaks cant find anything i wish i could then atleast i would have a plausable reason for the water loss but hey they say do it nice do it twice and this is the case i think, i have a full set of hoses and brand new clips i purchased last week not sure wether to fit them and try that first.
with regartds to smoke it smokes grey for a few seconds on start up but not while running or when stationary which is another one thats confusing me abit.

i think i might go with fitting my new hoses and clips and then see what happens as i didnt think it would run atall with a warped/cracked head as i have done a 160 mile round trip in it last week and wasnt until i went to ikea for nearly two hours (so it cooled) and on the way home it burbled the coolent up and spat it out.
any thoughts again welcome.

oh yeah and passed a sniffer test twice i purchased a proper chemical block testing kit from a tool supplier.

Something to consider.
You said that K-SEAL has been introduced into the system.
Below is a pic of a 2 week old Mazda stat after K-SEAL was used. As you can see, the K-SEAL has left a chalky residue which 'clogged up' the stat making it sluggish to operate. But the real bummer is that the chalky stuff had been pumped around the full system.
What I'm suggesting is that when you have found and fixed the reason for the blown gasket, you may wish to consider THOROUGHLY flushing the system to get rid of the K-SEAL, and then fitting a new stat.

all the signs point to a "blown" cylinder head

widdowson2008 wrote:Something to consider.
You said that K-SEAL has been introduced into the system.
Below is a pic of a 2 week old Mazda stat after K-SEAL was used. As you can see, the K-SEAL has left a chalky residue which 'clogged up' the stat making it sluggish to operate. But the real bummer is that the chalky stuff had been pumped around the full system.
What I'm suggesting is that when you have found and fixed the reason for the blown gasket, you may wish to consider THOROUGHLY flushing the system to get rid of the K-SEAL, and then fitting a new stat.

Funny thats what the one removed looked like i replaced (AFTER FLUSHING THOROUGHLY) the cooling system with a Mazda genuine Stat as although i bought it my step dad didnt want to fit it as too much work, i think its as Haydyn said all signs for me are pointing to a blown cylinder head i am going to remove it next few days and i think buy a new complete head put these issues to bed and also fit myself my new coolent alarm and 14 new hoses and clips, I AM NOT GOING TO BE BEATEN BY A VAN NO SIR!

Hi Jimbob

I spent months swapping and changing parts on my bongo to try to resolve the over heating issue, bit the bullet, stripped off the head, i could see the crack in cylinder 2 chamber. I replaced with a new head, new gasket and sensors ect, fitted a Haydn low level alarm for peace of mind. The van hasnt missed a beat since, i am so glad i did it, we have so much more confidence in using it now.

good luck, i hope you get it fixed soon

Mark

markoos wrote:Hi Jimbob

I spent months swapping and changing parts on my bongo to try to resolve the over heating issue, bit the bullet, stripped off the head, i could see the crack in cylinder 2 chamber. I replaced with a new head, new gasket and sensors ect, fitted a Haydn low level alarm for peace of mind. The van hasnt missed a beat since, i am so glad i did it, we have so much more confidence in using it now.

good luck, i hope you get it fixed soon

Mark

Well i hope i can do the same me and my best mate (a proper Mechanic who works for Land Rover) have just inspected the van and he said 100% warped head oil p1ss1ng out inbetween the gasket and he could see it from cold start how much it smoked, i am going to purchase a complete head tomorrow ready to fit jobby.

Make sure you get a good head from a good supplier not a cheap chineese copy as they are trouble

Also please read the thread on fully dressed heads as they are not as ready to go as you may think.

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =3&t=54713

hope it all goes well

westonwarrior wrote:Make sure you get a good head from a good supplier not a cheap chineese copy as they are trouble

Also please read the thread on fully dressed heads as they are not as ready to go as you may think.

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =3&t=54713

hope it all goes well

was looking at this one to be honest spoke to the chap seems ok to me what does yall think?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-Bongo-F ... 256b41ab21

opinions please. if not ill follow the link in the thread above.

Check if it comes with this pipe which the bleed pipe fits too. Ford Ranger heads don't have the extra outlet for bleeding.

Will do i will email him tomorrow and make sure it has that as i dont want to get stitched up with a crap product.
i am not going to rush into buyig any old rubbish need to get right quality for the job deffinately.

Thanks

Ian can put you in touch with his suppliers, or contact Allan in Plymouth. He's just fitted a new head to Chipvan's Bongo.

http://www.allansvehicleservices.co.uk/

Funnily enough i just been chatting to Chipvan and i nearly bought a bongo from Ian in stoke wish i had now wouldnt have screwed me like the bloke i bought this from but you live and learn.

if im buying a new head needs to be spot on.

Jamie