Bongo Fury

Bought my V6 Bongo last November .. it as sat on my drive since before Christmas 2011 ... it as only been moved a couple of times to allow some building work I was having done .. always started first time .. I did originality keep the battery permanently topped with an Optimate .. until it was removed to charge up some bike batteries ..

Taxed the Bongo last Friday and came to start it .. battery had charge but was to low to turn the engine over, so I connected my Lucas starter charger and it instantly fired up .. on disconnecting the charger I noticed a smell of (maybe) sulphuric acid / bad eggs but as everything seemed OK I started to use the Bongo .. bad move .. as over the bank holiday week end .. the battery failed to start it on several occasions and I had to resort to jump leads .. so back home I used a normal Halfords to charge the battery .. but as the voltage struggled to reach 12volts on my multi meter after an all night charge I bit the bullet and bought a brand new 90ah land Rover / Jaguar battery..

Done around 100miles all seemed fine until today .. I have been messing around the Bongo .. doors open .. radio on only for about an hour though ..to find it would not start .. flat (ish) battery only showing around 11.5 volts ..

Jumped leads to start it .. checked with the voltmeter (set at 20vDC) even at high revs the voltage was not steady fluctuating at around 11.5 to 12.5 volts where I would have expected 14.5+volts ..

Checked battery connections .. fan belt and all seems OK .. battery / ignition light on the dash goes out when the engine is running .. anything else like carbon up brushes .. smack it with a mallet .. or what to check ..??

There is a decent place in Walsall (Walsall Battery Co Ltd) who I have used in the past ... but I don't know if they would take a chance to check / repair it, or do I source one from the likes of "ASA rotating electrical" with the postage hassle to / back from Cornwall for mine to be rebuilt .. or pay £150+ for a new 100ah one ..??

Need to use it tomorrow so I have left the battery to charge over night ..

Hi Mike
I don't like the hydrogen sulphide smell you mention. Have you checked the battery area to see if the old batter case had cracked / leaked anywhere?...most unlikely in modern batteries, but in the 60's/ 70's i've had it happen...OOOoohhhh what a mess.
Failing that, check all the battery connections again...and thoroughly clean them/ coat with a THIN smear of vaseline. Then check any other earth connections relevant to the alternator/ battery...It's my guess there lies the problem, and if not, check any fuses/ links in that circuit....Probably a bit of corrosion as you haven't used it regularly.
The Land Rover battery should be O.K. if the CCA rating is high enough to spin a 2.5 TD Land Rover diesel...but I prefer a 100 amp accumulator. If the above doesn't work, it could be the alternator . Always check an alternator and battery together, as a fault in one can erroneously point to the other, and you can chuck a good alternator when a battery is at fault , and vice versa...either one can produce erratic symptoms when checked singly and not under load.
Cheers
Helen

The battery area is clean and dry I even removed the metal battery tray and cleaned it in the sink before fitting the new battery ..!!

But .. I did notice that both sides of the old battery bulged out slightly .. but with the Japanese writing on the battery and given the fact that it was not imported into the UK until mid 2009 I assumed that it was a knaff battery ...

When the engine is running there is no sign of the old battery case getting hot to indicate buckled plates / internal problems ... even leaving the old battery on charge both with an Optimate then a 'normal' charger .. the battery volts will not go much above 12 volts ..

I am now thinking that the battery was low ... "maybe" .. using the starter charger kicked in to many amps / volts knackered the battery and back fed voltage into the alternator "blowing" that as well ..??

Hi mike
As i say..double check earthing points away from the battery before thinking about the alternator...but...it sounds like a problem I had years back...Alternator failed 20-30 miles from home one night...completely out of the blue...limped home with no lights, replaced alternator, and no fix....battery had failed suddenly...very strange!...however, it was thoroughly goosed by the time I got home...i definitely check both when there's a problem nowadays!
Regarding batteries, I have a diesel motor, and use 100A / 720 CCA battery , or thereabouts...i should reckon a V6 won't need quite that spec.
Cheers
Helen

Hi mike,

Sounds like the rectifier might be blown,I notice that the Bongo Fury shop sells the 2.5 td alternator,Ian could probably source a v6 unit for you if you give him a shout.You would also get your discount.

Cheers.

Been out today starts and runs OK .. but still showing no alternator input when testing with the multi meter ..

So put on an overnight charge, and going to take it down to Walsall Batteries in the morning and get there opinion .. if it is the alternator .. as they fix them as well as supply them .. hopefully if I remove it .. they can fix it .. for less ££ss then a new / exchange unit with more than likely less amps output than the OEM one ..

what output are they on the v6, is it the same as a diesel, 90 amp??

I "think" the OEM ones are .. some exchange ones are only 70amps though ...

If (when) I remove it I will try to cross reference any part numbers to see if the same alternator is used on other vehicles as I can't see that it as just been made for the Bongos ..

Removed the alternator today and took it to Walsall batteries for a diagnosis ... slip ring and diode pack where well shot ..

They cleaned / repaired it while I waited inc. free coffee ..

great job.
so much better than the 70 amp ranger alternators---------------- that usually only last 12months on a bongo

I Googled the A3TAO291A number and it seems that among others, Citroen share the same alternator ... if it could be verified it would be useful, as some are listed as 170+ amps output ..

I strongly recommend Co: Walsall Battery they are ace guys ...

As they do mainly commercial alternators ... they do not supply normal car alternators ... so they stripped and fixed mine while I waited ...

Just to make sure is this an OEM one that was off the V6? Trying to track one down in the USA

Theres a number on a sticker, on your alternator. You might have to remove the alternator to see it. Then you can match an alternator.
Also in the UK you can get alternators refurbished. I dont know if US has this service.