Bongo Fury

My sixteen-year-old SGL5 is in excellent condition but I'm thinking of trading it for a newer one before they become unobtainable! I would like to switch to a 2WD but, in order to retain some mud-plugging capability, I would want a limited-slip diff. Is it possible to determine which model/year/VIN vehicles have LSD?
I know how to identify it-but I don't imagine a dealer is going to jack up every vehicle on his forecourt just to find one that has it!

Just make a note of the VIN number on the door pillar (or under the bonnet on the windscreen scuttle) .. and check on the Russian site for an explanation of the 'code' ..

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... &start=180

They should have a yellow sticker on the rear diff casing, although this may no longer be visible if it's been under sealed / Waxoyled.

Hi,

Your best bet is jacking it up and testing it,it may have had the diff replaced with a non LSD.

Cheers.

It might be possible to identify a likely one on a test drive. I have LSD on my V6 and it is easily identifiable. The rear wheels scrabble on tracks or slippery junctions and it feels very like a four wheel drive. The first time I drove it, I picked it up straight away and had to do a double check to make sure what it actualy was. The Russian website confirmed it was a LSD as did Discount Trucks.

Its brilliant in mud, not so good on snow and ice. No Muz style expeditions over snowy passes, but perfect for festivals, rallies and chewed up gateways.

Thanks, guys, all very helpful. My nearest dealer has 50 vans in stock and none has LSD. I'll keep plugging away, but this might just end up in the "too difficult" tray, although that would be a shame; as a keen model flier, I need to negotiate muddy gateways and fields (not to mention campsites) and sometimes rescue stranded mates.
I do not do snow!

expresso bongo wrote:I do not do snow!

You should try....

Are you sure the geezer at the dealer knows what you're on about, it's difficult to believe that none out of 50 have an LSD. If you find the right van in all other respects you can always get the diff out of a scrapper. Alternatively fit some good tyres, that makes a world of difference too. But if you have 4WD, LSD and good rubber, it's playtime

Great pics!!

Derek

Yeah, pretty as a Christmas card; I still don't do snow! I don't mind driving in it-but camp in it? Insane!

Well, it gets weirder and weirder. I asked a major Bongo importer whether any of his Bongos had LSD and received a tidal wave of pictures of Bongos he's importing, all of them "stunners" but no mention of LSD whatsoever.
I asked another big dealer if he had any and he asked me what "LSD" was. When I explained, he replied with "ALL of our Bongos have slip differential" (sic).
I don't think I can rely on any of these guys enough to make a 100-mile trip to see their wares worthwhile.
I wonder if I'm wasting my time.......maybe they're all on LSD..........

Ask them for the VIN and then check them out on the Russian database as mentioned before, the VIN (two parts ) goes into the second set of boxes here;
http://www.ruzip.ru/eumz/eumzcat.aspx
Then click the button and study it, if its not obvious then post the URL for the page into the Google translation page here http://translate.google.com/# , just paste the URL into the translate box, choose Russian to English and you will see the whole page translated

Hurrah - I have a limited slip diff always suspected it as at "crabs" when turning sharp turns slowly and you can feel it engage on the slippy stuff.

Being 4wd and lsd it is really good on mud and snow having tested out particularly on dartmoor in the winter

Russ

Geoff's sugestion seems the best, get a list of VINs and check them. Most dealers seem to only know the difference between 2 & 4wd drive. I have seen one V6 advertised as 4wd, which was probably a LSD, which feels very like one. Mine was sold simply as a V6 with no mention of the LSD. Doubt if the seller had picked up on it at all. Probably quite a few people driving round with it who have never realised, just thought their Bongo handled well.

No idea if the 2ltr is available with it or if it is only the V6. I did find a website once which gave specs of various models of Bongo. Mine's a GXT apparently, I have its original purchase receipt. Although all it says on the tailgate is the silver V6. No idea how to find this site again though.

New Forest Terrier wrote:Geoff's sugestion seems the best, get a list of VINs and check them. Most dealers seem to only know the difference between 2 & 4wd drive. I have seen one V6 advertised as 4wd, which was probably a LSD, which feels very like one. Mine was sold simply as a V6 with no mention of the LSD. Doubt if the seller had picked up on it at all. Probably quite a few people driving round with it who have never realised, just thought their Bongo handled well.

No idea if the 2ltr is available with it or if it is only the V6. I did find a website once which gave specs of various models of Bongo. Mine's a GXT apparently, I have its original purchase receipt. Although all it says on the tailgate is the silver V6. No idea how to find this site again though.

I dont really think that looking at original factory data for the particular vehicle can give you the present diff spec,we must remember that we are dealing with very old vehicles here. Heaven knows what changes have been made to them over the years.I would not expect the dealers to know either.The only way is to physically test the operation of the diff.

Cheers.

I agree that specs can change 4wd to 2wd for example. In this case expresso bongo is looking at new imports and trying to narrow the field down to possibles. Once he has found some that may have LSD it will be a simpler procedure to check those.

Mine despite being nearly 17 yrs old is still exactly the same spec as quoted on the Russian website.

Wish there was a more accurate was to narrow down the field. Bongo specs are very individual. Mine has all the expensive bits, ABS, airbag, LSD and powered sunroof, but a very low spec cotton interior. Only reason I can think for that is that its from the hottest part of Japan where nylon velor would be sticky. Only other two I know with this type of spec, apart from the interior, are Jaylee's which is 4wd and Haydn's V6.
No idea if they have LSD and how it would translate to an AFT.