Bongo Fury

Might be a stupid question (sorry!) but I had a look at the coolant level on my bongo today (the small tank on the RHS under the bonnet?) and the level looked low to me. Looked in the manual to find out what I need to purchase and it isn't clear to me, can I just go into Halfords and buy coolant? I havent looked yet but plan on doing it this week, just wondered if you chaps can help out a bongo novice!

thanks in advance.
Dave

Mixing different types of coolant can be bad news - they can cause gel / sludge if the wrong types get mixed.

So, if it's just needing a minor top-up (10-20mm in the header tank) then use clean water.

Having said that, you should not need to top up at all in normal conditions. If the level is low, and you top it up, that's OK. If however it keeps dropping and you keep topping it up then you have a problem (and you would be diluting your coolant). Do a search on here and you will quickly realise that using coolant on a regular basis is a sign of trouble which should not go overlooked - and also not go to a garage unless they really do understand Bongos.

Thanks very much Dave, I'll have a proper check tomorrow but the temp gauge is always dead centre, I've read on here that it isn't the most reliable gauge in the world though, I could see the coolant level was above minimum so I think I'll go with the water method is it shouldn't be more than 20mm hopefully.

Thanks for the info though. We're doing a major trip next weekend (Manchester>France) so I want everything I can checked before we leave.

cheers
Dave

As already said do not mix coolants i would really think about fitting a low coolant alarm if you do not have one fitted.

as you say the temp gauge unless it has been modified is usless very heavily dampend

the easyest way to check the coolent is use a lolly stick mark 2cm from the bottem and put a line on it then dip the header tank keeping the stick vertical.

The temp gauge is a bit of a chocolate teapot in standard form.

If you are planning any hilly stuff (i.e. Alps) I'd advise getting your gauge modified either by fitting a Mason alarm, or the 20p version where you short out a zener diode and add a single resistor. This will give you a gauge which actually responds to the varying temperatures, so you get a chance to ease off / idle and let things cool down before they get too hot, and a sound an alarm if you fit the Mason.

There's a fact sheet in the members area detailing the mod.

I've read a little about this, am worried now that I won't have time to do this before we go away. I didn't have any means of properly checking the level today (we were on a camp site) but I do know the level wasn't at the point directly below the cap as I did dip a twig in there (not very scientific) and it was dry, the tank level must have been towards the low end. I'll try again tomorrow and maybe get a better idea.

The "lolly stick" method doesn't measure 20mm up from the bottom of the tank, it's 20mm up from the bit you hit when you stick a stick in vertically through the filler neck.

So, it sounds like your twig dunk was right - but came up dry, which is bad news. If the level drops out of the tank, you may well need to top up AND BLEED the system. If there's still coolant in the tank, you can usually get away with a top-up.

If the tank is anywhere like this low though, you should be looking into why it's low, and given your planned trip I'd make sure the level is not dropping ASAP.

I guess the only way it can be dropping is through a leak? So if i top up tomorrow with water, hopefully it won't be more than 20mm needed, then keep an eye on the tarmac as the van won't be used for most of this week, then if I see a damp patch start worrying, if i don't then can relax?

Having said all this, will 20mms worth of a top really make a massive difference?

20mm? No, not as such. If the tank gets dry then you open up a path for air.

Doing a quick search around for a coolant alarm, they seem to come from oz and retail at about £100ish

Are there no UK dealers for these? Would a low coolant alarm be more use than a high temp alarm? I guess the 2 both do a similar job but from different sources.

Mcrdave, If your unsure and, as you say doing a long trip, it might be worth trying to get to either Wheelquick in wigan or Adrians in bury and let guys that know check it out.

There are several alarms available, but the most useful one on a Bongo is for low coolant, often referred to as 'Haydn alarms' (after the chap who supplies them). Available from the club shop or directly: http://www.coolantalarm.co.uk/shop/inde ... roductId=3

Bury is definitely do-able, thanks very much I might well give them a call tomorrow to just give the van a once-over for peace of mind, I just googled it and Japan Direct came up, I assume this is correct. I don't want to clog up the forum with coolant questions that have been asked a thousand times!

cheers Dave

Yep, thats the one.

Mcrdave wrote:I guess the only way it can be dropping is through a leak? So if i top up tomorrow with water, hopefully it won't be more than 20mm needed, then keep an eye on the tarmac as the van won't be used for most of this week, then if I see a damp patch start worrying, if i don't then can relax?

Having said all this, will 20mms worth of a top really make a massive difference?

Times have changed. I did the '20p' version at the weekend and it cost 59p from Maplin. It took about an hour and I am well pleased with the results. The gauge is much more responsive.