Bongo Fury

After just having a new radiator fitted last friday,popped out today ,turned the key...the coolant alarm sounded......looks like most or all the coolant's drained away....checked the radiator pipes, and the bleed pipes, all look fine........Help Please!

If you're struggling to find a leak, try removing the two plastic undertrays, refill with coolant, lay newspaper or towels on the ground underneath the front half of the van and check for any hints as to the general location of any leak in the morning. You may even be able to see drops forming as soon as you fill up if you can get good light on it. A small mirror might come in handy, too.

Check around the water pump, the thermostat housing, condition of the metal pipes under passenger seat and underneath behind the driver's door, radiator seams, bleed hose bung, all other hoses, etc... keep looking...

Don't drive it until it's been bled properly, not even to a garage.

Hope this helps.
Matt.

Thanks for that Matt.....Shall try all that tomorrow.....a sleepless night tonight!

Did you fit it yourself or was it done at a garage? If the latter, did they know the correct bleeding process? If there's no obvious sign of a leak, then its possible it was not bled properly so the airlock has now worked its way out the system and the level has dropped accordingly.

Hi....I fitted the radiator myself...and followed the bleeding process to the letter...I was wondering whether putting in the new radiator might have increased the pressure in the system and impacted on something else... do you think that's possible?
Thanks for your advice.

Paul

New radiator should have better flow so in theory it will do its job better which could result in slightly lower temperature of the coolant and potentially lower pressure. If the only thing that has been disturbed in the system is the pipes to the radiator, then one of the 3 joints is most likely to be the culprit. Either that, or the new radiator has got a leak.

Thanks for all your replies...feeling slightly deflated.
Hey ho... tomorrow's another day! Will let you know how we get on with the suggestions.
Thanks again
TTFN

Paul

Did you flush out the whole system letting the water out underneath at a point just behind the drivers seat? I think that this is what Ady (Northern Bongolow) did when he changed all the hoses on my Bongo and re-bled it. (must pay more attention next time).

Tony

Hi,
no we didn't flush the system out - the coolant was in good condition and had not long been in there i believe...the new radiator was fitted and i just filled the radiator and expansion tank and bled using the see-saw method as seen on you tube... i drove the vehicle for 8 miles and checked the liquid in the expansion tank and it wasn't boiling and all seemed well... that was Friday... checking today (sunday) the expansion tank was completely empty and the radiator was not full either.

Paul

It's not unusual for the level to have dropped slightly after your first run after a bleed. I would guess you've got a dodgy joint where the hoses connect to the rad. Did you re-use the original springy hose clamps or Jubilee-type clips? While it's commonly recommended to use spring clips with new hoses, I do have reservations about using them on older hoses that are less pliable and will not compress as well due to the harder rubber. I'm refitting a hose on mine and I will be using a stainless steel clamp and a drop of Hylomar sealant to extra piece of mind.

BTW, this is the drain point MountainGoat referred to. I've never touched this and I would be a bit wary of damaging it as it's some special type of blanking piece which may not be readily available.

Thanks for that... i had a look at the pipes and couldn't see any leaks but then it was cold, rainy, and i was very disappointed to say the least...!
I shall fill the radiator up tomorrow and see whether anything comes out the bottom or any pipes connected to the radiator.
Thanks very much everyone... slightly calmer...!
Paul

dont be too disheartened, run the car for a couple of days and keep an eye on the water, its NOT uncommon for water level to drop for a couple of days after the system has been opened/refilled, so dont jump to conclusion that you have a leak somewhere, it should be advised that if you drain/refill the system that you keep an eye on the level for the next few days

julian

Fingers crossed for you, isn't this forum great to have all these freindly and knowledgeable people ready to help out with hard won wisdom! If i ever get a problem i know there's brains out there that can sort it. good luck.

321Away wrote:dont be too disheartened, run the car for a couple of days and keep an eye on the water, its NOT uncommon for water level to drop for a couple of days after the system has been opened/refilled, so dont jump to conclusion that you have a leak somewhere, it should be advised that if you drain/refill the system that you keep an eye on the level for the next few days

julian

Spot on, and another reason why a low coolant alarm gives me peace of mind, in this case after I've done a coolant change.

My reply was perhaps a little pessimistic. Hope the coolant stays put this time...