Overheating when towing.

[Bobby D Sawyer]

Whilst towing my caravan out of Cornwall using my Ford Freda, the Freda has overheated on the same hill on two occasions. It doesn't overheat at any other time. The weight of my caravan is 1800kg and is 26ft long. I don't want to get a smaller caravan and i don't want to get rid of the Freda. Any ideas what the problem might be?. Also, what grade automatic gearbox oil do i need to get for the Freda?.

[white van man]

is the freeda 2 or 4wd? if 2wd the caravavan is heavier than the towing vehicle! is that the base weight of the caravan,how much have you loaded in to increase the overall weight,how loaded is the freda,you are over 3 1/2 tonnes before you carry any passengers or gear,to late and had a few beers to remember towing leglisation but i think your caravan is too heavy to be legal,somebody correct me if im wrong
the ntta recommend 85% of the kerb weight of the towing vehicle as maximum towing weight or manufaturers if lower/stated ,to tow 1800kg caravan you would need a vehicle 2118 kg and no bongos/fredas were ever made that heavy so i think you may be in the wrong vehicle to tow that caravan!!!!
as for the over heating i think this might answer your question!!!

[moonshine]

I would have to agree with White Van Man. It would seem to me that your caravan is way too heavy for the Freda, whether 2WD or 4WD. I know what some of the hills are like in the West Country, and overloading is almost certainly the reason for the overheating.

I personally wouldn't tow anything over 1200kg (fully loaded) with my Bongo, especially if the vehicle is well loaded too.

[Bobby D Sawyer]

Thanks Moonshine, White Van Man.

The Freda is 4wd. When i bought the caravan i had a Mercedes Vito, but was planning on buying a Bongo or Freda. The caravan salesman told me the caravan weighed 1400kg. And that the Vito would pull it comfortably. I put the caravan on the weighbridge at work and it weighed 1800kg, loaded. Regardless of this weight, the Vito pulled it effortlessly. Therefore i took it for granted that a Bongo/Freda, with a bigger engine and heavier body (my Freda weighs 2040kg) would tow it as easily. Unfortuneatley this is not the case.

[zimmer]

Hi Bobby, I've been towing for over 20 years and stick to the 85% rule. So according to that you should tow up to 1530 kg. 1800kg is too much for uphill work. I know it is a pain but you are over weight (well the caravan is) Go get a smaller van, don't change the Bongo. Richard

[Seeker]

The recommended upper towing limit for the BOngo WLT is 1630 kg with a braked trailer.

[Bobby D Sawyer]

Thanks all.

Took my mates caravan out yesterday, a 16ft twin axle, weight no more than 1200kg, and the Freda still overheated going up that darned hill!!!!!!!.

Gotta be something wrong with the Freda, i suppose.

Back to the drawing board.

[johndoc]

Check your radiator is core is not partially blocked, it is a common problem with the bongo and it usually shows up when the engine is under load. Look for "cool" spots within the core. This can be done by touching, though access is not great on the bongo, and dont burn yourdelf! It can also be checked using a heat detector gun (garage), or you could do it the hard way and take it out and fill it with hot water, this also gives you the opportunity to flush it through. Good luck.

[BeardyWeirdy]

All the above advice is good re overheating issues, but if the problem only occurs when towing on a steep hill you might also think about how you're using the gearbox. I make frequent use of the HOLD button when towing on hills, by forcing it into a lower gear and keeping the revs up higher you're putting the engine under less strain and it's therefore likely to run cooler. The auto box can often change up too soon otherwise, as it's set-up for solo rather than towing use.

[Bobby D Sawyer]

Thanks again, everyone.

Flushed the radiator out last weekend with a proper radiator flush bought from our local motor factors and refilled with anti~freeze/ summer coolant.

Bought myself a smaller, lighter caravan from Somerset which i'm picking up next weekend, but have to take my big one up to part ex. it, so we'll find out next week if it's any better.

I'll try and hold it in a lower gear, but i think it is already in 2nd going up that hill. 2,000 revs and about 20 MPH.

Cheers....