Bongo Fury

Can anyone help?
While driving this morning my Bongo started to make a grinding noise. I stopped in a car park to investigate. Even when stopped, the grinding continued in all of the gear selections including Park. When I tried to reverse, nothing happened until I took it up to about 3000 revs then it jumped backwards then stopped, jumped backwards then stopped. Then no matter what gear I selected it wouldn't do anything. So I turned off the engine and sat to think! After about half an hour I tried it again - it will drive but it feels like it is engine breaking on and off and higher than normal revs are required especially when starting off. There is NO reverse, when reverse selected. And after a 10 minute journey home, struggling most of the time, there was a smell of hot / burning oil (probably gearbox oil). I've checked the level of the gearbox oil and it is not low, if anything it is just a bit on the full side. All-in-all it reminds me a little of a slipping clutch, but because it is automatic there isn't a clutch!
I'd really like ANY suggestions about what the problem is and any suggestions on how to fix it.
Many Thanks.

Most DIY auto box stuff tends to revolve round checking / changing the fluid .. but I must admit that your problem may not be as simple as that ..!!

The fluid level is checked with the handbrake hard on .. box in 'P'ark and the engine running .. the fluid should still look a shade of red ...

A brown fluid smelling of burnt toast is not a good sign ..

Saying that .. it maybe worth dropping the autobox sump and checking for any debris like metal swarf / clutch / brake bands, as that would indicate a mechanical issue with the internals ..

It's important when checking the level that the gearbox is at the correct temperature. This of from my V6 (different gearbox to diesel) and the difference in level between 20 and 65 degrees is significant.



As Mike says: its worth draining, removing the sump and checking for any big chunks of debris (some swarf on the magnet is to be expected), cleaning the filter, refitting and refilling with fresh ATF of correct Dexron 3 spec. Worst case it'll cost you £20 - £30 and a few hours of your time and may restore operation although it does sound more serious.

Thanks for the comments. After taking some advice my Bongo was dragged onto a tow truck this morning and taken to an Automatic Transmission Specialist for diagnostic. Very sad!

Mogs wrote:Thanks for the comments. After taking some advice my Bongo was dragged onto a tow truck this morning and taken to an Automatic Transmission Specialist for diagnostic. Very sad!

My mechanic Adrian at Japandirect generally advises fitting one from a breakers as a better bet than the high cost of a rebuild

give george a ring, he will crate you one. i was there today, he has a few in.

http://www.bongospares.co.uk/

Thanks for the replies. If anyone has problems with their Automatic Gearbox can I recommend "Automatic Transmissions (Huddersfield) Ltd" HD4 5AQ - they have a website. They put my Bongo on the back of a tow truck and took it to their garage. Took off the gearbox and found the problems. I went to see the gearbox all taken apart and saw the broken bits. After a chat, they gave me four options ranging from fitting a second hand one costing £300 through to rebuilding it with all new parts which would be nearly £2,000 including VAT. I made my choice (neither the cheapest nor the most expensive), they carried out the work and let me have it back completely fixed and with a long parts & labour guarantee within a week. Pleasant to deal with, no hidden extras to pay. Happily driving my Bongo again.

Hi
Excellent news, and good luck!
Cheers
Helen

Great result, did they just replace the faulty parts rather than fitting all new parts..

Excellent - glad to hear you're back in action

Brilliant.