Bongo Fury

First chance to take a reading of MPG - the Bongo has managed 26mpg! Does that sound about right for the 2.5td?

That was one motorway journey, one long county road journey and a couple of weeks of commuting. The commute takes it's toll on other cars MPG rating - the journey for the commute is approx 10 mins long and includes going over the highest point in the area. So up a steep hill and down the other side basically.

The tank seems small compared to the last car but I think we are filling it up a bit soon. From what I can tell the Bongo has a 65L tank and the most I've got in is 50L - filling it up when the needle hits the last mark. Is there a low fuel light (it hasn't come on if there is!)

For mixed motoring mine normally does 26 - 27. Just achieved 30mpg for the first time which was mainly the run to and from Stourport.

I'm assuming there is no low fuel light as, like you, I've never seen it. But then again tend to fill up after about 300 miles when there should still be at least 10 ltrs left.

Dave

Low fuel light ... some have them - some don't. My '96 does.

I was fillin up at 400+ need;le on last 1/4

JoeC wrote:Low fuel light ... some have them - some don't. My '96 does.

Really?

My '98 doesn't and I thought it was just the later facelift models that did.

I seem to recall its shown in the handbook as a 'grade option' but it certainly appears to be common / standard post 1999 facelift.

Simon Jones wrote:I seem to recall its shown in the handbook as a 'grade option' but it certainly appears to be common / standard post 1999 facelift.

What "grade" would have that option?

Mine has just about the highest spec you could get then, but doesn't have a light.

No idea. What grade have you got? My 98 Bongo was RFV-S and that didn't have one, or at least I never ran it low enough to find out

You could fit something like this if you wanted.


http://www.autolinkmx5.com/warning-ligh ... 7318-p.asp

teenmal wrote:You could fit something like this if you wanted.


http://www.autolinkmx5.com/warning-ligh ... 7318-p.asp

That's a very interesting find, and remarkably cheap. But what does it do for a sensor to detect low fuel level? Does it just rely on the fuel gauge signal - sounds weird/dodgy if so. How does it mount in the instrument binnacle without looking like weird? And can all that be bought for £35 and be a quality/reliable product. One of my concerns over add-on items (and the modified wiring that accompanies them) is that you could be building in trouble for the years ahead, especially if the car changes ownership and the changes are undocumented and so the new owner (and their auto electrician) has to work out what has been going on. If the add-on is a quality item and likely to last, I worry much less (e.g. Haydn low coolant alarm, which my now is almost a standard anyway and likely to be familiar to Bongo mechanics). But I hear of too much stuff that doesn't last.

If anybody Is interested this might help.......


http://www.binarypunk.co.uk/BongoDashLightFitting.pdf

teenmal wrote:If anybody Is interested this might help.......


http://www.binarypunk.co.uk/BongoDashLightFitting.pdf

An interesting read. Sounds like you have to buy the kit to find out how thresholds are set for low fuel warning and temp gauge warning.

mikeonb4c wrote:

teenmal wrote:If anybody Is interested this might help.......


http://www.binarypunk.co.uk/BongoDashLightFitting.pdf

An interesting read. Sounds like you have to buy the kit to find out how thresholds are set for low fuel warning and temp gauge warning.

Yes that is the case, but why would you want to set the thresholds if you did not have the kit (gubbins)

Simon Jones wrote:No idea. What grade have you got? My 98 Bongo was RFV-S and that didn't have one, or at least I never ran it low enough to find out

Can't remember the letters, but when I did look it up years ago it was just about the top spec by way of equipment.

It is a tintop with digital A/C, sunroof etc. etc. so it must be well up the spec range and yes I have run it low enough to find out it hasn't got a light..........................

teenmal wrote:

mikeonb4c wrote:

teenmal wrote:If anybody Is interested this might help.......


http://www.binarypunk.co.uk/BongoDashLightFitting.pdf

An interesting read. Sounds like you have to buy the kit to find out how thresholds are set for low fuel warning and temp gauge warning.

Yes that is the case, but why would you want to set the thresholds if you did not have the kit (gubbins)

A fair question. I found myself thinking that think I might like to know a bit more about how the kit works before committing to buy it. I've never heard of anyone on BF fitting one before so it might offer reassurance.

The really weird thing is that until the Bongo all my cars going back years had a low fuel warning light and I couldn't imagine not having one. Even so, I ran out of fuel on one occasion because (I think - it was many years ago) I failed to heed the low warning light. It generally came on with many miles left in the tank and on this occasion I took a long break in my journey and forgot to take action until I was back on the motorway, with miles until the next services. And yet in nearly 9 years of owning a Bongo with no low fuel warning light, I've never come close to forgetting I'm low on fuel. I think I've always noticed by fuel gauge anyway, and I generally fill up when I get down to 1/4 tank of fuel (and/or if I'm passing a petrol station with good prices) because I don't like the way it goes from 1/4 to showing empty rather quickly. Is this deliberate design by Mazda I wonder, and is the tank really that empty when it shows empty?