Bongo Fury

Hi,

I had some welding work done on my bongo, the mechanic needed to remove some coolant hoses whilst the work was being carried out, which he replaced etc and he bled the system, he has worked on bongos before and said they are a pain to bleed, is there a way for me to tell if it has been done correctly? I have a coolant alarm and a separate temp gage/alarm... I am tempted to get it bled and new coolant filled at a bongo specialist to be on the safe side but was wondering if I'm just being paranoid...


Thanks!

Most coolant will last 2 years, some makes 5 years, so if its older than that or you've no idea when last done this does make sense.

This is important as the coolant has a Corrosion Inhibitor to protect the inside of things.

If your welding chap is familiar with Bongos all could be well but a precautionary flush and change might be worthwhile.

Hope that helps.

Get it done properly just in case.....not worth the risk.

If you have had a good run since and the temp alarms are not showing any abnormal issues it must have been bled ok otherwise you would have an overheating problem as is almost always the case when it has not been bled properly as far as I understand.

Bongo's overheat at the drop of a hat if the cooling system is not circulating properly.

What have you paid for £200.00 worth of alarms for if they cannot let you know if there is a problem?

If I have any doubts I drive away to get it up to 60C and then head back so I am fairly close if something goes screwy, or I run it standing still to park up back at home and get it up to nominal operating temp say 90C or thereabouts. (Check an T&C of your AA or RAC relay though as some say they won't relay you unless you are X amount of miles from home)

Make your own choice of course but given the info, you have 2 alarms they should be able to tell you if something is up. What's your LED temperature ? Have you checked your expansion tank looks like it has the appropriate amount of fluid in ?

This weekend on a run I averaged 89C to 95C on long upward Motorway run.

Spend £100.00 getting a flush and refill if you have the money and want peace of mind of course but where do you draw the line ? If you have not ran the vehicle phone the garage and double check something like: " Hi there you bled my Bongo do you guarantee it won't overheat when I go for a long drive and will sort it all out if it does" might provoke a clear honest response. (and don't go for a long drive of course try it as outlined above)

If the mechanic mentioned the bongo was awkward to bleed without being provoked he seems to aware of the cantankerous nature of the cooling system.

(That's my own possibly ill informed view, we can always throw money at our cars, that's very easy)

The caveat of course is if you have no record of when a coolant change was last done you should get it done as preventative maintenance.

BongoBongo123 wrote:If you have had a good run since and the temp alarms are not showing any abnormal issues it must have been bled ok otherwise you would have an overheating problem as is almost always the case when it has not been bled properly as far as I understand.

Bongo's overheat at the drop of a hat if the cooling system is not circulating properly.

What have you paid for £200.00 worth of alarms for if they cannot let you know if there is a problem?

If I have any doubts I drive away to get it up to 60C and then head back so I am fairly close if something goes screwy, or I run it standing still to park up back at home and get it up to nominal operating temp say 90C or thereabouts. (Check an T&C of your AA or RAC relay though as some say they won't relay you unless you are X amount of miles from home)

Make your own choice of course but given the info, you have 2 alarms they should be able to tell you if something is up. What's your LED temperature ? Have you checked your expansion tank looks like it has the appropriate amount of fluid in ?

This weekend on a run I averaged 89C to 95C on long upward Motorway run.

Spend £100.00 getting a flush and refill if you have the money and want peace of mind of course but where do you draw the line ? If you have not ran the vehicle phone the garage and double check something like: " Hi there you bled my Bongo do you guarantee it won't overheat when I go for a long drive and will sort it all out if it does" might provoke a clear honest response. (and don't go for a long drive of course try it as outlined above)

If the mechanic mentioned the bongo was awkward to bleed without being provoked he seems to aware of the cantankerous nature of the cooling system.

(That's my own possibly ill informed view, we can always throw money at our cars, that's very easy)

The caveat of course is if you have no record of when a coolant change was last done you should get it done as preventative maintenance.

Excellent reply,

the mechanic may also have changed the antifreeze.

if the front and rear heaters are both showing good heat output then you will be fine, any air lock in the system usually stops coolant flow, this shows first in the heaters. then triggers the front fans.

Hi thanks all, the heating works fine I haven't checked if it's blowing hot air in the back but will do, and the engine tempature is showing around 83 but only been on a 30 minute drive around town, if anything that's colder than usual but then I probably need to take it for more of a run and I haven't driven it much during winter month's to compare it, I think I will just keep an eye on it for a while will get a service and general health check from the bongo place in a couple of months, it's not used daily.


Thanks again.

stroopy123 wrote:Hi thanks all, the heating works fine I haven't checked if it's blowing hot air in the back but will do, and the engine temperature is showing around 83 but only been on a 30 minute drive around town, if anything that's colder than usual but then I probably need to take it for more of a run and I haven't driven it much during winter month's to compare it, I think I will just keep an eye on it for a while will get a service and general health check from the bongo place in a couple of months, it's not used daily.


Thanks again.

I think 30mins local driving would be fine to know if there is a problem, I am usually at nominal operating temperature in about 15 mins or so in the winter from a 7C start. 83C seems fine as I say late eighties - 92C thereabouts is normal for mine in winter. Of course it varies considerably with daily temperature and hill driving. By habit I look at my temp gauge fairly frequently (even though it is an alarm in itself, lol). Just keep a close eye on it for a while until you are satisfied that all is as it should be. (especially with your next higher speed/longer run).

I would say initial indications seem ok.

I am getting mine flushed and replaced in a couple of months time. 2 years interval seems sensible. I would never do that on any other car (fairly sure some coolants don't ever get changed till they break !) but Bongo does need a little preventative care especially given the nature of their typical use as a leisure vehicle and the annoyance and disappointment of missing out on breaks and holidays.