Bongo at the garage with a broken camshaft :'(

[glorb]

Hi,

Last weekend, en route to Bristol started making a very loud noise 5 minutes before our destination at Ikea Bristol.
We spent most of the day on the carpark waiting for Road Assistance's mechanic, then tow truck… 
We thought it was maybe just the exhaust but it turns out that the camshaft is doomed so it needs to be replaced, plus quite a few parts attached to it and all in all the estimated bill reaches £1500.

So we're now wondering if we should sell it as it is, or still do the repair because after all the repair, the bongo will be in better shape than ever.

Does anyone have an idea of what we can ask for a broken beloved Bongo for parts?
I've seen in Breaking Bongos that someone is selling one for £300. That doesn't seem much.

Ours is quite alright. We changed the rear tyres a few months ago and apart from rust and painting there isn't much to do on it. But we've reached 120 000 miles so not sure what we can hope for price wise.

sad times.
(sorry if all this is pointless, it's just nice to share)

[mikeonb4c]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that. I'd say get it fixed provided (1) it doesnt have a lot of other expensive stuff like rust likely to produce big welding bills before long (2) you can really use what a Bongo does. £1500 is the kind of bill any car can throw so its more about what you can afford (and continue to afford if its old and rusting). Good luck and keep us posted.

P.s. 120k miles is nothing exceptional. Mine's on 145k and runs just like it ever did (a new head cost me £1500 a few years back and i spend annually on welding so i feel your pain but for me overall mine is the best value most useful/fun car i've ever had)

[BongoBongo123]

Yes sorry to hear that, bit of a nightmare, it depends on how much the Bongo means to you and the state of the rest of it
in your eyes. I would get it done as the rest of the Bongo here is knowingly sound. Bitter pill to swallow but if
you can afford it could be worth while.

edited: sorry getting mixed up between camshaft, driveshafts and propshafts.

PS Glorb at least you have the consolation of living in one of the most beauiful places in the country, stunning the countryside around there, stunning !

[Bob]

So sorry to hear of your breakdown, and the bill to follow.

I have to agree with the first two posts, I'd repair it if at all possible.

If it's a diesel or V6 make sure your chosen garage understands Bongos.

This is quite an unusual breakdown so I wonder if it's possible to find out why it broke?

[g8dhe]

There have been several reports of the rocker arms breaking on the diesel which can then lead to the camshaft itself breaking, not heard of any reports on the either of the petrol engines however.
See viewtopic.php?p=671195#p671195

[mikeonb4c]

A fringe benefit of having to have a new head on my diesel was the rockers got adjusted to what they should be and the engine was much quieter. It begged the question: what damage might result from incorrectly adjusted rockers

[glorb]

Thanks for all the feedback!

To explain a bit, the camshaft is not broken as in broken in 2 parts, it's damaged, so it's not pressing on the valves the right away (so they need to be replaced as well) so the engine was misfiring. I'll still ask the mechanic if he knows what could cause that because I didn't think about asking last time

All your messages make me think that we should indeed do the repair. I think we'll go for it!

@mikeonb4c: I have the same feeling regarding the most useful/fun car I've ever had!
@Bongobongo123: The surroundings are indeed amazing. And right now, if we want to go anywhere, we have to walk so plenty of time to enjoy the scenery!

[Bob]

Nice stroll out to the Baskerville Arms in Clyro.

[glorb]

I gave a ring to the mechanic this morning to tell him to proceed with the repairs and he told me that he found out that the camshaft and valves were the same parts used on Ford Rangers so he has managed to find second hand parts that will do the job nicely.

I can't wait to get the Bongo back now!

[Bob]

Make sure he uses a Bongo head gasket, I've an idea the Ranger one is slightly different.

[winchman]

From memory the ranger cylinder head just has some water connections that are different, just be certain he knows how to bleed the coolant after as its not a straight forward job
Best to get it repaired

[teenmal]

Make sure he uses a Bongo head gasket, I've an idea the Ranger one is slightly different.

Bob, the "ranger" and "bongo" cylinder heads (and the whole bare bones engine are exactly the same) Their mother couldn't even tell them apart. They are both Ford/Mazda WL type engines. There might be addons to suit the WL with a turbo (WLT) IE an extra coolant feed from the TS tree. The head gaskets could be different but this is up to change of spec / layers etc, you need to order like for like.


Just a bit of useless information

[Bob]

But useful, thanks.

[BongoBongo123]

Not sure how a camshaft wears that badly but make sure you do regular oil changes (maybe the last owner did not?) ! Every 6 months recommended for the diesel, though some leave it longer on here. All the best with the repair.

[glorb]

Late reply on the subject but thanks for all the messages. Camshaft has been sorted with the rest and everything has been fine... For a couple weeks.