Bongo Fury

CAN ANYBODY HELP.? FINALLY I'VE GOT ROUND TO CHECKING OUT THE GROMMET SITUATION UNDER MY BONGO RATHER SLIDING UNDERNEATH MY BONGO AND STRUGGLING WITH A TAPE MEASURE. HAS ANYBODY ANY IDEA WHAT SIZE OF RUBBER BLANKS AND HOW MANY I WOULD NEED TO BLOCK THESE HOLES THE CHASSIS SILLS ETC. THANKS ANDY.

Ah yes, grommets. I did mine a couple of weeks back. Didnt make a big deal of it, just bought 4 packs of assorted size (blanking) grommets from my local motor factors and got 2 grommets of the right size out of each pack (each pack cost 85p). I did measure the size of the holes in the chassis - cant remember now, was it 1/2 inch. Anyway the grommets worked fine. I suppose you could go hunting for a shop that does a serious line in grommets but I couldnt be a**ed I've started a grommet collection in my toolbox with all the other ones - a lifetime first for me, and I owe it all to Mango

I don't like blanking off these holes as they are predominately drain holes, some people block them others leave them be, personally I leave them as they are. You dont want water to gain access to the box section higher up then get trapped inside. Only my opinion feel free to ignore or add comment.

I'm in the leave drain holes open camp.

My bongo was parked on our VERY steep drive for nearly 2 months over the winter, while I was recovering from my hip resurfacing op. When I drove it up to the flat, loads of water pored out where it hadn't been able to drain because of the steep angle.

Luckily mine is well Waxoyled

Thanks all for your reply's.This seems to be a catch situation so not sure what to do.Surely Trevor if you had Grommets underneath you wouldn't have had water pouring out.Where was the water coming from?. I suppose it could be coming from anywhere My Bongo is also very well Waxoiled.

I just followed the advice of experienced old Jack at Chassis Clean who insisted it was not a good idea (even though he had fully injected the chassis with waxoyl etc.) to leave those holes open to ingress of water and salt etc from the road. He noticed I hadnt taken his advice when I went back for some minor bits several weeks after the original job and ticked me off. So I bowed to his experience and put grommets in.

AndAndDen wrote:Thanks all for your reply's.This seems to be a catch situation so not sure what to do.Surely Trevor if you had Grommets underneath you wouldn't have had water pouring out.Where was the water coming from?. I suppose it could be coming from anywhere My Bongo is also very well Waxoiled.

Point is the Bongo hadn't been driven anywhere, so all the water in the box section had come down as rain, and gone to the back of the cavities behind where the holes are (you've seen how steep my drive is).

When the bongo was on the flat, the water moved forward and started to pour out of (what I assume to be) drain-holes.

Blocking up holes is all very well, as long as water can't get in from above (or the side or whatever) so the water is trapped

Air expands during the day and contracts during the night. The water
content then condenses on the inside of box sections. Leaving them
open ensures they drain and dry out quickly.

You only have to ask yourself where the water on the windscreen comes
from on a chilly morning before demisting.

The thing is, why have Mazda fitted grommets in the first place

I'm sure of one thing. If fine mud builds up anywhere (as it tends to do in wheel arches) it seems to have a serious impact on acceleration of rusting as it retains moisture like nothing else (I wonder if the dreadful rust abovea rear wheel arch in that pic of a Bongo on BF was a result of that - Jack at BF said there was an accumulation of mud in that position on my Bongo, which he removed before waxoiling. I wouldnt want that kind of stuff finding its way into my chassis if it hadnt been waxoiled (and even if it had)

mikeonb4c wrote:The thing is, why have Mazda fitted grommets in the first place

If I haven't got grommets, and Andy hasn't got grommets and you didn't have grommets, what makes you think Mazda fitted them? What's to say the holes are not meant to be drain holes?

Enough of this talk of grommets, what I want to know is: what size Wallace do you need?

Cant answer that - its a good point!

Cup of tea Grommit old pal

what holes

Good point trevd01,
I,d like to know if any bongo left the factory with grommetts in place? If not, then who am i to suggest otherwise?

Fair play to anybody who has plugged the holes,If you feel happier plugging em, with no ill side effects, then more power to ya!

I,m man enough to admit i,m wrong.

If, in five years time my bongo has rotted through the chassis rails, and yours have not, then i,ll shake your hand and eat humble pie! ( with waxoil sauce! )

Pie eating again! Can't keep some people away from 'em!

It must be the new found wiganer in me trev