Warning...heater matrixes... and LCA

[helen&tony]

Hi
Firstly, whoever gripes about LCAs being flogged on here shouldn't!....Thanks for the second time to the LCA, I may have avoided a BIG problem...I had gone from home, and ten Km. from the house, and the LCA blew its whistle....I stopped within 103 metres, only to find that the stub on the rear heater matrix had broken...and the coolant was on the floor!!!...the engine was barely warmed up...TM2 registering 75C, water jacket in block at 45 C , and top hose exiting head at 45C....so it is hopeful that an overheat is avoided. The plan is to bypass the heater matrix until spring, when I shall set about fitting a new one with reinforced stubs....I have a cunning plan!....This is the second failure of these stubs...the first one was 3 yards from home...
O.K. ...The heater stubs are plastic...and when you examine them, they appear to become embrittled with age, and at the point of failure appear like broken edges of bakelite....and although when I repaired the front heater in spring/ summer this year, I thought I was going to have problems removing the stub....a quick squeeze with a pair of pliers, and the old piece of broken stub crumbled like a biscuit!!!!!.
I am going to try repairing an old heater matrix with a reinforcing lining come spring-time, as it will soon be too cold to work outside!
When I have some results, I'll let you know, but it is wise to be aware of the fact that these stubs are prone to failure!
Once again, a BIG thanks to the LCA...and HOPEFULLY I have avoided an overheat
Cheers
Helen

[francophile1947]

Fingers crossed Helen
The LCA, as Haydn has frequently said, is definitely not the entire answer, but no amount of regularly checking the levels and hoses would have helped in your case

[helen&tony]

Hi John...
I checked the coolant before I left home...
I paced out to the pothole where the hose literally FELL off...with part of the stub still in it...they seem to be a ridiculous component...plastic radiator tops...and plastic stubs on heater matrixes ( different plastic) but totally barmy....I bet it was Mazda who developed the chocolate fire-guard...why ruin a perfectly fine vehicle with dopey cheap components!
Cheers
Helen

[francophile1947]

I doubt if Mazda expected the vehicles to still be around, bearing in mind the strict regulations they have in Japan The plastic was probably not meant to last more than 10 years

[widdowson2008]

Fingers crossed Helen
The LCA, as Haydn has frequently said, is definitely not the entire answer, but no amount of regularly checking the levels and hoses would have helped in your case

Not sure about the first bit John. Certainly alerted Helen pretty quickly.
TM-2's may not be the entire answer but like Helen, I have one fitted (now on exit hose). If it went wrong today, I would be straight on the phone for a new one. Absolutely brilliant piece of kit.
Consider what would have happened if Helen didn't have this monitoring stuff on her Bongo and relied on the Mazda gauge instead.
Her post would have probably read something like '.....travelled 10 miles and there was a horrible smell of hot coolant, but the gauge says ........' and her following post may have included the words 'cracked head'.
I agree that these devices shouldn't be needed, but we are talking about potentially very old pipework here.
Makes a TM-2 very cheap compared with the possible alternatives don't you think?

[helen&tony]

Hi
John...
That's the conclusion i came to a while back...but if you gradually renew everything over a period, as long as the chassis keeps well, it's not a dear multi-purpose vehicle....next year, the plan is to renew steering/ shocks...already done suspension....I plan to keep it 'till at least 2015, when it looks likely that cars over 10 years will face colossal tax rises....not much doing in car sales, and governments want to encourage car sales....in this so-called new "Green " era...keeping a good old car going is far more "green" but we're talking idiot politicians here....it's the only well-paid job where you need no qualifications.....any old chimpanzee can apply...or journalists and estate agents...
Steve...
Couldn't agree more...it's an old car that is worth hanging onto, and a new Bongo might be trouble-free, but an old one needs extra equipment....with the accent on NEEDS, as it will no longer function to manufacturers requirements..and additional monitoring is just a minor necessity....It's like my old Type 2 never gave trouble, as I replaced all the things that are guaranteed to fail with age on any car...Thus the cooling system on a Bongo physically can't be relied on to go on for ever, and it's something that has to be entirely renovated, and that means instrumentation suited to the Continental mentality.....it's not a modern car, and wasn't up to date when it was made, so it's bound to need care
Cheers
Helen

[Northern Bongolow]

coolant alarm

[francophile1947]

Not sure about the first bit John.

You don't have to convince me - I've got an LCA I was merely repeating what Haydn has said, because there are circumstances where the LCA itself won't help, which is why it's also a high coolant alarm now

[helen&tony]

Hi John...
Got one of those too!!!!!
Cheers
Helen

[francophile1947]

Hi John...
Got one of those too!!!!!
Cheers
Helen

Flash bugger I've just got the Mark 3 LCA that plugs into the cigar lighter socket and also converts it to a double socket I dare say it could be modified to do high levels as well Also got a Mason alarm

[mikexgough]

Not sure about the first bit John.

I was merely repeating what Haydn has said, because there are circumstances where the LCA itself won't help

Agree......

[haydn callow]

You could adapt a "normal" LCA to monitor "high" coolant but not a Mk 2 or Mk 3 (no longer available)
However ! we decided to cease production of the "high" add on kit due to lack of demand and the fact that I have only ever heard of one actually giving a warning (and that was because the head had blown and was pushing coolant back into the tank.) at the end of the day we felt that it was probably only going to tell you that the damage was done....Not warn you of impending problems.

We now only produce the Standard LCA (hard wired) Now a 2nd generation version.
We also do the ESTC and TM-2 and (((i-alert)) and combo's of all these.

[francophile1947]

However ! we decided to cease production of the "high" add on kit due to lack of demand and the fact that I have only ever heard of one actually giving a warning (and that was because the head had blown and was pushing coolant back into the tank.) at the end of the day we felt that it was probably only going to tell you that the damage was done....Not warn you of impending problems.

Thanks Haydn - that makes good sense I won't give it any more thought

[Doone]

it is wise to be aware of the fact that these stubs are prone to failure!

Helen, I just spoke to Allan and he agreed, they do fail, he's changed dozens. Replacements are available, he replaces them with copper and brass ones which will last longer.

[helen&tony]

Hi Lorna
You have P.M.
Cheers
Helen