Saved by a Coolant Alarm
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:11 pm
As a number of you are likely to be aware I know my way around a Bongo fairly well and so had given a new one we had just campered a good check over and all seemed well.
Like anything you do for yourself it always ends up being last in the list, in fact I was still fitting the towbar to it at 6pm for a next morning 6am start towing a racing mini to the Isle of Man when a customer turned up begging me to fit a new rad in his as it had sprang a leak! and he was on a ferry to Ireland the next day. I dropped everything of course and fitted one for him.
I then got on to the must be fitted Temperature Monitor and Low coolant alarm combo on our Bongo. Wife as on phone when are you home when are you home etc, but had to fit it before going I replied.
Bongo behaved faultlessly,temperature wise 90 on flats 95 on gradual hills, hit 105 on one occasion on Isle of Man which set of the temp alarm as I set it at 105, but I saw it coming and it was half way up the king of the mountain section of the TT course so expected to get a little warm there with a mini and box trailer and tools in tow, whilst travelling another day without trailer low coolant alarm triggered about 2 miles from campsite then went off, but went on again uphill and off again on the down sections so was confident it was still reasonably full of water and we were a mile from campsite by now, temp sat at 88 arrived back at campsite, bonnet up, water just below screw, quick look around no issues under bonnet, then engine cover up for a heater hose inspection, and no real issues, maybe a moist patch on heater hose where it comes out of block, rubbed moist patch and a little micro jet of water emerges… BINGO or perhaps BONGO! parked up after relieving pressure in cap and looked at it in the morning cut a inch and half off and refitted and bled and no further issues in 500 miles on Island and journey home.
If anyone has any reservations about fitting one, then think again. It saved me a head a whole load of pain and money and a ruined holiday on the Isle of Man.
Talking of which I would like to to say don't go there its rubbish but it really is the nicest place I have ever been in the UK its like all of the UK rolled up into a small Iseland, whese else can you travel on a horse drawn tram a steam train go to the beach travel home over the mountains and go mini racing all in the same day.....heaven.....
Paul
Like anything you do for yourself it always ends up being last in the list, in fact I was still fitting the towbar to it at 6pm for a next morning 6am start towing a racing mini to the Isle of Man when a customer turned up begging me to fit a new rad in his as it had sprang a leak! and he was on a ferry to Ireland the next day. I dropped everything of course and fitted one for him.
I then got on to the must be fitted Temperature Monitor and Low coolant alarm combo on our Bongo. Wife as on phone when are you home when are you home etc, but had to fit it before going I replied.
Bongo behaved faultlessly,temperature wise 90 on flats 95 on gradual hills, hit 105 on one occasion on Isle of Man which set of the temp alarm as I set it at 105, but I saw it coming and it was half way up the king of the mountain section of the TT course so expected to get a little warm there with a mini and box trailer and tools in tow, whilst travelling another day without trailer low coolant alarm triggered about 2 miles from campsite then went off, but went on again uphill and off again on the down sections so was confident it was still reasonably full of water and we were a mile from campsite by now, temp sat at 88 arrived back at campsite, bonnet up, water just below screw, quick look around no issues under bonnet, then engine cover up for a heater hose inspection, and no real issues, maybe a moist patch on heater hose where it comes out of block, rubbed moist patch and a little micro jet of water emerges… BINGO or perhaps BONGO! parked up after relieving pressure in cap and looked at it in the morning cut a inch and half off and refitted and bled and no further issues in 500 miles on Island and journey home.
If anyone has any reservations about fitting one, then think again. It saved me a head a whole load of pain and money and a ruined holiday on the Isle of Man.
Talking of which I would like to to say don't go there its rubbish but it really is the nicest place I have ever been in the UK its like all of the UK rolled up into a small Iseland, whese else can you travel on a horse drawn tram a steam train go to the beach travel home over the mountains and go mini racing all in the same day.....heaven.....
Paul
