Looks like my head gasket has gone - advice please

[neil_1979]

Hello all,

Had my Bongo since mid April and have to say have not been enjoying the experience so far. After about a week I found a small leak on the bleed pipe. I took it to a (supposedly) Bongo friendly garage where they replaced the Bleed pipe with one I got from JAS, flushed out the coolant, replaced coolant and bled system.

Bongo seemed to be working fine and I installed one of Haydns coolant alarms as a precaution in case of further leaks.

Did a few short journeys with no probs, then a couple of weeks ago after about 50 miles (and thankfully nearly back home) the coolant light started to come off and on and get brighter and dimmer. Knowing this shouldnt be happening I pulled over and saw that the expansion tank was gurgling. After it had cooled, I checked the level and no coolant had been lost so drove the last couple of miles home cautiously.

I then phoned another Bongo Friendly mechanic who came to visit me with a kit to test for exhaust gases in the coolant. During the test it took about 15 mins for the indicator fluid to change and I was told that this means that the gasket is on its way out. Therefore the Bongo is off the road now til I get it sorted.

Has anybody got any advice??? Can the gasket be the cause of the gurgling in the expansion tank, or is it a symptom of another problem?

I will get the head checked for cracks when it is off and replace if necessary, I guess I will have to get the rad checked, and I have a new Gen Mazda thermostat ready to be fitted, but is there anything else I need to consider?

The head gasket is covered by the warranty I was given when I bought the vehicle but a cracked head isn't - so looks like it will either cost me £0 or £1500 depending on what is found. If its the latter I guess I will have to consider getting legal advice about whether the vehicle was fit for purpose when I purchased it (Ive done less than 200 miles).

There seems to be a lot of horror stories on here about people getting cracked heads replaced only for the vans to overheat again destroying the new head - Advice welcomed on how I can avoid this happening to me...

Cheers
Neil, Jo, Nathan (owners of the UK's most expensive driveway ornament)

[mister munkey]

It seems to me that you are fairly in control here, have a fair idea of whats happening & have enough noddle to get it back on the road.

Shot gasket will give the symptoms you describe

It seems a bit sh*tty that your warranty covers you for a gasket but not the head - but - worst case scenario, they can change the gasket if you supply them with a head that will knock the bill in half.

Primary objective however is to source the initial problem to be certain that its fixed once & for all.

No point going through all this hassle if its going to happen again.

[missfixit70]

I'd say they knew full well it was fubar to be honest, remember this pic

Heres the photo...

As was mooted in that thread, I'd say it had leak sealer of some sort put in, ergo not fit for purpose, you were sold a pup, a lame one at that

[missfixit70]

I think Helen got it right here - http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 37#p406937 when you first started having problems

Hi
I would get it shipped back to where you bought it on a truck, and get them to sort it under guarantee.
I agree that looks like the emulsified oil sometimes found under an oil cap in a goosed engine, but....look at the T-piece where it enters the block....there's corrosion round it....also, the pattern round the yellowish dribble under the oil cap is a brown stain indicative of the upward spray -pattern on a leaking hose/ T-piece....My thought is that it has had a leak, and someone put a whole lot of leak-stopper in there, and that is what has congealed and cooked everywhere....and almost certainly screwed the rad up in the process....I hope they can fix it for you, and agree with not driving anywhere.
Cheers
Helen

[neil_1979]

Thanks for the vote of confidence mister monkey - its appreciated as Im really hoping these problems can be resolved and we will be able to enjoy the Bongo.

The leak pictures above was, I think, sorted out by doing a full flush through, new bleed pipe (a small split was the cause of the mess in the picture) and fresh coolant and bleed. It has not lost any further coolant since in the limited miles ive done. I will get the rad checked and replaced if necessary while its in for the head gasket.

I have spoken to the garage since purchasing it and I do think they probably sold it in good faith (they are not a Bongo specialist). I have also spoken to the previous owner who reported that it was a really reliable vehicle. He had a very genuine reason for selling, was a member of Bongo Fury, and left a good service history record with the van.

Im hoping that Ive just been unlucky, it is 15 years old and my problems dont seem to be uncommon. The selling garage has directed me to use my warranty to sort the head gasket out and has offered to support me if the warranty company have any issues. So that is what I plan to do.

[Mountain]

owners of the UK's most expensive driveway ornament

Not quite.....seems like you have had as bad a time as me. I think some are just cursed

3 months, a small fortune, lost earnings, recovery costs, near divorce, almost a nervous breakdown......and a grand total of 4 days in a row without a problem

Head gasket.
Head skimmed.
New water pump housing.
New belts.
all hoses replaced apart from that 3inch one that burst on Saturday.
New radiator.
Umpteen bleeds.
A swimming pools worth of antifreeze.

Everytime I think it's sorted within a few days something else goes wrong.

I had all the same speil from the seller. Total BS...I found he'd been posting on 'another' Bongo forum about it's problems.

He'd bodged it to last for enough time to sell it on to some poor mug....me.

People lie and cheat.

I took him to court for the garage costs. I won the case.
Guess what? He wont pay up.

I should have got rid of mine 2 months ago.

My wife now can't stand the thing and I'm a nervous wreck everytime I drive it wondering what's going to go wrong next.

Unfortunately I wouldn't sell it on dishonestly.
So I'm left with the option of making an honest sale and losing maybe 3-5 grand in 3 months.

[321Away]

agree it looks like some kind of sealant, and would almost definitely kill the radiator, dont put 100% faith in the gas leak check process as i personally dont find it particularly accurate and i know some other members on here even question if it works! if you leave the solution exposed to air it changes colour anyway in time! in my experience if the head gasket is gone you'll be lucky to cover half a mile before the vehicle overheats, but as the work if under warranty you have nothing to lose, would definitley replace the radiator and MAKE SURE they use a quality replacement gasket set, as the cheap versions usually end having to be replaced again.
Julian