Coolant loss and white clouds

[kimbongo]

Hi All
I have owned a 96 diesel for 6 years and despite looking on the forum many times this is my first post. Bongo is losing water, no sign of leaks but lots of white smoke occasionally from exhaust. No drop in performance at all. No sign of water in oil. No water on drive. Never over heated whilst I’ve owned it. Thinking poor old thing has cracked head.

The price of replacement head plus the fact it might not solve problem and the old girl has done 140,000 miles, I am thinking of using steel seal to keep her going for a while longer. This however goes against the grain as bongo still in pretty good nick otherwise. Seems crazy that she could be heading for scrap heap.

• Any advice appreciated
• Ideas on scrap value
• Trade in value

[Dannyboy]

Sorry to hear of your woes. The white smoke, or more likely steam, from the exhaust does not sound good.
May I suggest that you try to establish whether the head or gasket have failed.
Probably the best way to do this is by getting the coolant tested at a competent garage.
If the head or gasket have failed then there should be evidence of this in the coolant.

All the best.

[M 80NGO]

Sounds like the same problem that mine had which was small crack on the cylinder head across the exhaust ports which was letting coolant into the manifold and getting evaporated as steam.

Steal seal may work as a short term fix but its frowned upon ( and rightly so ) due to some people then sellin on a faulty vehicle, to be honest the bongo is worthless with a cracked head and with the body in good condition i'd bite the bullet and get the old girl a replacement head and new gasket set fitted up but ensure that who ever does the work is competent with bongos and uses a genuine mazda gasket kit.

Prices for a head replacement and refit vary from £1500 to £1800

[kimbongo]

Thanks guys

No intention of using steel seal to sell on. Not my style. Its Just that like you said M8ONGO its probably small crack into exhaust ports. If Steal Seal gona work anywhere that’s the place. Obvious problem being it can block everything else up.
Plus the fact that £1800 + Scrap value is quite a healthy start towards a new bongo.
Decisions decisions.

[missfixit70]

Steel seal has worked for some & not for others, didn't work for me, but apparantly they've now changed their advice to say the bongo needs 2 lots of steel seal in to work properly. On a positive note, a bongo owner did get a refund from thr US for 2 bottles after it didn't work.
Personally I wouldn't use it again, it makes the coolant really viscous & took several flushes to get it out of the system after the head, hoses & pipes were replaced, reports & feedback on the internet suggest it kills the water pump in a fairly short time, which I can understand with the viscosity.
By the chemistry of how it works, it shouldn't block up anywhere but where the high temp of the leak (if it is higher temp) "glassifies" the steel seal, it's not fibres in suspension like some of the leak sealers & apparntly is inert once it's been through it's first heat cycle.
If the rest of your bongo is in good order, it's worth doing properly IMO, as you could buy another bongo that could do exactly the same or have other issues.

[haydn callow]

Agree with all the above.....It will almost always be the head rather than the gasket.....If your Bongo is otherwise in good condition then a replacement "quality" head is the way forward.....Make sure you have the job done at a well known Bongo recommended garage...

Note...your NORMA hose clamps are in the post

[borntobag]

its a no brainer, in my opion.
OPTION A
scrap it and get £1800 then spend a good deal more on top of that to get a "decent" Bongo that is not a known quantity

or

OPTION B
spend a £1000 and get a brand new guaranteed head fitted on a Bongo that you say is in good nick but more importantly you know.

OPTION B every time, if you do get £1800 scrap and bung £1000 on top the replacement bongo will not be that good.

Look on the sales page, a bloke called simon from Banbury offeres a mobile service, he comes to you and fits an new head. He did mine and i am happy to recommend him to anyone.

[haydn callow]

OPTION B
spend a £1000 and get a brand new guaranteed head fitted on a Bongo that you say is in good nick but more importantly you know.


That is very cheap.....more like £1800 for the job to be done.??

[missfixit70]

OPTION B
spend a £1000 and get a brand new guaranteed head fitted on a Bongo that you say is in good nick but more importantly you know.


That is very cheap.....more like £1800 for the job to be done.??

Depends where you go, worth giving Allan a shout for a quote, I'd say £1800 is expensive personally.

[borntobag]

As i said Hayden, look in the for sale section on here, right towards the bottom.

£1050 for a new head, completed with cam,valves and cam belt etc.

I used him, he came to me at 7am and was done and dusted by 4pm, since then 4500 miles of trouble free motoring.

[missfixit70]

I think certain "bongo specialists" take the mickey with their pricing, that's a fair price for the job especially if it's got a proper guarantee to back it up.

[haydn callow]

Yes !! good spot and good deal.