Uno, due, tre.

[jaylee]

Sing this to the tune of Joe Dolce.....

Think I have da leak nothing clear to speak
Checked all the hose (Hey!) & the metal pieces
Plus the engine core bits cannot find the drips
Think my rads a disgrace.

Lost a litre of coolant out the header tank
No sign of overheat (hey!) that I cana be thankful
I gota lot of temp sensors strategically placed & a Mason
So shaddapa yah face.

So what’s a matter Bongo, no white cloud a steam
Walking round the back (Hey!) exhaust blows nice & clean
The drip is front & right almost out of sight
Think the rad I replace.

I ring the guy at Bell Hill they have a da none in stock
Something about the yen & the pound no imports at the dock
I need to source a new one before I roll my block
Time is tick a tock….

I’m having a right Dolmio day!!

Any ideas on a decent suppler…?

[widdowson2008]

Did you check the pump for possible leak?
It's one of the places
a - leaks don't show themselves readily. (losses soak into under-tray)
b - sod to check without taking the under-tray off so gets forgotten.

[seventiesboy]

Sung to the chorus from Delilah..........

I I I'm so sorry
La de dah de dah de dah
That you lost your coolnant
La de dah de dah de dah

I am pleased your engine did not overheat

But I don't know where you can get a new rad



I'll just get my coat..................................

Sorry I can't help but hey we can always have a sing song

Good luck

[jaylee]

Hi Steve.. Crawled over everything.. no evidence.. New pump & hoses that matter about two years ago.. no loss of water at all until i checked yesterday.. Haven't used the van since a new years trip to Bude & a band practice.. Walk to work!

I put a litre in the header last night & left the van where it was... Got up early this morning. Checked the coolant level hadn't dropped fine.. Checked the oil level was fine.. Started the van though i had no intention of using it for another band practice today. (was gonna go in the wife's car) No white smoke, nice clean emission from the exhaust.. I let the van run for about 15/20 minutes looking it over to see what i could see.... & there it was, a steady drip of pink coolant, drivers side front cross-member, directly below the rad.!!

I'm looking for a decent source radiator for sure.. I would like recommendations.

[widdowson2008]

Downside? Cost of new rad.
Upside? You nailed it before damage was done.
Be interested to know - do you check the coolant level regularly or were you alerted by one of your gauges?

[Northern Bongolow]

give yer mate simon jones a shout, he will find you one.
if your stuck i have a second hand one.

edit alan may have one on the shelf too.

[jaylee]

I'm a bit of a paranoid Bongo owner, it's always driven with the thought in mind that something can go wrong... But it's never really let me down on a run.
I checked it over a couple of days before Christmas & all was good, but we decided it would be cheaper to take the wife's car to Suffolk from Bath to see the in-laws.. I hadn't really used it until the New year trip to Bude where we just (unusually) jumped in the van & set off without another check.. I took it to Swindon the following Wednesday night for a band practice... & got home about two in the morning.. The Mason was normal & so was the two other temp gauge readings.. But when i got out the van & locked it i could smell a sort of hot rubber smell from the front of the van.. I actually put my nose to the grill & bonnet & could smell it stronger on the drivers side!! It was windy that night...

Mmm thought I.... I'll look into this.. I hadn't used the van since until i checked it yesterday. (Even when i fitted a new set of front speakers last Tuesday i hadn't started the van.)

I'm getting a big drip every one second...

I got no plan to use the van until the rads replaced & its bled properly.. Even if the van gets recovered to the workshop! (I'm planning another Mazda stat while at it...


So, who can recommend a decent rad suppler..?

[jaylee]

give yer mate simon jones a shout, he will find you one.
if your stuck i have a second hand one.

edit alan may have one on the shelf too.

Cheers Ady Monday will start my search.... I'd rather spend a little more for a gen rad than fork out for an overheat!

[Simon Jones]

I'd agree that a proper Mazda rad is worth paying the extra for as you know it should be good for another 10 - 15 years. Unfortunately, I no longer have the details of the supplier I got mine from as all the paperwork was passed on to the new owner when I sold the van.

There are plenty of pattern parts available for under £100 which will no doubt be absolutely fine, although for a genuine Mazda part, you'd be looking at somewhere over £150.

EDIT: Ian sells them in the shop for £265

[jaylee]

Cheers fer yer input Simon.. If that's what a gen rad cost then so be it! I'll have a go at fitting the damn thing myself..

One question.. Does the ATF cooler come included with the rad???

[Northern Bongolow]

ive seen a really good quality copy part, infact its better than the gen one, its all metal, with larger coolant passages, like the improved triumph stag one.
ive seen it mainly on cars from around the bristol area. dont know who is fitting them.
look for the all metal one with the vent pipe on the the filler kneck that needs blanking off.
gary and tina had one on theirs that was fitted locally ??

[Simon Jones]

The ATF cooler is built into the plastic bottom section. When you disconnect the ATF pipes, find a suitable size bolt or similar to plug the ends of the rubber pipes otherwise you could end up siphoning the fluid out. I seem to recall the bolts that secure the rear seats are the right size.

It's not too tricky to change the rad, but if you can get the van up on ramps or axle stands it will make access that much easier. Also a good opportunity to get some Waxoyl on the front cross-member.

[jaylee]

No stands, but i do have an inspection pit.....

[jaylee]

Just to move along from this... I ordered a new rad form Ian at the fury shop.

& after careful examination of my existing rad.. As the vehicle stands (2 days) it hasn't lost any coolant... Or very little..
But a few minutes after starting the engine the rad leaks noticeably on the bottom driver side corner & removing the air intake, it has spat coolant slightly over the passenger side rad fan framework & the fan housing for the heater blower.