Drove my Bongo in low gear and my coolant alarm went off

[Northern Bongolow]

there has been a lot of threads about oil collecting in the spark plug wells, do a search and have a read.
regarding the coolant issues.
a sure sign of something wrong with the coolant system is the heaters going cool/cold. if you mean they dont work ie cold, then the bongo has a leak.
i am no expert on v6 ers but in theory if its getting really hot because there is an airlock due to lack of coolant then this could affect one of the many sensors on the engine and alter the running of it.
get it to someone who knows the coolant system well, get it pressure tested for leaks, and whatever you do do not run it.
the v6 is known for being a strong engine, and doesnt usually blow the head or gasket, but its possible.

good luck.

[Simon Jones]

The photo shows an HT lead hanging loose. The rubber cap should be flush with the top of the alloy rocker cover, so push it fully home & it should definitely run a lot smoother.

[wishmaster]

Take the oil cap off and have a look in it. If it has a milky creamy kind of substance in it then you have water getting into the oil. This could be where your losing coolant, it maybe a head gasket gone or problems with the cylinder head/block.
Hope not.
Good luck.

[iBongo]

Found the leak. It's from a tube above the rear of the exhaust. Also that plug thing popped out again when i took it out for a test drive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78675572@N04/6898557030 There's 3 plugs and the one on the right was out. I popped it back in and went for a drive, felt more power, and then loss. I pulled over and lifted the passenger seat and saw that it had come out again. This was when I noticed a coolant smell and could hear it dripping on to the exhaust.

So what do I do now?

[Poohbear]

Found the leak. It's from a tube above the rear of the exhaust. Also that plug thing popped out again when i took it out for a test drive.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78675572@N04/6898557030 There's 3 plugs and the one on the right was out. I popped it back in and went for a drive, felt more power, and then loss. I pulled over and lifted the passenger seat and saw that it had come out again. This was when I noticed a coolant smell and could hear it dripping on to the exhaust.

So what do I do now?

I should get it to your nearest Bongo friendly garage, stopping every few miles to ensure that the coolant level hasn't dropped too much and let them fix the leak and have a look at your plug lead at the same time

[g8dhe]

You should find that if you press the spark lead extension tube down firmly you will feel it click onto the top of the spark plug, its either not been pushed down hard enough or the clip has split at the bottom! I suppose someone could have left the spark plug out but I think you might have noticed the uneven running
http://lushprojects.com/bongopartsmk2/c ... mgno=.html

Not sure where the water is coming from however, it might be the pipes running to the rear heater a few people have reported corrosion of those pipes I do believe. The pipe 61-2D2 seems to run around the engine and I would guess over the exhaust at the back ?
http://lushprojects.com/bongopartsmk2/c ... mgno=.html

[iBongo]

Pushed down the lead but it's not a tight fit, not anywhere near as tight as the other 2 leads. I've booked the Bongo in to the place in Edinburgh where Dandyworhol and Mountaingoat suggested, can't get it in until next Thursday because of the long weekend.

P.S I did notice the uneven running about 10 days ago.

[Poohbear]

Pushed down the lead but it's not a tight fit, not anywhere near as tight as the other 2 leads. I've booked the Bongo in to the place in Edinburgh where Dandyworhol and Mountaingoat suggested, can't get it in until next Thursday because of the long weekend.

P.S I did notice the uneven running about 10 days ago.

In the meantime if you want to sort the plug lead out but don't know what you are looking at, pull out one of the good ones and look inside the caps on both leads and compare them. It may be that the clip inside the loose one just needs squeezing with the pliers but it may actually have broken and need a new cap / lead. if you compare a good one with the loose one you should be able to see the difference.

[iBongo]

Did what you said and compared them, took all 3 out and the 2 good ones were both clean and the top was quite firm plastic. The other one was/is covered in oil, the top of the lead came off like an elastic band almost, it's very rubbery while the other 2 are a firmer rubber/plastic.

I've cleaned the lead and put it back on.

Bongo Bill said he could look at it on Friday What a man. BUT, should I be driving it 40 miles to get it to him?

[fatcatlawyer]

If you check the plug hole where it keeps poping off it might just be that the plug needs tightening up. If loose it would account for the oilness and the popping off!
ian G

[iBongo]

What size of socket do I need for the spark plug? Tried searching for it, learned loadsa bout glow plugs and stuff lol It's a narrow channel to the plug and I have NO idea what size of spark plug wrench I need.....

Time to buy a manual from the shop

[teenmal]

What size of socket do I need for the spark plug? Tried searching for it, learned loadsa bout glow plugs and stuff lol It's a narrow channel to the plug and I have NO idea what size of spark plug wrench I need.....

Time to buy a manual from the shop

SKU

1186



Manufacturer

NGK



Part Number

BKR5E-11



Diameter

14mm



Reach

19mm (3/4")



Hex Size

16mm (5/8")



Seal Type

Gasket Seat



Resistor

Yes



Terminal Type

M4 Thread



Electrode Material

Standard Nickel



Projection Type

Projected



Tip Configuration

Single Electrode

[iBongo]

TY

[iBongo]

UPDATE

I had all the HT leads replaced, plus dis cap and roter and plugs. The HT leads were not MAZDA HT leads, (I assume) as they were only £90. I had Campercraft do the work. They also replaced the radiator a few months back.

I got a text from Bill saying the Bongo was fixed and running great. Bill has been off sick so wouldn't have test drove it after the work.

I went and picked up the Bongo and the mechanic gave me all the old parts, 2 of the leads were completely knackered. I drove off and headed home.

The Bongo was/is running better BUT, it doesn't have the oomph that it used to have. Seems like there's a lack of power. When I put my foot to the floor it doesn't take off like it used to. It drops gear but with no power like it used to have. Before, I would put my foot down and we would get thrown back in our seat with the power it had, but now, no oomph.

Remember, this all started with getting the radiator replaced.

If it wasn't bled properly would that cause that lack of oomph? I noticed the coolant was well above the full line and I syphoned some out when the Bongo was cold.

Could it be the new HT leads? Because they are not MAZDA leads?

Should I get the coolant system pressure tested?

Is it safe to drive?

[Simon Jones]

Bleeding / radiator wouldn't affect the power but anything ignition related would. My V6 doesn't have the oomph that others I have driven seem to have, so I'm going to start with new Mazda leads, distributor cap & rotor arm. I'm also going to check the ignition timing as I feel it needs to be advanced a bit more.