Coolant Flush

[MikeBongo]

Had spoken to Bill at Campercraft about doing this when he serviced my Bongo for me a in June. Can't get hold of him at the moment. Any suggestions as to where I can get this done within reasonable reach of east lothian? Not desperate but it does need done soonish.

Thanks. Mike

[Driver+Passengers]

Your house, this Saturday afternoon/evening?

Otherwise, if you'd rather go to a pro, make sure they know how to bleed after a refill. There should be a few threads on here with folk asking similar questions - search on "Edinburgh garage" or something. Might be some suggestions appear on this thread too.

I'm assuming that your coolant has been in there for a few years or thereabouts? If you don't know the history of your 'stat, some would say 'change it'. Mazda dealers can get a genuine one in within a few days, though they need a part number and probably don't want to hear the word 'Bongo'. Only £20.

Have you any symptoms already or is this just routine maintenance?

[Jim the Box]

[quote="Driver+Passengers"]Your house, this Saturday afternoon/evening?

Mike
I'm meeting up with Matt (Driver & Passengers) on sat afternoon, can give you a hand up to 6.30pm, never done a flush/bleed but Matt seems to know whats required. Give me a call if you are up for it.

Jim....

[Jim the Box]

Mike
I have seen GBL autos 16 Duff st Lane. (Edinburgh E11 2HS) mentioned in previous threads, as bongo friendly don't know if this is for mechanical repairs ie brakes, engine etc, not sure if they are experts on the cooling system

Jim

[MountainGoat]

Mazda Stat part no. KL01-15-171A. Coolant used by Ady when he did my was Bongo Comma Super Long Life Red (5 yr).

Mix 50/50 (with distilled water preferably especialy if you are in a hard water area)

Tony

[MountainGoat]

No Chance I have heard that the old guy at GBL Autos flatly refuses to bleed another bongo as it takes too much time and is too much of a hazzle.

He spends most of his time reparing Edinburgh's taxi cabs which are always wanted back by the owners yesterday.

Tony

[Driver+Passengers]

I guess it depends on the method but with the "see-saw", it's best to take time over it and enjoy each stage and the belches it brings.

If you're up for it Mike, budget 2-3 hours and I can bring everything we need to do it. I could do you a cold pressure test and test your header tank cap for you. PM me if you want to chat - it would be good to know the van's history, what the current coolant looks like, whether there are any signs of sediment in the header tank, the general condition of the hoses... that sort of thing.

No pressure, though. If you're going to stick with a garage for the work, would you fancy meeting up with Jim and me for an hour on Saturday? It might even be worth seeing if anyone else is up for a mini-meet somewhere round there.

Best,
Matt.

[MountainGoat]

The worst thing that you can do is to use a garage that have never changed the coolant in a Bongo before, People have had the head of their Bongos cooked by know it all garages who have left air locks in the cooling system by treating the Bongo as they would any other car. Unless you find a garage familiar with the see saw method you need to find a garage with the vacum equipment that Mazda themselves used to fill Bongos with coolant or something similar.

I have a small local garage that I use for general sevicing but I won't let them any where near the cooling system of my Bongo. That's for an expert like Ady Hurlstone.

Tony

[Driver+Passengers]

...you need to find a garage with the vacum equipment that Mazda themselves used to fill Bongos with coolant or something similar.

I wouldn't let a vac kit near my van again unless I had all new hoses (sorry, Dave, no offence ). It's not necessary to put old hoses through that, so I wouldn't bother. It could potentially lead to further work needing done.

Besides, learning to bleed your own Bongo is a path to happiness.

[dave_aber]

I've got a vac kit, and used it twice.

First time I used it the refill seemed to go perfectly - perhaps I was just very lucky?

The second time, on Matt's van, it definitely left air in the head.

Next time I'm working on my coolant I won't be using it either, and if the first use had gone like the second it wouldn't have been used again.

In the factory with a perfect new cooling system the results are undoubtedly more reliably successful - and they may also draw down a much stronger vacuum which would help, and be OK with new components.

[MikeBongo]

Thanks everyone. Jim/Matt ... Saturday sounds good. I'll be in touch.

Mike

[MountainGoat]

Can anyone send me a PM telling me where and when this great coolant change meet is going to take place. I'm not going to make Red Squirrel now as June has booked a flight on 19th November to go down south for a week. I might find the time to pop over and say hello and bring my surplus stuff with me. I've got about 1½ cans of ready mixed Comma Red and a Mazda stat left over from when Ady (Northern Bongolow) changed my hoses and replaced my coolant last year (50/50 coolant/distilled water). It's not going to be much use to me when I sell my Bongo.

Tony

[Driver+Passengers]

Mike, once you've spoken with Jim, could you let us know when and where?

[Jim the Box]

Can anyone send me a PM telling me where and when this great coolant change meet is going to take place.
Tony

Tony did you receive my PM I've sent it twice but don't see it in my OUTBOX

Jim...

[MountainGoat]

Got it now. Left the computer on while I caught up with the news on the telly. Found your place on the map so I should not have any problems finding it even though I will be coming on the B road via Humbie rather than the A1.

I had better bring some flowers with me and take some time off to pop round to the cemetery on the other side of Haddington to visit my mum and dad's grave.

Tony