No Coolant!

[Adamskiking]

I noticed water dripping out of my van from underneath in the centre a few days ago, I thought this was just where the air con had been on. I've just driven down to Devon and back and once home just thought I'd check my van over. I opened the coolant and their dosent seem to be any coolant in there at all! I had no problems with tempreture on my trip and wonder if the two are connected? Is it ok to drive with no coolant? Can I just top up the coolant and see if it leeks out again? And lastly, What coolant would you guys recommend?
thanks

[wonkanoby]

what engine

if the diesel it needs bleeding

[Muzorewa]

...and get a low coolant alarm fitted

[Adamskiking]

Sorry, yeah its a 2002 diesal 4wd.
Would the coolant leek out of the middle of the van?
How do I 'bleed' the coolant and what coolant should I use? Sorry only had a bongo a few months!

[haydn callow]

Under no circumstances drive it until:-
The leak is fixed
Coolant refilled
System bled by someone who knows how to do it

You have been warned

[Bluespanner]

Don't drive it anywhere.. find leak, get it fixed and bleed correctly. there's a youtube video on how to do it. Make sure the garage knows how to do it. Even normally good garages can balls the bleeding up if they take the "don't tell me my job attitude" I supplied my local garage with a print out of the bleeding fact sheet. They were not too impressed and thought I was a OCD patient. His words afterwards were " you weren't joking about the bleeding were you"
When I change my radiator I diid it myself.. Followed it like a recipe, to the letter. 1 year on everything still is spot on...

[Adamskiking]

I've spoken to my garage and it turns out that the 'tank' I checked is the header tank that is empty. They said thats really just a over flow tank and should be low anyway, is that right? I opened the radiator (when cold) and on my garages advise topped up the radiator, it took 250ml and then it was at the brim. They said that 'leak' could of been the air con.

[haydn callow]

The garage is wrong....it is not a overflow tank.......it is a expansion/degassing tank......if you have had the radiator cap off you will now have air in the system......
Repeat.....do not drive it........get it to a Bongo savvy garage.......you need it fixed or you are looking at a very expensive repair.....

[scanner]

Just goes to show the value of the advice you get from someone who clearly knows little if anything about the Bongo cooling system.

Haydn did say he had warned you.

[haydn callow]

I've spoken to my garage and it turns out that the 'tank' I checked is the header tank that is empty. They said thats really just a over flow tank and should be low anyway, is that right? I opened the radiator (when cold) and on my garages advise topped up the radiator, it took 250ml and then it was at the brim. They said that 'leak' could of been the air con.

Pm sent..........phone me ASAP

[haydn callow]

Hopefully sorted!

[Adamskiking]

Can't thanks Haydn enough! Thanks for talking me through it! Managed to speak to Adam from ADS and I managed to drive the van there and they're sorting it now with no damage to anything! There was a leak but luckily it was only small so no damage was don't. Lucky is an understatement!
Thanks for all your help with this fellow bongonauts and a MASSIVE thank you to ADS who dropped everything so I could get this sorted ASAP.

[Bob]

Good result.

We use ADS and have been very happy with them.