Bongo Fury

A few people have mentioned changing the thermostat at the same time. What is the reasoning behind this?

Ady (Northern Bongolow) recommended that I change mine when he changed the coolant for me a few weeks ago. Seems that some none Mazda themostats are missing the jiggle pin and open at slightly different temperatures. I got a Mazda one from the club shop and on changing it Ady found that the one in my Bongo was not a Mazda one. No Idea how it got there, so it was either put in when the Bongo was still in Japan or the importer put it in as I am the first owner on this side of the world.

Tony

Its a comparitively cheap essential item to ensure the cooling system functions effeciently.

There are many Pattern Part/Blueprint ones available but sometimes the spec isn't the same.

The Genuine Mazda ones tend to work better for longer, open to the correct level at the right temp & keep the system happy.


An extra fiver well spent for that little extra peace of mind.

The best thermostats as has been said are the Factory ones...... they can also be sourced too as made by Tama Enterprises ltd........... Tama make them for Mazda and if you can get a Tama....same part 1/2 the O.E price....

(Tama's credentials include HKS CO.,LTD / M-TEC CO.,LTD. /Nissan Motorports International Co,.Ltd./ Ralliart /Subaru Tecnica International /Suzuki Sport/ Mazdaspeed)

did a winter check for someone last weekend.12 months ago it had new rad/head/and bottom end of engine done,been steadily loosing a cup full of water per week.rebuild cost £2000,and to be honest the rebuild was very good. but.
after a pressure test it was found that
the rad had an open vent at the filler cap!!. and a leaking bottom drain when hot.
the non genuine stat had the jiggle pin missing.
just goes to show that unless you understand the bongo, and dont cut corners, its like giving someone a 50 inch led tele,then taking the batteries out of the remote. it ends up a expensive fancy ornament.

Northern Bongolow wrote: just goes to show that unless you understand the bongo, and dont cut corners, its like giving someone a 50 inch led tele,then taking the batteries out of the remote. it ends up a expensive fancy ornament.

Yep agree with that, to me I have not cut corners for years, hence using GSF when they were Andyspares for Citroen parts O.E parts but not in Citroen boxes and 1/2 the cost that Citroen charge for them and not in a pretty box..... you can save some cash on Bongo parts in the same way..... A recent Fan Sensor on the engine and was a .............O.E Mazda packaged and supplied part was and was in fact a Denso 179700 0220..... which can be purchased for £14...
The Denso 179700 0220 is used today on the RX8 and the Mazda 2 models.
I guess what might be useful is a set of part numbers/manufacturers from parts suppliers that supply the O.E parts to Mazda, (so that the factory can label as their own)..... an example is above and Denso parts can be obtained at most trade counters or indeed from Germany for less than the £14, I paid for a Pukka O.E part at half the Mazda price....

Especially now, in these times of watching what you spend with the recent hike in the cost of living, getting pukka parts at the "right" price will be paramount to keep the Bongo running without a huge dent on the wallet.... and with Petrol and Diesel creeping up in price and Veg oil not as cheap as it once was and LPG will start to be creeping up too many will be looking to cut corners and maintenance usually is one thing to get missed on vehicles.

Just heard from the garage, all hoses are in, thermostat in, coolant in, pressure check isn't showing anything at all. Picking it up on Monday, but they did say they can't test it to confirm any further damage - is this because it needs a long run to heat up or something? They said it isn't overheating or leaking anywhere. Fingers crossed I have escaped with this one

Just read this thread first time, intending a bit of a hose and thermostat blitz myself, in the near future - 4 "mains" already done. All agog to know how it worked out dollyanna? Hope it's all good news.

I’ve just had my bongo in the garage for a good look over the coolant system as I’m a new owner and paranoid about over heating. I’ve been quoted £1000 for completely changing all the pipes on the system as there is a lot cut out pieces and original metal pipes that look corroded. When I first got it I had it flushed and bleed and a lot of crap came out, looked like it had been running with just water for a while. Is this way over priced or about right, the garage has worked on many bongos before and seem genuine I just want piece of mind.

From memory just a full set of rubber hoses is about £250, then there's the metal pipes (which are a pig to fit) then labour and VAT, plus coolant and bleeding, I suspect that's not mad.

You could save a bit by abandoning the rear heater and metal pipes, it can be safely blanked off.

Ok thanks for that, not sure I’d get away with disconnecting the back heater, that’s the mother in laws seat!, although??
I’m going to get it all done, looking forward to having a busy fun summer with it so just want piece of mind to get out and about trouble free. Thanks

Hot water bottle and a blanket?

If your body work is good and the vehicle seems to be overall solid it is hard to say no to this. Why not throw in an original Mazda Radiator and thermostat (At last look that will do you about £360.00). My experience of the aftermarket ones is that they have been rubbish.. lasting a few years before breaking and causing all sorts of subsequent let's say "issues".

I am sure others will say they are great and no such problems, not my personal experience.

Get the entire lot done it is as close as you will get to piece of mind with these vehicles.

So I had all the hoses done, really pleased.
I now think I’ve broken it!
I was checking the coolant and left the cap off, when I realised the header tank seemed empty so topped up.
Driving it today and it’s losing power up any incline and the mrs said she saw a puff of blue smoke from the exhaust!
Is this the head gasket gone?? I could kick myself, so deflated right now!

If the tank was empty and you just refilled it you will almost certainly have trapped air in the cylinder head and the result of that can be very bad news. Needs checking out ASAP by a specialist.