Bongo Fury

splash2 wrote:Yes - coolant level is right up to the top so I guess I need to investigate the state of the thermostat.

Reckon so - at least it didn't stick closed, as that'd be much more serious

Pay the extra and get a decent (Mazda) one as reports suggest cheap ones are a false economy. It is odd though for a thermostat to suffer a sudden failure (as yours appears to have done) but no reason why that shouldn't happen I guess.

OK - I give in. Where is the thermostat on a V6? I can find it on Lush Projects but I'm damned if I can find it on the vehicle

I didn't find mine when I took a look a while back !
See the Orange arrow, you can see a water pipe leading downwards, click for large scale image;

I came to the conclusion that from the nearside its beyond the Distributor cap, visible by the orange arrow, between the scavenger fan and the front of the engine, and probably best accessed from underneath after having removed the engine tray I stopped at that point as it was only interest having been following the cooling system discussions!

Thanks so much - found it now

Turns out that the thermostat is fine. I flipped the lever under the bonnet from Summer to Winter and blanked off half the radiator with some cardboard. With the heater turned off the gauge goes up to normal but with the heater on max the engine temperature drops back to halfway between normal & stone-cold. I'll still probably change it in the New Year though.

A big thank you to all who contributed to sorting out my paranoia. Have a great Christmas & Happy New Year and if anyone sees a black Bongo between Gloucester & Weymouth on Christmas Day - give us a wave!