Bl**dy Bleeding

Heifer · Post by **Heifer** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:20 pm

Help please

We've had to replace one of the coolant hoses on our bongo. We are now trying to bleed it. I got the fact sheet and the manual download but we're really struggling and I'm kind of scared. We've topped up the coolant (from empty) and it will only take 8 litres or so. We've done the idle for 10mins but I'm terrified to carry on as it's obvious we got a huge air block. I've sent hubby to tescos for a funnel so we can have a go a see-sawing but any words of wisdom..... Help

alphabetter · Post by **alphabetter** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 1:57 pm

Humm, dunno what to say. I might be in a similar situation!

I changed the coolant for the first time yesterday using the service manual's procedure. I couldn't find any documentation on how much coolant it was expected to take so I just did what the book said.

Initial fill took about 9 litres and all seemed to be working OK - front and back heaters are hot, you can tell when the thermostat opens because the vent tube starts to expell a little bit of fluid, bottom hose gets slightly warm.

I left it to cool overnight. Coolant had probably gone down about a litre this morning. I topped it up and went for a drive, a bit of motorway to get it hot and lots of speed bumps to stir things up. Its probably gone down another 1.5 litres right now.

Dunno what the moral of this story is. If I had read the handbook which says its supposed to take 13 litres before I went for a drive I would have been very worried. As it is I seem to have got away with things so far (touch wood) and with the next top up it will have about 13 litres in it.

alphabetter · Post by **alphabetter** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 2:02 pm

PS I think my plan at this stage is to let it cool, top up again and then take a ride down the road of 100 speed bumps which is just round the corner from me and see if it is still going down at all.

Heifer · Post by **Heifer** » Sun Oct 07, 2007 2:40 pm

Lucky you - somtimes ignorance is bliss!

Well we did the 10mins again and then tried the 6 of 2500rpm, small amount of fluid through the air hose but nothing radical, no burps and I'm still scared. We've bottled the next bit and will phone bell hill in the morning - they've had the bongo in before for servicing etc just wished we still lived 20mins away from them still and not in scotland

Thanks for posts

H

alphabetter · Post by **alphabetter** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:08 pm

So any update Heifer?

I can't look at mine until next weekend now.

Heifer · Post by **Heifer** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:44 pm

Well, we phoned Bell hill and chatted to keith and he said we were doing well to get 8 litres in. Turns out we needed to be a bit bolder than we were. Did the bleed proceedure, took it for a short run then topped it up a bit (probably another litre). Another small run last night and tonight we took it for a run out to Edinburgh (an hour each way with dinner at Ikea inbetween!).

So far no problems

, Keith's help was invaluble but the true test will come this weekend as O/H has to drive it from here to Cambridge (8hrs or so)

Fingers crossed...
H

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:08 pm

Keep a good supply of 50/50 mix with you until confident its all settled. Thats what I did as I had some surplus made up anyway

izzizm · Post by **izzizm** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 9:27 pm

id say you have to be prepared to let a fair bit of fluid, and thus- air, out of the bleed pipe .. just hold your finger over the end if the heat doesn't bother you, or use a funnel, and move it up and down over the level of the engine whilst its running and getting hot .. just keep topping up. then put rad cap on and seal up and keep squeezing top and bottom pipes .. then rev it up for a while and repeat the proceedure
you should get a few good bubbles
then drive and monitor the level and squeeze the pipes every time you stop .. both of them should be hot after a while, and also both back and front heaters should be hot
there's no reason to be scared of the proceedure, go for it and just keep an eye on the temp and the level
peg leg pete is the don with this bleed proceedure, but i think he does it with the expansion tank cap on

iz

alphabetter · Post by **alphabetter** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:40 pm

So (hopefully) the final update on mine:

After leaving it a week while I was away the coolant had dropped a little (may be 500ml).

Today I compared the amount I had put in with the amount I took out by refilling the bucket I used to drain the coolant with the equivalent amount to what I put in. I reckon I have put in as much (if not more) than I took out.

I did a bit of hose squeezing with the vent tube open. Here is a photo of my rig. Take care though, even with the hose clamped so high coolant will start to come out once the pressure increases in the system. Despite my best efforts only managed to generate a few tiny bubbles.

I then did a drive round lots of speed bumps. No "gurgling", temp gauge was right, front and back heaters working, no sign of any fluid drop.

I reckon the job's a good 'un now, but I'll keep some coolant in the back for a while just in case. For next time I would take much more notice of the amount taken out and put in so I could be sure that there wasn't a big difference.

izzizm · Post by **izzizm** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 5:00 pm

jobs a good 'un i rekon -

--iz