cooling system airlocks

[redshadow]

what causes air locks on the bongo cooling system, where is the air most likely to get trapped,
i have read or been told at some point that the airlock probs are due to the rear heater positioning or something along those lines, if the rear heater can be bypassed permanently would this stop the airlock probs, do the ford ranger and b2500 with same engines have the same bleeding probs...........could be wrong on this one i know any thoughts.

[mikeonb4c]

what causes air locks on the bongo cooling system, where is the air most likely to get trapped,
i have read or been told at some point that the airlock probs are due to the rear heater positioning or something along those lines, if the rear heater can be bypassed permanently would this stop the airlock probs, do the ford ranger and b2500 with same engines have the same bleeding probs...........could be wrong on this one i know any thoughts.

I suspect there is something in what you say, and I'm sure I've read others on here (who know a bit about these things) saying something similar.

But I love the Bongo cos its Thunderbird 2 (i.e. it has loads of 'stuff'), and having a separate heating system in the rear is fantastic fun if some (like her indoors) want it hot while others (the old git wots driving) like it cool. So for me, disabling it is not an option - it would be one step closer to changing a Bongo into a Ford Ranger......which does not appeal

[Manny]

I think a lot of the air gets trapped in the hose going up to the thermostat. I believe that's why the bleed hose is where it is and why when bleeding it's important to get the bottom hose hot which indicates the thermostat has opened and coolant is flowing past the stat and expelling the air.

Manny

[haydn callow]

Providing yor Bongo is running well and the coolingsystem was bled correctly the last time it had work done on it. You should not have any problems with air getting trapped in the system.
The main cause of air being trapped is when someone has worked on the cooling system and not bled all the air out...The Bongo is not straight forward in this respect.
Having air in the system often leads to overheating and damage.
The smll amounts of air generated by the system itself (ie. the water pump impeller) is normally dispersed in the header (degassng) tank and should not be a problem.

[Simon Jones]

... do the ford ranger and b2500 with same engines have the same bleeding probs...

From what I have seen, the Ranger engine does not the extra take-off on the pipe coming out the head where the bleed pipe fits on the Bongo engine. This would suggest they do not need bleeding in the same way. I did speak to someone who works for Ford Commercials, & as far he knew, the Ranger engine is not especially prone to over heating. This is probably due in part to the conventional belt driven fan, it's location at the front of the vehicle (better airflow) & the shorter / simpler pipework.

[dandywarhol]

Rear heater box for me.................

[apole]

I recently had to bypass the rear heater matrix as I had a leak.

I was intending to get this reconnected at some point, but am not thinking not too. Firstly the car warms up much much faster than it used to, and when I think about it I have never used the rear heater. The AC in the rear I do use and that will still work.

It is not hard to bypass if you need to, but you will obviously need to refill and bleed the system afterwards.

[redshadow]

so has anyone who has bypassed the rear heater found the coolant change an easier job. my coolant system is working fine no problems at all but just find the hassle of having to bleed the system if anything goes wrong a pain. and also the potential probs it can cause ie head/head gasket and the issue with being unable to temp repair and drive should a prob occur on my travels after all it is a camper, its the lack of bongo friendly garages around that doesnt help matters. i keep a copy of the bleeding procedures from members area in the bongo should the need arise but find it hard to trust unknown mechanics with my pride and joy. thats enough rambling anyway. some conversions have had rear heater removed for the space for tanks etc and was wondering if they have the samr bleeding procedures.

[missfixit70]

I may be looking to remove my rear heater pipework shortly as I very rarely use it & I've got a bit of a leak issue on one of the metal pipes just about to rear it's head, just got to see how much I could remove & how much aggro it'll be to replace/repair the problem.
I'm concerned that it may affect the overall cooling system though as it's effectively removing an engine cooling matrix from the system. The other way of thinking I suppose is that it will make the system work a bit harder, which may not be a bad thing to keep it all flowing as it should?

[bigdaddycain]

I'm concerned that it may affect the overall cooling system though as it's effectively removing an engine cooling matrix from the system.

I agree kirsty,i'm not suggesting it would adversely affect the cooling, but it would be of concern to me.

I agree with manny's post above too, both areas are potential "hotspots"

[here's johnny!]

As allocated forum butt whooper, i just thought i'd let you know not to get into heated debate here...or your in for the chop! (suey roll)....

HOO HOO HAH!

[bigdaddycain]

As allocated forum butt whooper, i just thought i'd let you know not to get into heated debate here...or your in for the chop! (suey roll)....

HOO HOO HAH!

Hi Joe, your reputation precedes you... I'll be a good boy!

[redshadow]

i believe that wellhouse leisure remove rear heater matrix for conversions so i would assume that the cooling system would be fine without this. would it be worth speaking to someone there for more info or does someone here have a wellhouse conversion..

[scanner]

I may be looking to remove my rear heater pipework shortly as I very rarely use it & I've got a bit of a leak issue on one of the metal pipes just about to rear it's head, just got to see how much I could remove & how much aggro it'll be to replace/repair the problem.
I'm concerned that it may affect the overall cooling system though as it's effectively removing an engine cooling matrix from the system. The other way of thinking I suppose is that it will make the system work a bit harder, which may not be a bad thing to keep it all flowing as it should?

That could well be true - if you think about it the "extra" loop of the rear heater unit is the unconventional - both in existence AND location - part of the Bongo cooling system. The fact that there is an extra branching connection to the head indicates that it may well be an "afterthought" and such added on afterthoughts that modify an existing set up are frequent sources of trouble.

Removing it should return the system back to what is effectively a B2500/Ranger system and as you say making the rad work a little more often could be a jolly good thing.

Perhaps we should all give it a good blast up the motorway in hot weather, with both heaters completely, off to stir the cooling system up a bit.

[bigdaddycain]

There would need to be side by side tests of both the original system, and the modified "no rear matrix" system before any comparative data could be compiled.

If the ommision of the rear matrix equates to a higher average running temp (due to a certain percentage loss of heat sink), and possibly an increased pressure, then it's probably not wise.

Having said that, i don't recall a wellhouse vehicle suffering from over heating issues, so it may work just fine.

It would be interesting to see what (if any) pressure/heat changes could occur though.