Page 1 of 2
Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:01 am
by Nick65
My mechanic says I have a soft pipe that connects to the radiator just under the drivers seat. The pipe was cold as was the engine at the time. He was not sure if this is correct and has asked me to check. He has put gaffer tape round it for the time being, but seeing as we go to France in 6 weeks on a 3,500 mile trip we thought we'd better check it out
Cheers
Nick
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:06 am
by sparkymik
Aha! my was too, I say was 'cos it blew out yeasterday on the M-way AA guy sniff tested and the engine is fine, so bought a 4 set last night on Evil Bay for £80 inc p&p, so don't delay fix them now, I was lucky my TM2 cut in at 112degs, the Bongo only passed it's MOT the day before
Sparky
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 11:45 am
by missfixit70
Sounds like the top hose Nick, get it sorted asap & check all the rest, esp the 4 large ones going to & from rad, the one over the starter motor going to the rear heater & the bleed hose.
Sounds like the TM2 saved the day Sparky

Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:45 pm
by Nick65
Would it be safe enough to keep the gaffer tape on until he gets a new pipe then?
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:51 pm
by missfixit70
I wouldn't want to risk it if it were me to be honest, especially if you haven't got any retro fit alarms such as Mason, coolant or TM2 to warn you if it lets go, but it's your choice.
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 3:48 pm
by Nick65
My mechanic has said if I can get the parts then great - He has gone away until next week and said it would also save me money. But the problem is what is the official name for it?
It runs from the top of the radiator to front of the cylinder head
he also said it might be worth getting the bottom radiator hose as well as he will be undoing it all and it's worth doing it properly/
Any advice on what to look for on the bongobits website??

Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 3:57 pm
by Alison01326
They do describe and picture the hoses.
Better wait for Kirsty or someone else who's very knowledgeable to answer this one (I was just impressed at Bongobits website when I was looking at it last week to price up some things)
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:21 pm
by mikeonb4c
Nick65 wrote:My mechanic has said if I can get the parts then great - He has gone away until next week and said it would also save me money. But the problem is what is the official name for it?
It runs from the top of the radiator to front of the cylinder head
he also said it might be worth getting the bottom radiator hose as well as he will be undoing it all and it's worth doing it properly/
Any advice on what to look for on the bongobits website??

Bongobits are good (and quick and helpful and knowledgeable) on the phone whereas I find their website catalogue a nightmare to browse. So I'd call them. Try and have as clear as possible a description for them (hose diameter, runs from where to where, description of bends in it etc.) and they should be able to say if they can ID it positively from your description. I don't know if it is recommended to fit new hose clips too so might be worth asking them (although they may say 'yes' and flog you some) or your mechanic.
Mike

Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:19 am
by missfixit70
Nick65 wrote:It runs from the top of the radiator to front of the cylinder head
he also said it might be worth getting the bottom radiator hose as well as he will be undoing it all and it's worth doing it properly/
Any advice on what to look for on the bongobits website??

These hoses are actually 4 hoses as I said earlier, with a steel pipe in the middle of each pair as per this diagram (part numbers 15-183 to 15-186)
http://www.lushprojects.com/bongopartsm ... mgno=.html
Links to the hoses on Bongobits
http://www.bongobits.com/Main.asp?PageN ... roduct=233
http://www.bongobits.com/Main.asp?PageN ... roduct=232
http://www.bongobits.com/Main.asp?PageN ... roduct=234
http://www.bongobits.com/Main.asp?PageN ... Product=74
Or go to
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAZDA-BONGO-SILIC ... 7C294%3A30 for a slightly cheaper alternative to upgrade to silicone hoses, this is Flippa, a member on here, many of us have these fitted.
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:27 am
by MountainGoat
You can also source a replacement silicone hose using Flippas website: He gives a discount to club members.
http://www.siliconehosestore.co.uk/
Don't forget that you will need good quality new circle clips to fit the hoses. I got mine from here: Bigdaddycain souced them for me from the Warrington branch.
http://www.manflex.co.uk/
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:47 am
by nfn
A few months ago I changed out the big hose under the driver's seat coming out of the cylinder head. The hose was softer than the others and was slightly swollen at the cylinder head end. It turned out that despite being soft, it was still thick and very difficult to punch a hole through. I replaced with one of Flippa's silicone hoses, which fit perfectly. The only problem I had was that the hose clamps needed to be tighter than I expected, and I had to take the belly pan back off to tighten it more at the steel pipe end. For the first drive or two after the hose is replaced keep an eye out for leaks at both ends.
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:56 pm
by Nick65
How can I add a picture to this?
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:02 pm
by francophile1947
Nick65 wrote:How can I add a picture to this?
Read the Guidance Section
http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... =42&t=9285
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 6:13 pm
by Nick65
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/ ... C_0009.jpg
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/ ... C_0010.jpg
http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c298/ ... C_0011.jpg
OK, so this is the pipe that needs replacing. But what exactly is it called on the Bongobits site - There are so many that I am a bit confused.
Also, is there any other pipes that need replacing at the same time? For instance if you replace this pipe does it normally mean that you have to replace pipe B?
Cheers
Nick
Re: Soft pipe connecting to radiator
Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 1:52 pm
by missfixit70
Read my posts above, explains all, this hose is the 4th one down in the 4 links to bongo bits
http://www.bongobits.com/Main.asp?PageN ... Product=74
As I've already said twice in this thread, at the least I'd replace all four of the big hoses that I've linked to above, either with the Mazda ones from Bongobits, or the same four that I linked to on ebay in silicon as provided by Flippa - who may also give you discount as a forum member.
missfixit70 wrote:Sounds like the top hose Nick, get it sorted asap & check all the rest, esp the 4 large ones going to & from rad, the one over the starter motor going to the rear heater & the bleed hose.