Bongo Fury

when changing the cambelt on a mazda bongo v6 do you have to replace the idler and tensioner
for the cambelt

I had the crank and cam seals done when i had mine changed but at over £900 didn't have the tensioners done.

Recommend you read my two postings here, before thinking of tackling a V6 cambelt change - also buy the workshop manual (£55 to Bongo Fury members) from the Bongo Shop, if you then still want to tackle it. Clearly not one for the faint hearted.

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 6f#p356459

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... 6f#p356558

As regards the idler and tensioner, there are two idlers, one per camshaft, and all the manual says is to change the auto tensioner if it's either leaking oil or, after removal, its protruding area is found to have worn to below 16-18 mm free length. If I were doing it (which I definitely won't ever be!), I would buy a tensioner beforehand in case.

Bitch of a job pay someone

cheffy34 wrote:Bitch of a job pay someone

Pay someone who has the right tools, has done it before, knows what he's doing, and is happy to do it again - not just "someone". Phone around the Bongo-friendly garages list to that end, assuming you're a full Bongo Forum member, and have access - if not, join by clicking top centre, £12 per annum. For example, the very highly respected Wheelquick simply did not want to tackle mine as of October last year - may now have changed though.

Ron Miel wrote:

cheffy34 wrote:Bitch of a job pay someone

Pay someone who has the right tools, has done it before, knows what he's doing, and is happy to do it again - not just "someone". Phone around the Bongo-friendly garages list to that end, assuming you're a full Bongo Forum member, and have access - if not, join by clicking top centre, £12 per annum. For example, the very highly respected Wheelquick simply did not want to tackle mine as of October last year - may now have changed though.

Sorry disagree why does it have to be a bongo garage a good competant mechanic who knows what he is doing would be fine as far as i'm concerned my mate is a mechanic and an oracle on big engines and i would trust him much over the recommended bongo friendly garage in my area, a v6 is a v6 and you could ask if the garage has done one before. the only thing i would look for advice on from a apparent specialist is the coolant bleeding but even then i would pob do it myself, but it is your van and your cash so it is your choice


Dar

cheffy34 wrote:

Ron Miel wrote:

cheffy34 wrote:Bitch of a job pay someone

Pay someone who has the right tools, has done it before, knows what he's doing, and is happy to do it again - not just "someone". Phone around the Bongo-friendly garages list to that end, assuming you're a full Bongo Forum member, and have access - if not, join by clicking top centre, £12 per annum. For example, the very highly respected Wheelquick simply did not want to tackle mine as of October last year - may now have changed though.

....................the chances are your bongo friendly garage hasn't even done one.......my mate is a mechanic.........

Unfortunately, not everybody knows your mate - and my post does not say use a Bongo-friendly garage. It says phone round them to see if you can find somebody who meets the above and, obviously, who you are happy with and who charges a fair price. If not, try the milkman.

when changing the cambelt on a mazda bongo v6 do you have to replace the idler and tensioner for the cambelt

You replace them if they are worn/faulty.

you got it pal only change when they are faulty.had mine done by a pal at 100k they were fine.

ps , mazda say its very rare they change them,

You are quite correct Ron you are unfortunate not to know my mate so maybe your milkman would be the best option in this case, and when i say pay someone that doesn't mean the milkman or paperboy it is a generalisation of the professionals that deal with these type of things on a daily basis but what it does highlight is there's nothing like "local" recommendation in my eyes, after all we are not all lucky enough to live near the mighty wheelquick and other good bongo friendly garages are we

cheffy34 wrote:You are quite correct Ron you are unfortunate not to know my mate so maybe your milkman would be the best option in this case, and when i say pay someone that doesn't mean the milkman or paperboy it is a generalisation of the professionals that deal with these type of things on a daily basis, but what it does highlight is don't trust all the suggested apparent specialist garages that you phone either nothing like "local" recommendation in my eyes, after all we are not all lucky enough to live near the mighty wheelquick and other good bongo friendly garages are we

No, we're not.

However, I suspect that most of us, who don't have mates like yours, do believe that a careful vetting of garages previously recommended by forum members to become "Bongo-friendly-listed", is a better starting point than just taking your Bongo to any local garage with a good reputation - but which has never seen a Bongo.

I've tried both approaches and, based on that experience, I would rather travel 40 miles or more, to either Wheelquick or a couple of other Bongo-friendlies at similar distances, than stay local just because it is local - or even, as recommended by you, because I choose not to trust Bongo Fury's well established system.

Peeps travel down from Scotland to get their Bongo work done at Wheelquick, for example, and I know that others often travel long distances to get Bongo work done properly at other Bongo-friendly garages, of their choice and/or on the strong recommendations of others. Why sit there, trying to undermine a system which has been carefully assembled for our benefit, and which I'm sure works much better overall than just saying "I just don't trust the whole system, therefore I'll go to anyone but a listed Bongo-friendly garage"? That's what you are apparently advocating.

Finally, I'll repeat what I said previously but with even more emphasis - anybody who puts their precious V6 into the hands of somebody who does not have the proper tools, including the special extractor tool (designed to work in a confined space BTW), to change its cambelt, deserves any problems which may result.

Cheers.

So as I was planning on getting mine done in the spring - does anyone know of a garage that HAS done a V6 cam belt change?
successfully

Following on from the recent postings in this thread - I'd probably be prepared to travel a LOOONNNNNNGGGGG way to a garage that I felt OK with.

Regards Grahame

Discount Trucks in Newbury did mine, long way from you though.

Andy

Hi there, i believe Ian Taylor Uk Ltd has changed a few, quite a way from me though, but i'd travel for piece of mind.