Bongo Fury

Hi Bongolians,

Took my baby on its first good run from manchester to the lakes and noticed temp gage through the roof with steam coming from engine and under seats!!On flipping the bonnett found pressure had blown top of water tank.Waited for cool down and topped up again running the engine and water started spewing out. AA did the same with no other checks and diagnosed as head blown.Since been towed home and had all pipes ,rad etc checked for leaks and now been confirmed as thought.Not been stripped down yet so not sure if it can be skimmed or replaced.Really trying to get opinions on cost of £1000 ish for a replacement or £700 ish for a skim inc labour.Alternativley can source my own fully built head for £450 plus £375 labour.Will the quality of this unit be much inferior to the units supplied through the Bongo shop{been assured they are not Chinese}but built in Spain.Is it worth buying a £250 shell minus valves etc.Its a 95 N with 140k only owned 4 wks not sure wich way to go. Really appreciate any input!!

not good news but having bought a head from the club shop I must say it comes with every thing you need and looks a nice bit of kit. It even comes with a guarantee. You pays your money etc.
It's not that hard of a job to do DIY.

If it passes a comprehensive pressure test then it should be skimmable and I know of Bongos that are still running fine after 5 years with a skimmed head. The price you mention sounds high for just for a skim and labour, so I'm guessing the price includes other parts (radiator, water pump, thermostat etc).

But if it can't be skimmed you're looking at a replacement head, which is what many consider to be the safer option.

If you are thinking about going for the skim, you need to be sure the head is still up to the job, so get it properly tested.

If funds permit, don't skimp.

Its a 50/50 call even after a pressure test. It may not show signs right now but severe overheating can cause weaknesses that will be back to bite you in the bum later on.


Your call.

Find out why it went too, make sure a new stat goes in, system is thoroughly flushed out to eliminate the possibiblty of incompatible coolants, make sure waterpump is ok, all hoses & pipes are ok, rad & heater matrixes are free flowing & not leaking & expansion tank cap is sealing.
Make sure the head is pressure tested while up to running temp if you're going to skim & re use.

like ian taylor says if you put a new head on and new pipes then its like a new engine

Don't forget to factor in the cost of whatever caused the engine to overheat. Unless it was a simple blown hose/lack of coolant, you need to check the usual culprits... radiator, water pump etc. If the overheating episode was serious, check the valve on top of the head as well, as excessive heat can also damage it and damage hoses. And of course, you should buy a new thermostat.

Doone wrote:If the overheating episode was serious, check the valve on top of the head as well, as excessive heat can also damage it and damage hoses.

Which valve would that be ? I've got a spare engine that I'm stripping & so am finding out how it all fits together.

Sorry, I should be asleep... I meant to write sensor, not valve. Have a look at the pics of the damaged heads on Allans website (Bongo page), you'll see the sensor mentioned in one of them.

Ah I see, yes the ECU temp sensor has melted.