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Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:49 pm
by ROXY
I am not sure the A/C on my Bongo (V Reg new shape 2 Litre petrol) is working 100%
Although it pumps out plenty of air from all the right vents and the controls work well, the air takes ages to heat up and is not that warm even after 15 mins or so.
The LCD display shows the temp goes up to 32 degrees, but the air temp from the vents feels a lot colder
Is this a normal thing for Bongos?
Roxy
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:54 pm
by francophile1947
Have a search for the many threads about heater flaps

Don't know about the 2 litre, but the heater in the diesel cooks you

Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:05 pm
by mister munkey
francophile1947 wrote:Have a search for the many threads about heater flaps
Unlikely to be the flappy thing by your foot John.
ROXY wrote: it pumps out plenty of air from all the right vents and the controls work well
francophile1947 wrote: Don't know about the 2 litre, but the heater in the diesel cooks you

Mine doesn't. Its always been poor. Hot stuff goes in one end & comes out hot at the other but it takes an age to get even mildy warm.
As my old radiator was rather crudded up when it eventually died, I suspect the matricies are too.
Will get round to replacing heater matrix at some point once all the other stuff settles down.
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:38 pm
by Cloughy
I would get this check at a garage. Problems with heating can mean problem with water/coolant circulation, which can lead to overheating.
I had to scrap an old car this year... it all started with the heater blowing cold air and ended with a blown head gasket.
(It wasn't a Bongo and not worth paying for a repair)
Cloughy
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:54 pm
by haydn callow
I have had 3 bongos...1 x Diesel and 2 x Petrol.
The Diesel's warm up very quick and are toastie hot.
The V6 runs a lot cooler about 10/15 degreesC and do take a while to warm up and in the recent weather is only just passable.
The 2 liter runs even cooler so I'm not at all surprised that the heaters hardly get going....
All 3 types of engine run on the same cooling system which I suppose was designed around the diesel engine which runs the hottest.
I would guess that all is in order with your Bongo and it is just being overcooled......If I was in your position I would experiment with blocking off part of the radiator and see if that improves things (remove it when the weather warms up)
Even this may have little effect because I suspect in this weather your Radiator is hardly put to use co's you won't be getting hot enough to get the Thermostat open...restricting the flow through the top hose would work, but you would be tredding on dangerous ground there.
The fact that you have set the control to 32 (the highest setting) is not relevant to the actual temp being pumped out.....it's just telling the system what you would like....unless the coolant gets to a decent temp you will never get to 32 or anywhere near....I have a temp gauge that reads the actual temp in my V6 top hose.....in this weather it struggles to reach 65C ...... this is not enough to allow the heater to heat the very cold air passing through the matrix.
Mine has had a new Thermostat fitted and I know it is working when it's supposed to......but in this weather it never gets hot enough to open.
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:08 pm
by BongoMTBer
It could be your thermostat not closing fully. Has it ever been changed?
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:12 pm
by MAZABON
hi roxy
as yours has climate control, you may have a problem with the sensor that detects the the cabin temp, i believe its somewhere near the glovebox, if its not functioning properly for some reason it will not be telling the climate control what to do properly, so no matter what temp you set the display too it will make no difference to the output
no garauntees it is this, just another possible

Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:27 pm
by David Edwards
If you want heat then knock the air con off, simples,lol. Just leave the fan on.
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:53 pm
by ROXY
Thanks for all the replies so far
Much appreciated
Roxy
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:19 am
by Bongoplod
Heat output is nowt to do with the air con.
Ive had 2 x 2.5 deisels.......cracking heaters on both
Ive recently bought a 2ltr petrol......heater is just as good as the deisels,and this last 2 weeks its been well tested with the freezing temps weve endured,and Ive roasted in the cab every time
Brian
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:00 am
by wishmaster
BongoMTBer wrote:It could be your thermostat not closing fully. Has it ever been changed?
This would be my first port of call to check
Bongoplod wrote:Heat output is nowt to do with the air con.
Ive had 2 x 2.5 deisels.......cracking heaters on both
Ive recently bought a 2ltr petrol......heater is just as good as the deisels,and this last 2 weeks its been well tested with the freezing temps weve endured,and Ive roasted in the cab every time
Brian
We have a V6, do lots of around town trips and ours can get roasting hot too
I'd get the system looked over...
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:12 am
by jaylee
Hi Roxy,
What i know of the principle, a flap (controlled on the passenger side under the centre console.) swings out away from the heater matrix (Like a radiator in a house!) causing the the air flowing past to bottle neck warm/get hotter before entering the cab through the vents..
When set to cold this flap moves to cover the heater matrix allowing cold/unheated air to flow directly through the vents pushed harder by the fan..
This heater will always be hot when the vehicle is up to temperature, the flap depending on the position will adjust the vent temperature a bit like a sluice gate.. When the AC is on, a condenser chills the ambient air temp, but the setting must be at cold (or as above) the air will be warmed again by the heater matrix...
What i have come to understand about the heating system, that as part of the cooling system on the engine it tends to warm up first..? ( mine is diesel, with manual heater controls. But, a similar principle.)
I would be looking at the air mix control flap response first... Then problems with the heater matrix & coolant system on your van...! It may just need the system bleeding properly!!
This may help... (Thanks to Widdowson.)
Plus this link... Hope this helps..??!
http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... &start=585
Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 10:30 am
by jaylee
ROXY wrote:I am not sure the A/C on my Bongo (V Reg new shape 2 Litre petrol) is working 100%
Although it pumps out plenty of air from all the right vents and the controls work well, the air takes ages to heat up and is not that warm even after 15 mins or so.
The LCD display shows the temp goes up to 32 degrees, but the air temp from the vents feels a lot colder
Is this a normal thing for Bongos?
Roxy

With reference to the red... My wife has a climate controlled Micra, the number of the desired preferential setting on the LCD control unit is normally just that.. Not a reference to the actual cabin temperature, just the desired temp for the air through the vents...

( We can all live in hope!)

Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 12:41 pm
by francophile1947
mister munkey wrote:
francophile1947 wrote: Don't know about the 2 litre, but the heater in the diesel cooks you

Mine doesn't. Its always been poor. Hot stuff goes in one end & comes out hot at the other but it takes an age to get even mildy warm.
I reckon you might have a problem then

Both of mine have been really effective. In fact, I usually have to turn it down after a few miles and several others seem to have found them very effective as well

Re: Air Conditioning - not much heat from it
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:04 pm
by jaylee
francophile1947 wrote:mister munkey wrote:
francophile1947 wrote: Don't know about the 2 litre, but the heater in the diesel cooks you

Mine doesn't. Its always been poor. Hot stuff goes in one end & comes out hot at the other but it takes an age to get even mildy warm.
I reckon you might have a problem then

Both of mine have been really effective. In fact, I usually have to turn it down after a few miles and several others seem to have found them very effective as well

I have to agree with John.. After a while i have to turn mine down a couple of notches in the front, (manual) especially with the main four vents in the dash. I tend to have the front on low & warm, then flick the rear isolation switch for the heater in the back set on hot & 3, which keeps the whole van warm!! You can literally see the rear side panel where the rear heater matrix is defrost the side on mine, as the vehicle starts to warm up...
As if you aint got enough worries...
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