Bongo Fury

Good evening all
Between yesterday & today I have put 5 litres of water into the coolant reservoir ( which is totally empty when I look) & she is blowing masses of white smoke. so much so I couldn't reverse up my drive due to clouds of smoke impairing my view. I'm going to book it into the garage tomorrow but wanted a rough idea at what I'm looking at. From reading what the clinic had to say in the past am I looking at cracked cylinder heads or blown head gaskets.

I'm far from mechanically minded so if anyone thinks it may be one of these problems would you be kind enough to explain roughly what all that means & how many £ that involves ( ball park)


Many Thanks

Sounds like a cylinder head gasket to me, once your sitting down scroll down to the bottom of this post







































Your looking at between £1500 and £1800 to have the job done inc new head but once she's done she'll be as good as new and insist on a genuine mazda gasket kit. Keep us posted

Thank you for the warning.Oh my I new it would be bad. Is that why she has been making a squealing sound when I apply the accelerator? Or do I need to sit down again

Squealing is more likely a loose belt or a sheared exhaust manifold but that level of coolant consumption is a much bigger worry to be honest. If you're lucky its a head gasket but chances are it could well be worse.

Hi Mr Muldoon,

Does your vehicle have a turbo,if so its worth getting it checked for leaking seals etc..

Cheers.

Thanks for all the replies. You are all very clever people. It needs a new head gasket & one of the manifold sheared off, hence the noise. The garage also found that she is leaking diesel. Something to do with 2 seals but won't cost much extra as the labour is already incorporated in with the head It's a good job I can sleep in my bongo as she is about to cost me a small mortgage. Thanks again every one, it's nice to have a little bit of knowledge going into talk to a mechanic for obvious reasons.

Mr Muldoon wrote:Thanks for all the replies. You are all very clever people. It needs a new head gasket & one of the manifold sheared off, hence the noise. The garage also found that she is leaking diesel. Something to do with 2 seals but won't cost much extra as the labour is already incorporated in with the head It's a good job I can sleep in my bongo as she is about to cost me a small mortgage. Thanks again every one, it's nice to have a little bit of knowledge going into talk to a mechanic for obvious reasons.

Make sure the garage take the trouble to pressure test the head in case it has a hairline crack (often does, and can go unspotted) and that they flat the block down so that a good mate with the block/gasket/head is achieved. Simon Jones, who DIYed his (Bongo) head successfully also used suitable gasket sealant even though it is not supposed to be strictly necessary. Also, they say new stretch bolts should be fitted. And of course the car must be bled properly. ANd finally, do we know what caused the problem in the first place, as that will need addressing if not already done.

Good luck and sorry its all £s but all cars are a pain and at least Bongos are special and worth the effort.

Take a look at my pics on the subject as I have had the exact situation this very week!

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/11334027 ... n?h=2b1c96

I update the pics almost every day as I progress. The pics are NOT in cronological order though!
But you will see some telltale examples of the cause.
1. the Water Pump shows signs of seepage - I replaced the WP!
2. The expansion tank was TWO shades of yellow!
3. The head WAS cracked in #1 Exhaust Port - not visable w/o magnification; but a 1-1/2" line from valve seat to valve guide - thus unfixable!
4. Evidence that the engine was run w/o antifreeze at some point.
5. Probably NOT bled correctly or at all.
6. Thermostat was frozen shut and rusted.
7. Heavily pitted #1 piston depicting a severe amount of water injection.
8. No visable/tracable defects or seepage on head gasket.

These are the highlights of course, but in general, the complete cooling system has been ignored well before it was imported to Canada in Feb 2011.
I believe the guy I bought it from had overheated it at some point, and just filled up the expansion tank with new antifreeze to fool an unsuspecting buyer.
I ask him if ever overheated on his trip to Costa Rica, SA; which he rplied "no" of course. I mentioned that the expansion tank colour was indicative of heating problems, but the new antifreeze trick got me.

My advice to anyone considering to buy a Bongo design to have the cooling system pressure checked before hand. Find a knowledgable mechanic on Bongos do an independent evaluation and thoroughly inspect the entire cooling system. I have been a general mechanic most of my life; yet I goofed up on this one!