Bongo Fury

I have driven my bongo for over 3 years in the UK. It has always been really reliable. This year we took our bongo to France. Thirty mins off the ferry an alarm starts to sound and the cooler dial goes through the roof. I park up within 5 minutes but there is steam coming from all over the place and it smelt like a steam engine. I got towed to the garage and they fixed it. It took half a day and 250 euros to repair and this is what they said:

main d'oeuvre / temps passe pour controle et reparation probleme chauffe moteur.

sous reserve joint de culasse

When I checked on the translator site it said both heater problem and head gasket. I thought a head gasket problem was really serious.

Does anybody have the French and the expertise to explain to me what went wrong? Do I have to do anything now I am back?

Any help appreciated.

a

Read up on bleeding the Bongo coolant system - whatever the cause, air in the coolant is often the result which can impair or prevent the coolant system from effectively cooling the cylinder head, which is the primary cause of gasket failure.

Do you have any more written record of what work they performed?

I would have it looked at by a Bongo-savvy garage/member, inspect all hoses, etc, and have it bled correctly. Thereafter, you'll just have to monitor the situation and see what, if anything, happens. You may be well advised not to drive it until it's been checked over again.

Good luck,
Matt.

Technical translation requires more than a free translation site. It does mention cylinder head, but I see no reference to the heater - more like hot or overheating.
Can you tell if they fitted any new parts, like a hose to the cylinder head, or signs of a repair to any hose?
I would think that, as you completed your holiday and got home again, they have probably fixed it.

Thanks for this

I am a school teacher and will be able to get a proper translation when I get back to work. The additional work carried out was as follows:

produits divers 4 / recyclage
remplacement liquide de refroidissement + purge
essai fonctionnel ou routier du vehicle

I did have a poke about and could not see any obvious repair or new looking parts. However, since it was repaired on 1st August I have driven around 2,000 KM and the temp gauge has not moved so I think it is fixed. I was just worried when 'head gasket' came out of google translator. I owned a car in Africa that blew a head gasket. It took 2 mechanics three days to fix it. If I was paying European labour costs that would have been hundreds if not thousands.

Thanks for advice.

a

apapa wrote:Thanks for this

I am a school teacher and will be able to get a proper translation when I get back to work. The additional work carried out was as follows:

produits divers 4 / recyclage
remplacement liquide de refroidissement + purge
essai fonctionnel ou routier du vehicle

I did have a poke about and could not see any obvious repair or new looking parts. However, since it was repaired on 1st August I have driven around 2,000 KM and the temp gauge has not moved so I think it is fixed. I was just worried when 'head gasket' came out of google translator. I owned a car in Africa that blew a head gasket. It took 2 mechanics three days to fix it. If I was paying European labour costs that would have been hundreds if not thousands.

Thanks for advice.

a

I'm guessing the first is an item they replaced (produit = product?)
The second is replace coolant/anti-freeze and bleed(purge - air form system?)
The third sounds like 'take it out on a road test to check all is ok'

And if you drove it for many miles after that it sounds like you MIGHT have got away with it (though a stressed head or gasket may arguably let go / crack some time after the incident) but it would be worth finding a knowledgeable and willing Bongo owner who might lift the covers with you and look the whole thing over (maybe to spot any new component like a hose, thermostat, sensor etc. - not all those are spottable in practice but...).

The temp gauge not moving doesn't mean much as they are heavily damped to stay in the 11.00 o'clock position. A proper (TM2 or similar) engine block temp gauge, or a Mason gauge mod., would be more informative.

Fingers crossed for you, and keep us posted.

apapa wrote: I was just worried when 'head gasket' came out of google translator.

That's Google translator for you - it's about as good as American spill chuckers - I could see no mention of the gasket.

francophile1947 wrote: I could see no mention of the gasket.

"joint de culasse"?

when you say the gauge isnt moving, do you mean at all ??. if so they could have just removed the stat altogether, this would stop it boiling, but not fix the problem.
there are ways to check that this may be the case.

Driver+Passengers wrote:

francophile1947 wrote: I could see no mention of the gasket.

"joint de culasse"?

Could just mean "joins cylinder head" or "reached by cylinder head", which sounds more like something that connects to the cylinder head. Bearing in mind the cost of a gasket set and bolts, I can't see them having replaced a head gasket for less than £200.

First bit refers to the labour charge I think for mending an overheated engine

Second I think they may have poured in some sealer (steel seal type stuff?) to seal the head gasket.

reused 4 various things
renewed the coolant and bleed
road test

I meant the needle does not go beyond 11 oclock. It goes to zero when engine is off. Just spent 3 days at Reading festival. No problems there and back. Hopefully all sorted.

Thanks for help and advice.

A