Bongo Fury

Hi I'm new to the club so hello everyone.

I've recently bought a bongo and it's the best thing ever.

Today though I started the engine and as I drove away I noticed water leaking out from under the drivers side near to the pipes for the rear heater. There was no water on the pipes but water on the underside edge...It didn't smell of anti freeze so i don't know if it's the radiator leak or not. Any ideas? Should I be worried?

Also. Does anybody know if there is a local bongo garage to Nottingham where I can take it as I would like it serviced.

Thanks

Welcome!!

I have found that water will sit on the sills and drip from there. I had it in my garage for a week and I had water sitting there for several days. Try taking a tissue or white cloth and wrap it round the the two rubber hoses with clips that poke out down from the floor above and secure with a rubber band or string. Assuming the coolant visible in your header tank is pink, see if the tissue/cloth goes pink over time, or not. Ideally, you'd get the van hot as this will pressurise the coolant system and show up any leak better.

However, if you see the water level drop out of the header tank completely, don't drive it as any introduced into the system will have to be bled out. Have you got a low coolant alarm? If it is coolant, then you should be very careful.

I can't recommend you a garage round your parts, but I'm sure someone will be able to.

Best,
Matt.

Hi

Thanks.

It appears every time I start the engine and drive it now it starts leaking but when the engine is off it stops. I'm thinking there could be a radiator leak now as it would just leak if it were rain water. I've bought some radwell leak repair so I'll try that unless I get any further advice.

Regards coolant alarm, is this a dash board alarm? The temp seems fine at present.

There will probably be another owner near you who may be willing to come and give your van a once over. You can put your location in your user profile using the "User Control Panel" in the top right corner - Nottingham might be enough.

Low coolant alarms are an after-market add-on and should beep when you first turn the key to let you know its working and then alarm if the coolant level ever drops too low in the header tank. There may be one or two stainless screws and a couple of wires on the front of your header tank, let us know.

The radiator is right up at the front, behind the bumper. Radiators are known to fail, but if the fluid you're seeing is back near the rear heater matrix, it would be unlikely to be the rad. There are 17 rubber hoses on the Bongo coolant system, so plenty places for things to go wrong.

Simply turning the engine off is unlikely to stop a leak without the van also cooling down and the pressure dropping. Rather than leaking with engine on and not with engine off, do you mean it starts leaking when it gets hot and stops once it's cooled/cooling? Wet weather is a pest when trying to detect/isolate water leaks. Persevere...

I have never used radwell or similar and many others may advise against it too. I don't know many people who would actively urge you to use it, though it may well cure some problems it may also cause more pain further down the line, I don't know... don't be hasty.

Temperature gauge on the dash, if original and unmodified, will not give you much feedback re: temperature until you have already overheated. There is a dash gauge modification you can do if you're handy with a soldering iron. You might be best talking to Jo/Haydn re: their low coolant alarm and temperature sensing options.

I know there is a lot to take in here - I'm not sure what you know already so sorry if I'm covering old ground. There is plenty on here in the FAQ section of the forum, the factsheets if you're a paid-up club member, and if you use the search function (top-right). I've not linked to anything in this post, but let us know where you're at and we can direct you at some useful stuff.

Find someone local and get together for a coffee, or get yourself to a recommended garage ASAP. Critical in your search for a garage is to find one who already knows the Bongo cooling system, as bleeding the coolant correctly is the key to reliability and longevity of the engine/cylinder head.


All that said, it might just be rainwater.

If you haven't lost any coolant, then it MAY be condensate from your aircon system. (There is a small rubber pipe in that location.)
If this is the case, then there is nothing to worry about.

ps. As D&P says, think twice about introducing radweld into the system. It may (just may) cure a leak, but there are some small bore pipes in the system that can get clogged up, and you DON'T want that.
Ideally, find and fix the problem - don't rely on a bandaid solution.

He it seems to leak when the engine is heating up and stop when ignition off.

I'll research the air con and hold off on the radiator treatment.

Let me know if anyone knows someone local to nottingham .

Thanks

widdowson2008 wrote:... it MAY be condensate from your aircon system. (There is a small rubber pipe in that location.)

Good point, my aircon has never really worked so I can't comment on this, but with a hose in that location, it's a possibility, too.

Still consider getting a low coolant alarm if you don't have one. It may save your bacon one day.

Whereabouts in Nottingham are you?

We live just off Mapperley top in Woodthorpe near Arnold. Thanks

sent you a pm

Warm welcome Jenny, can't really add to what the Gang have said, but have you looked at the list of Bongo Friendly garages in the Member's area?

Good luck.

Hi,water pump perhaps..happened to me..also the rad can do similar things. Dave

Hi Jenny

pm sent

Regards Manda & Andy

You've probably been sorted by now but just to stress, its absolutely essential to learn how to safely check the coolant level in the header tank, and not to let the level get low. A coolant alarm brings huge peace of mind: I wouldn't drive a Bongo without one. Welcome and good luck getting it sorted.

mikeonb4c wrote:You've probably been sorted by now but just to stress, its absolutely essential to learn how to safely check the coolant level in the header tank, and not to let the level get low. A coolant alarm brings huge peace of mind: I wouldn't drive a Bongo without one. Welcome and good luck getting it sorted.

2 years without and with just my Mason and all is well.... plus had a pinhole leak in bleed hose during that time...picked up by slight temp lift indicated on gauge and visual level check/investigation