Bongo Fury

Used my bongo last night and with the fan on there was a petrol like smell despite the bongo being diesel.

Today the bottom drivers side of the sump cover behind the seats is wet/dripping.

Any ideas? would this be gearbox more than engine or air con related?

Check your coolant level....

it could be the rear heater hose (over the starter motor) having a pin hole in it.... they tend to split/get a pin hole at the engine end...... when warming up and just before the thermostat opens....it sprays coolant out....then stops when the coolant is fully circulating...

There was a slow trickle of fluid when the bongo was warm but once bongo cooled down the dripping stopped.

as it leaks and cools the pressure in the system drops, so stops leaking, then it will allow air in. this air WILL do damage to the engine. do not run the engine until its fixed and bled.

Thanks for your advice, it's been to the garage today and turned out to be a leaky injector hose so 80p for the hose and £50 labour and all is well again.

Mmm. Injector pipes are metal to be able to withstand the pressure:



The only rubber pipe is on the return rail:



The main thing is that it's all sorted

egor617 wrote:Thanks for your advice, it's been to the garage today and turned out to be a leaky injector hose so 80p for the hose and £50 labour and all is well again.

Nice and simple then...... I like it when that happens...

egor617 wrote:Thanks for your advice, it's been to the garage today and turned out to be a leaky injector hose so 80p for the hose and £50 labour and all is well again.

Excellent news. Somehow I thought it would be that (i.e. a fuel leak) . Petrol smell might be because the more evaporative elements of the diesel take to the air and reach your nose first, though that's just a guess.

@ Simon it's the rubber piece on your photo, they had it out to show me when i picked it up.

I was on the verge of selling the bongo if it was going to be expensive to repair however it's going back to the same garage in a fortnight to the rubber hoses replaced (still on originals as far as i know) and to have a low coolant alarm fitted.

I assume if there replacing the hoses then they have to stick in new coolant, what sort do i need as i can use a trade card at halfords to get discount.

What do i want to order just the low coolant alarm or the tm2 combination alarm?

egor617 wrote:@ Simon it's the rubber piece on your photo, they had it out to show me when i picked it up.

I was on the verge of selling the bongo if it was going to be expensive to repair however it's going back to the same garage in a fortnight to the rubber hoses replaced (still on originals as far as i know) and to have a low coolant alarm fitted.

I assume if there replacing the hoses then they have to stick in new coolant, what sort do i need as i can use a trade card at halfords to get discount.

What do i want to order just the low coolant alarm or the tm2 combination alarm?

Personally I use basic ethylene glycol antifreeze as (I think) originally specced for the engine by Mazda, and cheaper. It ought to be changed every 2 years though you could probably stretch that a bit. There is modern (pink?) organic stuff that lasts 5 years but it has been known to create a coating on a low coolant alarm (LCA) sensor causing it to trigger. A minor issue since the sensor can be cleaned up, but still.

The LCA is the most important thing to have. TM2 is nice and helpful for checking engine not running too hot so I'd go for the combo if you can afford it. And budget for Bongo repairs if poss instead of being hit by a bill and having to sell. These are old cars and expenditure must be expected, but they're worth more alive and yours than dead or theirs I think I'm about to spend on mine just to address things that are getting tired if it needs it, even if the part is not kaput yet.

I've had mine 7 years just never got around to getting the coolant alarm, got myself a pela pump so going to start doing my own oil and suck out the atf.

Radiator and water pump were all replaced in 2012 as a precaution hopefully to avoid bongo overheating.

egor617 wrote:I've had mine 7 years just never got around to getting the coolant alarm, got myself a pela pump so going to start doing my own oil and suck out the atf.

Radiator and water pump were all replaced in 2012 as a precaution hopefully to avoid bongo overheating.

Be careful with the Pela. I use one and have had no problems, but its important to put the probe in and feel for it touching the bottom of the sump. Don't push it in beyond that as it can snag. Also of course, it likes the oil to be warmed up and runny so it can suck it up ok. But otherwise, its a huge improvement over the standard method

Fit a new quality (Mazda) thermostat while changing coolant, if not already done.