[adc]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

@adc, unlike your vehicle, the charges my vehicle has undergone are totally unrelated to terrain. except for 3500 around 31000kms for the bushes.
Thankfully, brake pads, suspension etc., are holding on pretty fine.
I think at 45kms service, the brake pads may require a change, but then maybe not!

Absolutely correct. The maintenance cost obviously has been high for you and hopefully it has found the base level now that things looks settled. Was putting up the fact I do keep a track of expense and good that post of yours came up. Will make a up-to-date expense sheet soon - need to know myself also whats been the cost on the vehicle of all these travels. Of the 44 k km that it would run by next week, around 36 k km have been clocked on travel.

And it is going exactly opposite for me, i.e., having some good bills stacked up due to my usage - one point that comes out when one does stuff and has fun with a 2wd that it is not supposed to do, the maintenance cost hits out after some time - and most probably around this 40k km time. With a 4wd those bad stretches could have been taken at own's pace and style.

Front bearings, front brake pads, discs, callipers, front fender and side stepper, rear brake pads, all four wheel bushes, clutch plate - all these costs with labour is hitting me now - and of course the cost of 4 tyres. Tie rods had been covered under warranty. This 2wd has been stressed out a lot [particularly in the North and East Sikkim and West Arunachal tour] and I am now paying it up with some good maintenance cost.



Would also like to know how has been JKDas VTT cost. He has used it mostly within the state and has very high mileage but most probably no bad terrains. JK any cost structure for the VTT? His cost structure will give the true cost of a Safari VTT 2wd onwership.

[tsk1979]

She's done 40,000+ on the odo now.
some time back, there was this problem of some "chik chik and rattling noise" whenever clutch was pressed. It used to come sometimes after engaging gear or sometime when even in neutral with clutch pressed.
I showed it to sterling, and since it was faint, they said "carry on till 45K service" its no big deal.
Now that sound has stopped coming however two new problems have manifested
1. Engine note is rough, but when I press clutch, the roughness vanishes, some gearbox trouble?
2. Sometimes when driving, even in 5th gear there is an occasional clutch burn smell. Now when this comes I am not even touching the clutch. Just driving around 90kmph in 5th gear. Once while climbing a steep inlcine in 1st gear 2500 rpm, with no clutch press, this smell came.

I am worried that that rattling sound was of something failing, and that thing has failed.
So is the clutch release bearing giving problems, and this is causing the burn smell.
I am worried, that when they open up the gearbox, they will say that you half clutched and burnt the clutch.

So I need to take it to autolinks probably and see if somebody can figure out whats wrong with the gearbox/clutch.

Apart from that there is the slight rythemic belt noise which comes always. I am worried about some belt failing in the middle of nowhere.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

She's done 40,000+ on the odo now.
some time back, there was this problem of some "chik chik and rattling noise" whenever clutch was pressed. It used to come sometimes after engaging gear or sometime when even in neutral with clutch pressed.
I showed it to sterling, and since it was faint, they said "carry on till 45K service" its no big deal.
Now that sound has stopped coming however two new problems have manifested
1. Engine note is rough, but when I press clutch, the roughness vanishes, some gearbox trouble?
2. Sometimes when driving, even in 5th gear there is an occasional clutch burn smell. Now when this comes I am not even touching the clutch. Just driving around 90kmph in 5th gear. Once while climbing a steep inlcine in 1st gear 2500 rpm, with no clutch press, this smell came.

I am worried that that rattling sound was of something failing, and that thing has failed.
So is the clutch release bearing giving problems, and this is causing the burn smell.
I am worried, that when they open up the gearbox, they will say that you half clutched and burnt the clutch.

So I need to take it to autolinks probably and see if somebody can figure out whats wrong with the gearbox/clutch.

Apart from that there is the slight rythemic belt noise which comes always. I am worried about some belt failing in the middle of nowhere.

I also think it is the clutch release bearing. Generally, it would have any impact on clutch slipping, but there would be a whirring nise while pressing the clutch.

As regards to the belt, just do a visual inspection of any cracks in the belt.

[Technocrat]

1. Engine note is rough, but when I press clutch, the roughness vanishes, some gearbox trouble?

Hmm I get this feeling in My Alto too but then again my clutch does have some problems(Juddering etc) & I may need to replace it(my lot apparently had faulty design clutch plates which was rectified later).

[Rahulk76]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

It used to come sometimes after engaging gear or sometime when even in neutral with clutch pressed.

1. Engine note is rough, but when I press clutch, the roughness vanishes, some gearbox trouble?

I am worried that that rattling sound was of something failing, and that thing has failed.

So is the clutch release bearing giving problems, and this is causing the burn smell.

Apart from that there is the slight rythemic belt noise which comes always. I am worried about some belt failing in the middle of nowhere.

Ooooo God.. Evil Twins.. One Black and the other White Tanveer..

[Jaggu]

Time to check your clutch and do a complete replacement if required, dont compromise. Replace pressure plate, clutch plate, release bearing and carbon in one shot, its really not worth the pain to open again for replacing one of these. Especially looking at the kind of trips you make.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Time to check your clutch and do a complete replacement if required, dont compromise. Replace pressure plate, clutch plate, release bearing and carbon in one shot, its really not worth the pain to open again for replacing one of these. Especially looking at the kind of trips you make.

Accelerate to 80-90kmph and then deaccelerate to 15-20kmph and then suddenly accelerate ; see if its taking up speed. This method was posted here at TBHP.

I was quoted 8.5- 10k for clutch & pressure plate replacement ( might get it done next week).

[tsk1979]

You mean in fifth gear? Well she putters along in idle at 5th gear fine. There is no clutch slippage of pickup issue. I am worried, that somehow there may be something wrong with release bearing which may lead to clutch burn later.
The clutch is just 20K old(was replaced at 20K due to hardness).
At that time when clutch was replaced, it was very hard, but on inspection the clutch plates were found perfectly fine.
Moreover the vehicle is still in normal warranty. Extended warranty is yet to kick in.

[suman]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Moreover the vehicle is still in normal warranty. Extended warranty is yet to kick in.

Then its a no-brainer, what are you waiting for - go for it, just have it replaced

Try the 40kmph in 4th gear test on the expressway - take your foot off all the pedals & see if the elephant coasts along without jerks etc; if she does, your clutch is fine.

But, based on what you're experiencing, I'd repeat my first sentence

[tsk1979]

Well 45K service got done today.
Total cost around 8500 which included
1. Clutch and break oil
2. Gear oil
3. Engine oil and filter
4. Brake pads
+ labour for 1,2,4

Other issues were a massive massive oil leak, which kept on getting soaked in the foam on skid plates. She lost probably a liter of oil. Due to some hose end issue.
Anyways, that got fixed.

Got alignment done for 150 for star wheels.
Skid plate(not the engine skid plate, but the one behind it which covers the suspension saw bars and all) is totally shot. The holes for the nuts have broken and rusted. The entire plate was in a bad shape.
they did not have one in stock, so she rides with just the engine plate.
I intend to put an aluminum one now. So thats one pending job.

As for the clutch, its behaving fine now, esp after the fluid change. Could be air in system issue. Brake pads just had couple of mm left. They lasted 44100kms, which is quite a lot considering the humongous number of mountain trips.
But since they cost upwards of 3500rs when you count the labor charges too, they better last.

Another thing they tell me that I am looking at a suspension job around 70-80k. Full monty costs 24K, but usually part job is required which is cheaper.

So whats the horror you wondering? Well horror is what I did not get done because that would have meant catching the bus to noida and then coming back on monday to collect her.

As you recall, I was hearing some rythmic belt type sounds. Belt tightning earlier did not fix it.
So I asked the techs there to find what makes noise.
They went through checking all the belts, and nothing was amiss. Then they decided to check the timing belt.
Well its cracked. The timing cover or something as they call it is also cracked. According to them, cracking of timing cover due to design flaw led to premature timing belt break or something like that.
Now I already got the retro done for this. Then how did this happen?

So I have booked a running repair slot at sterling in noida to fix the timing belt thingy.
Hopefully the entire timing kit is under warranty. Well it very well should be, its already been changed under warranty once.
anyways, I was sitting on one ticking time bomb. any time during remote trips the engine could have seized.
Just when I think the problems are over, a new one crops up.

[HappyWheels]

TSK,

Did you not get the anti-rust spraying done?

And a true shock with regard to the timing belt. I hope the entire fix is covered under warranty!

[tsk1979]

Anti rust lasts for a year. Not really useful for the sheet which is hammered by the elements and terrain.

The pic is vertical.
At the bottom you see one hole to the right, thats where one bolt goes in. To the left bottom is the other hole, which is totally gone. Infact the sheet had to ripped apart as it gotten stuck with the bolt

[HappyWheels]

Woah! That is one run down sheet!

Does this give you a good reason to fabricate a better one for yourself? Kind of like what Samurai did for his GV?

[jaysmokesleaves]

@TSK > My safari is scheduled for a 45k service on tuesday. I notice no gear oil & differential oil changes in the 45 k service.

Would be great if you can manage to post pics of the timing belt / cover/ gear issue.

My brake pads wore erratically. One pad of the pair on one side of front brake pads had completely worn out while the others were good. The TASS could not diagnose the cause of erratic wear since there were no handling/braking issues.
Great to know your brake pads lasted upwards of 40k kms.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

My brake pads wore erratically. One pad of the pair on one side of front brake pads had completely worn out while the others were good. The TASS could not diagnose the cause of erratic wear since there were no handling/braking issues.
Great to know your brake pads lasted upwards of 40k kms.

I once had the same issue with my brake pads in the Uno. The right outer pad wore out totally in a span of 200 Kms while all the others had 4-5 mm pad left. This had happened while driving on Kutcha road and some small stone chip getting lodged in the calliper leading to excessive wear. Did you feel excessive/ highly effective braking sometime? That would have been the symptom