2007 Indica Xeta: Engine losing power all of a sudden and regaining power after mins

[mohandas]

Folks:

Can you please help me to identify the problem?

Occurrence of Problem:
It is totally random and stays for few seconds. I have been experiencing this problem randomly in the last 2-3 days. It happened to me 4-5 times so far.

Background:

Here is the background. Just a week ago, I gave my car to TATA A$$ (Malik Cars, Hyderabad) for the half yearly routine maintenance. There was no problem in my car. In that routine maintenance, they replaced the Water Pump of the car. They claimed that it was faulty and could seize my car’s engine anytime. Nothing else was replaced or changed in the car.

Condition of Fuel:
Last two years, I have been filing fuel from the same pump. So, IMO, the chances of bad quality of fuel is very low. The filing station is also very famous in Hyderabad – Jublee Hills Check Post.

The Symptoms:
This does not happen when engine is cold but usually occurs after driving the car for 10-15 kms. When the problem occurs, it feels like an anemic engine which is not getting the fuel to burn. In all cases, this problem stays for 15-30 sec and then automatically recovers and regains all the lost power.

Any idea, what is happening?

Thanks a lot for your help.
Regards,
Mohan Das

[akhilesh]

Looks like an issue with the fuel pump. Get it checked.

[glomus123]

Fuel pump and/or chocked airfilter seems to be the culprit. Check them and the fuel supply line as well!!

[MileCruncher]

Firstly is it a petrol or a diesel?

I somehow feel that its an electrical problem with the some having become loose.

[kaushikkrishnan]

Originally Posted by mohandas

Folks:
This does not happen when engine is cold but usually occurs after driving the car for 10-15 kms. When the problem occurs, it feels like an anemic engine which is not getting the fuel to burn. In all cases, this problem stays for 15-30 sec and then automatically recovers and regains all the lost power.

Did you check the coolant level ? It might be to do with overheating also. Sometimes after service the coolant cap might not have been replaced properly

May be any one of the following if it is not

1. Need to replace the fuel filter
2. MPFI injectors might require cleaning
3. Fuel pump might have a lose connection

[Nanolover]

looks like an issue with the ignition coil..please have it checked.

[mohandas]

Thanks a lot guys for the help.
I totally dis-trust these malik service folks' ability. I want to create a list of areas and will ask the folks to check those specifically.

Originally Posted by akhilesh

Looks like an issue with the fuel pump. Get it checked.

Originally Posted by glomus123

Fuel pump and/or chocked airfilter seems to be the culprit. Check them and the fuel supply line as well!!

I have taken a note from your suggestions but my problem is completely random and does not occur always. If it is a fuel pump failure, how can it be a random issue?

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Firstly is it a petrol or a diesel?

I somehow feel that its an electrical problem with the some having become loose.

It's Xeta - indica petrol. Could you elaborate a little more on what you meant by "electrical problem"?

Originally Posted by kaushikkrishnan

Did you check the coolant level ? It might be to do with overheating also. Sometimes after service the coolant cap might not have been replaced properly

May be any one of the following if it is not

1. Need to replace the fuel filter
2. MPFI injectors might require cleaning
3. Fuel pump might have a lose connection

My temp gauge is showing normal always. How come this could a overhearing issue in that case? Do you mean that the gauge itself is not working?

[kaushikkrishnan]

Originally Posted by mohandas

Thanks a lot guys for the help.

My temp gauge is showing normal always. How come this could a overhearing issue in that case? Do you mean that the gauge itself is not working?

In that case it should be one of the issues on the fuel line that i had mentioned. This is just a guess. Cannot comment unless we see first hand

Nevertheless check the coolant level as the water pump was replaced and there could be a small leak and the issue never happens when cold. Your temperature gauge is not that accurate. Last week when i had to go for my long trip i checked the water level it was empty in the overflow tank but full in the radiator due to a leak of the tank cap and i might have been driving that way for some days, temp gauge never showed any difference because 10 kms is not much

[akhilesh]

It may be that fuel pump motor warms up and has a hiccup of sorts or it could even be your ECU going in limp mode. Ask A$$ to check them both.

[ff1609]

Sometimes a bad clutch can also cause such intermittent 'powerlessness'

[neofromcapone]

@mohandas, I had the same problem in my santro, changed the fuel, filter, it was a mess. Still had the same problem, tried using system G fuel additive, a little better, and then back to worse. Car just stalls after 10 -15 mins.

Got the fuel pump changed, it was in a dirty mess. Now the car is smooth and no problem.
1st Car?

Just get the fuel pump replaced.


All the Best.

[mohandas]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I took my car to the Malik car service center (tata A$$) today. At first, the guy tried to be outsmart me - saying there is no problem. After insisting with my raised voice, they sent a driver to test drive the car.

Within a few km luckily, he felt the problem. Now, the A$$ is saying it is the lambda sensor issue ..and i need to change that. The cost is 3500 INR. When I asked them if they can show me the error using OBD, they told me that this issue can be observed on OBD.

Again, when I asked them if they can give me a guarantee that the sensor replacement will rectify my issue, he said that he is no sure.

This is the pathetic state of TATA service. They don't know their product.

Now, my question is - can you please confirm that this guy is correct or not? Does the cost make sense?

Please help.

[Mallya_2010]

I had a similar problem recently on my 2006 Indica Xeta GLS. The problem turned out to be in the "fuel injector". Cleaning it resolved the problem completely. On a side note , one cannot and must not expect guarantees in diagnosing problems. It may not be possible to know for sure what the problem is. However the mechanic/engineer must try to minimise the cost to the customer in the process of identifying the problem.

[Adi_k]

Is the problem resolved now?

I am facing the same problem these days, the only difference is I observe it on the day I visit a petrol bunk. Tried filling petrol at all reputed bunks in Pune, the same behavior continued. So this pretty much rules out the fuel quality issue.

Do you think I need to get the fuel tank cleaned?