Underpowered Swift ???

[abhaybakshi]

I got my swift on 21-Dec 2006. There are common swift problems like rattling front left door, backseat etc. which maruti service guys are trying hard to resolve..

Now there is some another heart breaking noise coming these days...

I will describe this sound as follow and hope that technical guys will comment it.

Guys, you must have noticed the sound in below scenario.

1. You are on a long drive and engine is quite hot.
2. You start to climb on a moderate slope and you are on top gear (5th)
3. Now you must switch to second gear in order to keep your engine in proper power band

4. Instead, if you switch it to 4th gear and try to push your car - there will be kind of "grrrrrr" sound from engine (more noticeable in old cars) which is shouting and saying that I need more torque....

Now this is the exact sound which comes from my swift even when crusing comfortably on 3/4 gear at a speed of 40+

Any answers for this ??
This surely makes me sad as it induces feeling of under powered car.....

I will try my best to explain this to service guys, and again taking my swift to them on coming weekend for proper checkup.

Waiting for your comments guys on this.

[GTO]

Its really not under-powered at all, but what you feel is due to:

1. Tall gearing.

2. Power delivery at higher rpms. Expected and an old trait of the Esteem engine.

Please do not labour your engine by choosing too high a gear on inclines.

[Jaggu]

if speed dip below a certain limit transmission will shudder, in swift say 50kph and below on 5th and the transmission will shudder thanks to tall gearing, which is normal

in ur case try being gentle and see, at 40 in a swift if u r trying to accelerate on a faster pace u will require 3rd

its a nice car and driven properly it delivers, trust me i took it through absolute hill climb scenario and was fun, yes its a rev happy engine, so shift gear nothing wrong with it

wild card guess, check brakes, if they are biting when heated up

[rohitbagai]

This can be a knocking sound. Please ask the service guys to check the timing and also look if engine overheats at times. If you use premium fuel try downgrade to regular fuel to see if the situation changes.

[theMAG]

in swift say 50kph and below on 5th and the transmission will shudder thanks to tall gearing, which is normal

Actually the Swift never shudders below 50 in 5th. I've driven mine at 30 in city traffic with a light foot and she doesnt complain a bit.

[abhaybakshi]

Originally Posted by GTO

Its really not under-powered at all, but what you feel is due to:

1. Tall gearing.

2. Power delivery at higher rpms. Expected and an old trait of the Esteem engine.

Please do not labour your engine by choosing too high a gear on inclines.

GTO,

I agree with you. But such sound should not come while you go at comfortable 40-50 Km/hr on 3rd gear ?

Should it ?

[theMAG]

Just realized there's another very similar thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...lem-swift.html (Problem with Swift)

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Actually the Swift never shudders below 50 in 5th. I've driven mine at 30 in city traffic with a light foot and she doesnt complain a bit.

agree but only with light foot try being lil careless (more gas/accelerator) and then see, this is not in anyway a bad thing reg the car, it is supposed to coz its geared tall

[pillainp]

My philosophy in re the Swift:

In the city: always try to stay in as high a gear as you can, bearing in mind the engine's characteristics.

On the highway: always try to stay in the gear you intend for a particular situation. If you must make a choice, always choose the lower of the tow available gear ratios.

Lots of fun. Kills the mileage a bit: but if you want true mileage, get a bicycle.

[princesri1981]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Actually the Swift never shudders below 50 in 5th. I've driven mine at 30 in city traffic with a light foot and she doesnt complain a bit.

Even though you have driven at 30 in 5th, does not seem to be good idea. I think thats a common habit that we have to get better mileage to stay in top gear as much as possible. In the long run the performance of the car suffers.

[princesri1981]

Originally Posted by pillainp

My philosophy in re the Swift:

In the city: always try to stay in as high a gear as you can, bearing in mind the engine's characteristics.

On the highway: always try to stay in the gear you intend for a particular situation. If you must make a choice, always choose the lower of the tow available gear ratios.

Lots of fun. Kills the mileage a bit: but if you want true mileage, get a bicycle.

That just what I wanted to say.

[Shan2nu]

Basic rule. You can't have a 1.3 ltr petrol engine power a 1ton+ car, with tall gearing and then expect it to perform at low rpms (under load).

The Swift may have 87bhp to offer but torque doesn't come that easy. Had the Swift been a 1.6, you'd never have faced this prob.

All you can do now, is change your driving style to match the gearing of your car. The moment you hear any unusual sounds, shift to a lower gear.

Shan2nu

[abhaybakshi]

Rohitbagai,

May be. I will get my swift checked for 'Engine knocking'. Guys, I am not labouring the engine by running in higher gear and low speed at all. What I am saying is it acts like that even on say 30kmph and at 2nd gear..which is perfectly within it's power band.

[Mpower]

could be bad fuel. Change to a different brand petrol like shell and try the same road.

[theEnd]

Originally Posted by pillainp

if you want true mileage, get a bicycle.

brilliant line!

One thing to consider is that its not just speed and gearing which has to be matched but also what sort of acceleration you demand from the car.

If you shift to 4th at about 35 the car wont shudder if you accelerate very slowly to 45. But if you demand instant acceleration the car will shudder.