[sreejeshmp]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

I realized I made a mistake!!

When I took delivery of the AG the tank was fully dry, I had to pump the filter once to reach the fuel station and filled only for 500Rs!!

And when I reached the pump to fill up thats when I recollected the ^ Part and already I had crossed 150Kms (on 9.5~Ltr) which makes it a impressive 15+KMPL!!

Its possible Santhosh A decently rebuild engine with fine tuned FP can give Good millage & Power, My old 550 gives 14km/L after the engine rebuild and the new Owner confirmed it after his first long trip itself .



- Sreejesh

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Are you sure you got the numbers right ? I doubt if that mileage is possible with the IDI 2.5L....15 kmpl would put it in the league of the DI engines.

The best mileage possible, that I heard of, with the 2.5L is ~ 10 kmpl.

Originally Posted by sreejeshmp

Its possible Santhosh A decently rebuild engine with fine tuned FP can give Good millage & Power, My old 550 gives 14km/L after the engine rebuild

Even I can vouch for that kind of FE Figures. When Diesel was around ~46/liter, I would need ~800 bucks worth of fuel from S.Bathery to Bangalore. When driven hard, ie, 90+, it would go up to 1200 Rs.

ie, ~14kmpl with KMT 90 GB, and 28psi air pressure in 265/70-16 tyres.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Are you sure you got the numbers right ? I doubt if that mileage is possible with the IDI 2.5L....15 kmpl would put it in the league of the DI engines.

The best mileage possible, that I heard of, with the 2.5L is ~ 10 kmpl.

10 is too low for even for a old bolero GLX/sportz with the XD3P engines, those were known for their 13-15Kmpl #s and hence sold a lot and then moved on to DiT and NGT series GBs.

My AG is still under breakin period and I am maintaining a super light foot! Will keep updating after 1st service...

[svsantosh]

Completed 2000 Kms after the rebuild. Did the 1st oil change at 1000, post that have been getting around 12-14Kmpl (mix of rural roads and highways).

Couple of pics

1) Got a whip/flagmast for 450Rs (planning for a bright red flag for better visibility on roads during rains)

2) Carpeting (plastic sheet) DIY, all inclusive 660~Rs. (JC Road charges 2200 for same) (not for OTR level slush, this is for easy of cleaning dirt off dirty shoes in rains)

3) A DIY fender extension made from 4MM thick rubber sheet. Total cost of these 2 fenders 220Rs. (with the 53" front track, many of the friends have tasted mud and dirt when rushing thru a puddle, I know when to keep mouth shut)









Add 1200Rs for all 4 wheels/hubs greasing (last 10,000Km served the bearings well)

Big ticket Item - The TMC (Tandem Master Cylinder) gave way and complete loss of brake pedal pressure. Thanks to a visible groove/step inside it had to replace it for a whopping 3,000Rs!!

(had to nurse the AG to the garage by pumping the brakes well in advance before a planned stop, was unnerving!!)

Oh and 1 major learning of the day - to bleed-the-brakes of any vehicle with booster brakes, do it with engine running, not in switched off position. In a case where brake system has air bubbles, even a booster equipped car would make the owner believe one has pumped enough to build up the pressure and the mech would loosen the brake oil drain nipple, but reality is only the booster assist 'pump' action ensure all air bubbles come out. I wasted 250ML of brake oil trying it the hard way.

[svsantosh]

1) While trying to fit a recently purchased 'rear view parking camera', electrician blew the camera due to some 'unknown' issue! ---contd..

..... Last weekend, after around half KM from home (engine just started after overnight parking), the temp gauge went up and up and up as I picked up speed thru the gears and commonsense would say a cold (real cold) engine cant become so hot within 300-400 meters of starting (of course nothing was sounding wrong, no abnormal clatter, pickup issues, nothing).

Checked the coolant level and all was fine and I then realized what may have happened!!

When the engine work was done the 'earth' wiring was disconnected and reconnected to the chassis. When we checked now, It looked a little loose and mangled!! Still was working, but was a fault!

Electrician showed me one more phenomenon - the temp gauge went up at a rapid pace when revved hard and was actually increasing with the voltmeter!!

So for now gave a new earthing point from battery -VE terminal to tub/body. This helped the Temp gauge issue and its no longer fluctuating along with increase in throttle/alternator.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) In prev ^^ Post I had posted a pic of a 450Rs flagpost. Today morning I got a piece of leftover Red cloth from a local fabric/textile shop and made a 7*7*7 inch triangle flag. Costed about 15Rs per flag.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Couple of updates


2) Sudarshan - the cam shaft had 1 burr mark on one of the pushrod points (elliptical part, what do you call it?) - confirmed with mech that even the OHC will be polished.

That part is called the "Lobe".

[jyobeb]

Another very important part is to ensure that the engine is also earthed to the chassis with a nice thick/ braided wire.

[svsantosh]

Its been around 3+ months since i put out the word for sale of my AG.

Personal reasons and time constraints for were factors.

Unlike the CJ340 which vanished before I could even offer it to public, the LWB didn't find many buyers. I dont think the expected price of 3+Lacs put off people, everyone wanted a beaten up project vehicle and NoT a ready offroader. Main reasons being the rebuilt Peejo engine and LWB capability question mark?

I had to sell the winch, CB, diff guards, recov kit, snorkel, walkietakie separately for about 40K.

Audio parts for 5k.

Yesterday the AG got sold for 2.25Lacs. Coincided with the purchase price!

So a combined 2.7L vs (3L exp) isnt too bad for a sale that was rather difficult.

There were offers from Rajasthan, Goa - both wanted NoC and money no issue, but i had no clue of a NoC! Many wanted at ridiculous prices, few asked without engine, that's when the idea of breaking up the sale came into picture.

Finally, someone saw the internet adv (tbhp clasfd ++++) and after a thorough TD, phone calls and few days - i personally delivered the AG last night, 2kms from my Home, inside Hosur town. Hopefully she will end up in a wayanad estate duty soon.

NGCS was truly a game changer for Mahindra...

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

everyone wanted a beaten up project vehicle and NoT a ready offroader. Main reasons being the rebuilt Peejo engine and LWB capability question mark?

NGCS was truly a game changer for Mahindra...

Many thanks for letting us ride along as your project developed. I ended up with plenty of useful info re: the refurbishing of our NGCS Marshal 4x4, and I'm sure others have been similarly enriched / enlightened along the way. Suspension, steering, charging and auxiliary systems, interior enhancements and A/C upgrading - must've been a huge learning experience.

We're up over 2lacs total invested with the Marshal, and still have the denting/painting/stitching and a little re-wiring to do... So I'd say that at 2.25 someone got a pretty fair deal.

Followed your engine rebuild with interest. I'd sometimes wondered in retrospect whether I'd have done better going for an early NGCS Armada 4x4 that had been available here, and rebuilding / fitting a junkyard XD3P. In retrospect, glad I went for the DI Marshal, even though it's noisier. Did my own rebuilding and I guess the total was under 20k with similar spare parts inputs (new pistons/liners, etc). With the DI's legendary reliability / longevity, I think that'll be good for as long as we own the car.

One note: I'm wondering whether the 14kpl figure was taking into account the speedo error you'd earlier noted. You'd mentioned that the change in circumference with the 31" tires got the speedo spot-on, where it had over-read earlier. By the time your engine was rebuilt, you were back down to 29/30" (235/70), which means the speedo & presumably odo would've read high again... inflating distances and in turn, kpl figures - unless you were correcting for that.

One enquiry: how were your recambered springs holding up by the end? The vehicle looked really high up when you first had them installed - was that maintained or did they start to settle down again in time? My rear springs seemed to settle at least an inch in the six months after they were recambered - now trying to decide what to do with the fronts, as I have a broken main and figured I'd have the whole set gone through.

Thanks again, Eric

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Yesterday the AG got sold for 2.25Lacs. Coincided with the purchase price!

Santosh Ji,
This thread has worked ready reference for many Armada/Bolero 4x4 owners including me. You are one such selfless Jeep enthusiast (there are only handful who munificently help others without expecting tangible benefit from them) who has documented their experience online in such a way that it is going to be relevant for years to come.
I hope you buy another 4x4 before long, i know how difficult it is to be without a 4x4.

Shubhendra Singh

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Many thanks for letting us ride along as your project developed. I ended up with plenty of useful info re: the refurbishing of our NGCS Marshal 4x4, and I'm sure others have been similarly enriched / enlightened along the way. Suspension, steering, charging and auxiliary systems, interior enhancements and A/C upgrading - must've been a huge learning experience.............., Eric

Hi Eric,

Equally followed/following your Marshal Thread with same eagerness. In hindsight I should have picked up a Marshal over a XD3P Armada. The 5+1 GB was a smooth upgrade over the 4+1 KMT, but the engine was underpowered for both highway and offroad.

The Springs are nearly the same since the re-camber, again, i should have let them a little flatter and reduced the bounciness. It was/is still bouncy due to the camber and nearly no-load in the vehicle.

Regarding the Fuel efficiency, as recent as last week of april-14, my family and a boot full of luggage went to a nearby hill station (Yercaud), a total of about 450-500km trip. It easily gave 15Kmpl on highways and this is from the fuel gauge and not the Odo meter.

And about the engine rebuild, Yes I could have gone with a half rebuild and lived with it, would have made no difference. As I found out a few months ago on a friends XD3P rebuild I oversaw at my mechanics place. Bill was under 20K and it runs super for now!!

Only issue that made my heart sink and I was not ready to spend my resources (time over money) was the rust!! Water channel was corroded very badly (a total of 12 inches in different places were like roast potato chips) and I knew it was a long drawn out battle for a daily car. I had to take off the roof inner lining and may be the AC roof blower, domino effect and I simple was not upto it.

I still have a responsibility to the new owner and the AG, I need to find a manual shift Tcase for the BA10 GB and help him in the swap. God willing!!

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

Santosh Ji,
This thread has worked ready reference for many Armada/Bolero 4x4 owners including me. You are one such selfless Jeep enthusiast (there are only handful who munificently help others without expecting tangible benefit from them) who has documented their experience online in such a way that it is going to be relevant for years to come.
I hope you buy another 4x4 before long, i know how difficult it is to be without a 4x4.

Shubhendra Singh

Shubendra, Actually to be brutally honest, it is easy and jolly-good to be without a 4x4. (READ - Jeep). No weekend at mechanic, no whatsapp groups for spares and planning for OTRs, no fear of forest rangers and cops who you bribed in the past and noted down your address/mobile#s, no wallet full of business cards of 12 spares shops in JC road 1st lane, 3-4 cards of shivaji nagar gujri sellers, no 70-90 phone contacts of 'close' jeep friends nearly all of whom you have never seen the face or jeep!!... many more un-difficult things to be a normal car driver, just a visit or 2 max every year to the x.A.SS and weekly 1 visit to the fuel station - but thats not a Jeeper yearns for in a jeep, its the 1st ^^ few lines of this para he looks forward to :( ........ I will eventually make my life difficult again, just need to face some difficulties and complete a project for immediate family.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Only issue that made my heart sink and I was not ready to spend my resources (time over money) was the rust!!

Having grown up in a "rust belt" state (due to winter salting of snowy/icy roads, vs. coastal air), I feel your pain. As they say, "rust never sleeps". Fortunately, nobody in H.P. gov't has come up with the highly suspect North American practice of spreading environmentally degrading chemicals on roads with a view to sparing careless / inept drivers. So our Marshal's pretty tight that way.

-Eric

[Cj3bDog]

Santosh, Eric - how difficult it would have been for a engine conversion from xdp to di in the armada or armada grand. What would have been the major technical challenges besides the paper work. Is it a direct fit with the existing transfer case and gearbox or will it had to be changed.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Cj3bDog

Santosh, Eric - how difficult it would have been for a engine conversion from xdp to di in the armada or armada grand. What would have been the major technical challenges besides the paper work. Is it a direct fit with the existing transfer case and gearbox or will it had to be changed.

1. You will have to make an adapter plate to match the bellhousing to the BA10 gearbox.
2. You will have to fabricate engine mounts. I have a feeling the Bolero Di engine mounts might be suitable.
3. Rewire the engine.

[Cj3bDog]

Thanks for the information Dhanush. Now a very open ended question -

Is it worth the effort if what you want is a reliable vehicle under 3 Lacs which can be used for long distance travelling to remote areas with 80% on road and 20% off road situation.