[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I wondered whether he shouldn't change oil as suggested by Behram. He said he thoroughly cleans the engine after the lathe work to the extent that no metal filings or dirt is left back. They do that to avoid wasting 5 liters of engine oil. So, no oil change either. I can't exactly argue with a guy who rebuilds 2 engine a month.

Please stick to BD's recommendation (I don't know what he recommended, but whatever). In addition to the role of a lubricant, the engine oil acts as a cleansing agent too. Washing after a lathe job is a preliminary way of getting engine cleaned. Some even blow compressed air in order to get this done.

Spike

[beejay]

+1 to what Spike said.

My mechanic too recommended I change the oil after 500 kms and he showed me the oil after change. There were not much of fillings as he said the engine is fully cleaned after lathe work. Nevertheless, he said its best to change.

[Samurai]

I reached Bangalore without any hitch. Even without the thermostat, the temp regularly hit 80C, but never beyond 80C even in the steepest part of Agumbe ghat.

[Sudarshan]

Hello I want to share few pics of a Vandal proof winch lock .

This lock gives protection to the clutch - free/engage lever ( which is otherwise exposed for anyone ) . as well as to the free end of the rope .

a simple padlock of your choice can be used





Sudarshan

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

This lock gives protection to the clutch - free/engage lever ( which is otherwise exposed for anyone ) . as well as to the free end of the rope .

Sudarshan, it is not entirely clear. Can you show how it looks when disengaged? A video of the locking operation would be great.

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Sudarshan, it is not entirely clear. Can you show how it looks when disengaged? A video of the locking operation would be great.

Well I try my bit to explain by pics .Please bear with me ,as I have no video facility with me .
Hope it will serve the purpose .













This is some more I did





Sudarshan

[svsantosh]

^^ One word

NEAT

Superb innovation, I am sure necessity was the mother of all inventions?

[Samurai]

Just completed the return journey to Manipal, that is another 413Kms and completion of the running-in of the engine. I started the drive at 7AM, reached at 5:20PM. Allowing 1 hour for various breaks, total drive time was 9 1/3 hours. Not bad for a drive that was limited to a top speed of 65kmph and involved lots of destroyed ghat sections.

Two back-to-back 413kms drives with no problems what so ever. The Jeep didn't move from the parking lot during the 16 days in Bangalore. Is it too much to hope that I finally have a reliable Jeep?

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Sharath - The answer to your question above is - "HOPEFULLY YES". However, as you mentioned poor reliability of coolant hoses, I suggest you buy a couple of "original" hoses of Scorpio from Richie (they are made of EPDM material and are very reliable), then buy a small length of 1.5 inch diameter MS pipe (any old exhaust pipe will do), cut small sections out of it and fabricate your own hoses. For clips, you can purchase original JIS specification wire clips which are sold all over the country at Maruti original parts outlets (under the brand name MGP). I have used these clips on my fiats. Each clip costs only 7 rupees and these are extremely reliable. You can also include your degassing tank inlet in one of these pipes if you opt for going in for it as a permanent solution.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[Samurai]

Ok Behram, will do that soon. Degassing tank... may be not. Don't you want me to switch to Thar?

Hope Thar has better water hoses.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Sharath - of course you must buy the Thar, but I would not want you to part ways with your CJ340, ever. Therefore, I gave my recommemdations for hoses to ensure 100% reliability in the field. As far as degassing tank is concerned, it is a much better system for your CJ340 because it will help the cooling system. XDP4.90 is a wet liner engine which is very sensitive to cooling system performance. You can use the degassing tank of Indica diesel car, freely available in the open market now. Of course, it goes without saying that plumbing of inlet, gas outlet, cap positioning etc must be spot on. You may use Indica parts here also.

Of course, Thar has coolant hoses derived out of Scoroio, actually same as Bolero VLX.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

PS - by the way, what to do, I am a vehicle development / R&D vehicle test engineer. For me, making a prototype, testing and validating it comes naturally. .

[Samurai]

Unfortunately, I don't plan to keep more than one Jeep with me. I already have 3 vehicles, Santro AT for my wife, Grand Vitara for myself, and a Jeep for pure fun. If I buy another vehicle for pure fun, it will replace CJ340. I am no collector, don't want to become one either. And Thar can't replace either Grand Vitara or Santro AT. So that is the reality for me.

I bought the CJ340 for rougly 2L and have spent to close to 4L making it as reliable as possible. Still it can't become the family offroader I want it to be. Therefore, eventually when Thar with HT and AC is available, it will be time to let go of CJ340.

[IronWolf]

That would be sad. This CJ340 is a star of sorts on Team-Bhp. Its grown and matured a lot.

Also let the Thar come first.

[Samurai]

Thanks IronWolf. Google for CJ340 and see link comes first.

BTW, considering Thar delay, CJ340 will be with me for a while.

[Samurai]

I had given the Jeep for the post run-in work just before leaving for Bangalore.

1) Re-torque the head bolts.
2) Adjust tappet settings.
3) Adjust valve clearance.
4) Oil change.
5) General checkup.
6) Replace the old hood latches that were rusted. (this were only painted not replaced during the build)

The Jeep will be dropped back in my office today. Can't wait to check it out during Christmas weekend.