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Old 21st July 2010, 21:09   #976
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(Sorry about the delay guys, I am very busy these days. Internet acting up at home too. And Jeep kept me busy today too.)

The highway was completely dark, my Jeep was practically invisible until the headlights of oncoming vehicles fell on it.

I hear couple of villagers walking by. I quickly asked them about the availability of mechanic. They tell me to check in the near by bar owner, who has the number of a local mechanic by name Rajesh. I could see some faint light 200ft away behind me. So I went there to inquire, at first the bar owner said no mechanic will come now, then he started reading out the number since I insisted upon talking to the mechanic.

Then he stopped in the middle saying the mechanic is here. I turned around and see a young fellow parking his bike. So I caught hold of him and told my problem.

He: Is there oil in the engine?
Me: I haven't checked yet, but the oil pressure is zero and oil lamp is on. So I stopped.
He: (checks oil with dipstick) Yes, the oil is very much there.
He: Do you have enough diesel?
Me: Yes, must be at least half tank.
He: (Starts checking the fuel line and finally ends up at the fuel injection pump.) Crank the engine.
Me: Ok, here I go.
He: Ah! the current comes to the pump, but the switch is not working. The fuel injection pump solenoid switch has gone bad.
Me: Can something be done?
He: Not without the part, can't get the part at this time. It is available only in Udupi. You will have to leave the vehicle here and we can look at it tomorrow, once we get the part from Udupi.

Now, I was not about to leave the newly rebuilt Jeep in the middle of nowhere on the highway. So I decide to get it towed till the office. Meanwhile I get a call from the Coorg Mechanic Xavier asking about my status. I tell him my sorry situation. Then I call my father-in-law asking him to arrange a tow vehicle and start waiting for it.

Then I get a call from Sibi who heard the story from Xevier, and Sibi has a solution. He asks me to remove the solenoid switch using a 27 number spanner and connect it directly. I didn't understand the exact procedure, but got the gist of it. After that the Jeep won't be able to shut off, I have to stall it in 4th gear when I am done driving. But I can get home without the business of towing. Cool!

By this time the mechanic had returned back to the bar. So I went looking for him again. Didn't find him, so this time I got his number fully from the bar owner. As I called him and introduced myself, he disconnects and says I am right here. Darn, he was just 10ft away in the darkness talking to somebody.

So I explain Sibi's plan to him. Fortunately he understands and says that the Jeep can't be shut off after that, you have to jerk it in top gear to stop it. That convinced me that he understood Sibi's solution. But he had no tools and not enough petrol in his bike to do the run around. He says he has enough petrol to go to Byloor tomorrow for some work, can't waste it today going to Hiriyadka towards his garage to pick up tools. It is already 9:30PM and the petrol bunks must be closed in Hiriyadka. My tools were in Manipal, so that was no help.

I finally prevail upon him that I can't afford to leave my vehicle in the road and practically give him a Carte Blanche regarding the charges. Finally he called the petrol bunk in Hiriyadka to see whether they were open, and they were open until 10PM. Then he sent his teenage assistant on bike to get a few tools and fill some petrol in the bike.

The assistant got back by 10PM with the tools. But there was hardly much space to put the 27 number spanner next to the fuel injection pump. The mechanic tried some strange techniques to turn the spanner and it didn't budge. Then he decided to remove the whole fuel pump out, for which he needed Allen keys. Again he sent his assistant to bring some more tools, while we sat inside the Jeep to escape the increasing rain. The only consolation is my Jeep has work-light under the hood, which kept the working area illuminated. None of us had a torch.

Meanwhile I was getting calls from my wife, parents, in-laws, to check on my status. They all knew I was stuck somewhere in the darkness, but they knew I'll manage something, so everybody was calm.

The assistant was back again by 10:45PM, and we continued working. But one screw refused to come out. The #4 Allen key was too loose and #5 Allen key was not getting in. Is there a #4.5 Allen key, I don't know. Finally by 11:15PM, the rain became too hard and we got back on the Jeep. Mechanic says there is no other way, we have to wait until tomorrow. I very reluctantly agree, and I drop the towing option since it can be very treacherous operation to try in this kind of weather.

But I didn't want to leave it on the street. So I asked the mechanic to hop on the driver seat and steer it while I push it all the way back to the bar. There was a spot in front of the bar which is a little hidden from the main road. I wanted to leave the Jeep there, next to a building, so that it doesn't look abandoned and unprotected. Then I pushed the Jeep single-handedly all the way (200ft), the turn towards the bar was a little uphill, so I had to stop and take a breath before the final push into the parking spot.

Then the mechanic left without asking for any money. I told him I'll visit him next morning, we had each other's number anyway. I called my father-in-law to pick me up, and I also asked him to get couple of locks. Once he came, I took the locks, and locked the spare wheel, gearshift and the hood. Somebody was asking why I need so many locking systems, now you know the reason. I finally reached home at 12AM.

Next day morning I called the Mahindra Workshop in Udupi and told my problem. My regular SA had only one question:

He: You are sure that is the problem? You just need FIP solenoid switch?
Me: Yes.
He: Is that Bosch or TVS fuel pump?
Me: Oops! I don't know...
He: Never mind, I'll send both with the mechanic. Where exactly is the Jeep?
Me: He can't open the hood without me, send him to my office, I'll take him in the taxi.
He: Ok, he will be there in an hour.

The Mahindra mechanic who usually works my Jeep showed up at 10AM and then we took off. I took my toolbox too since I thought we might need the allen keys.

The Jeep was still there, untouched, unmolested. The mechanic looked the FIP and decided there is no reason to remove it. So allen keys are not needed. He disconnected the injector pipes from the cylinder head, he removed the oil filter too. That made enough space to put the 27 number spanner. It was very tight, but with the extra space to work, he managed to remove it. He quickly replaced it with the Bosch solenoid switch and tightened it. He also tightened all the screws that were loosened in the process of removing the FIP last night.

Then he pumped the fuel filter, asked me to crank the engine to see fuel coming to the injector pipes. Then he tightened everything and the Jeep started like nothing had gone wrong.

As we drove back, I stopped at Hiriyadka to pay the mechanic from yesterday. He was away in Byloor, so I had to call him. When I asked his fee, he asked me to pay 200 bucks, which I happily paid his assistant. By then some other mechanics and some locals were circling the Jeep with interest. The CFL as usual drew their interest, not to forget hood lock, the high stance, etc. After I answered all the questions, one guy says "There is a lot to learn from this Jeep..."

With that happy note, we left back from Manipal. On the way, the Mahindra mechanic says this doesn't feel like a Jeep. No rattling, the suspension is like a car, I can barely feel all the potholes. I asked is it like riding a Scorpio and he says YES.

Thus, the Jeep finally came back home after nearly 5 months of rehab.

Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family-jeep-006.jpg

Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family-jeep-008.jpg

Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family-jeep-009.jpg

Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family-jeep-011.jpg

For those of you need a closer look at the paint job. This one is in really high resolution.

Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family-jeep-010.jpg
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Old 21st July 2010, 22:04   #977
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Sharath,

Your story telling skills are getting better with every story. I read the first part and was curious to know about the ending... you stopped at the right time to keep the reader guessing....

Your jeep looks great.

All the best.
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Old 21st July 2010, 22:10   #978
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Dear Sharath - your Jeep looks really good. As far as solenoid switch is concerned, after you remove the 27 mm spanner switch body (for which you would ideally use a 27 mm size deep box spanner), there is a plunger inside. If you remove the plunger and keep it and put the 27 mm cover only, the solenoid does not perform its intended function of stopping the fuel flow so you can merrily drive the vehicle even with a dead battery or in the worst case even without a battery. I recall that in the rotary FIP, there used to be a mechanical stop lever, which could be operated by a cable similar to the MDI engine. Just check if the lever is there. If yes, please attach a cable and use it to stop the engine and just knock the solenoid plunger off. Its reliability has always been suspect and reliability is something that we offroaders cannot compromise on.

What a coincidence - the solenoid of the very first XDP4.90 engine which I installed in a CJ vehicle in 1982 also gave me trouble. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.

The fuel lines are hanging below the chassis in front of the fuel tank. On the LH fender, there are welded clips provided to route the lines properly. Please get them corrected.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Last edited by DHABHAR.BEHRAM : 21st July 2010 at 22:12. Reason: add info
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Old 21st July 2010, 22:58   #979
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Samurai should be 'knighted' for all the sweat, rainy soggy pain & relentless efforts on this Jeep build off.

Now it has paid up, sweetly. Hats off to you.

Appreciate the nutty suspense in the Post, and i literally followed the mentioned places (in DK) road wise.

PS: It is really important to have a build off narratives like yours for wannabe jeepers (me included).
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Old 21st July 2010, 23:09   #980
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tifosikrishna
Your story telling skills are getting better with every story. I read the first part and was curious to know about the ending... you stopped at the right time to keep the reader guessing....

Your jeep looks great.
Thanks Krishna. The suspense part was not intentional. Look at the time of posting, it was very late and I was too sleepy to continue.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM View Post
As far as solenoid switch is concerned, after you remove the 27 mm spanner switch body (for which you would ideally use a 27 mm size deep box spanner), there is a plunger inside. If you remove the plunger and keep it and put the 27 mm cover only, the solenoid does not perform its intended function of stopping the fuel flow so you can merrily drive the vehicle even with a dead battery or in the worst case even without a battery.
That is very good to know.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM View Post
I recall that in the rotary FIP, there used to be a mechanical stop lever, which could be operated by a cable similar to the MDI engine. Just check if the lever is there. If yes, please attach a cable and use it to stop the engine and just knock the solenoid plunger off. Its reliability has always been suspect and reliability is something that we offroaders cannot compromise on.
Sibi mentioned this lever, but I didn't bother looking for it in the night.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM View Post
The fuel lines are hanging below the chassis in front of the fuel tank. On the LH fender, there are welded clips provided to route the lines properly. Please get them corrected.
I too noticed that, will fix tomorrow.

Today I visited Mahindra workshop to pay for yesterday's brake down service. I also got the thermostat installed, and picked up a spare upper water hose and lower water hose. Now finding parts for a CJ in Mahindra part shop is not easy. Nobody is familiar with the parts. The hoses they gave first were wrong. By now I know the hoses by shape, so I was able to describe the exact shape by drawing in air, and got them.

The thermostat too was wrong, it was flatter and bigger. We finally found a thermostat with the right size, but I didn't check the temperature.

While driving back, the temperature stayed at 70C instead of 80C, so I am wondering whether I goofed on the temperature thing.

As we climbed the long incline to my office and stopped, smoke started coming out of the hood. I opened the hood, only to find the lower hose burst open. Good thing I had the spare hose I had just bought. So called for a local mechanic to come and fix it.

Now I started wondering, what if this had happened on my trip from Coorg? And why did it happen now?

Did the hose burst because of the extra pressure applied by the thermostat? Before the required temp is reached, the thermostat remains closed and water pump is fighting against it. The lower water hose probably couldn't handle it.

Does that mean having a thermostat increases the chances of water hose burst? This is the third time in last 6-7 months, every time it is the lower hose, which is tougher to fix, gets burst.

BTW, what is the direction of water flow from the radiator, does it flow out from the top or the bottom?

The mystery of ammeter is finally solved. It stays at 50AMPs acting as if it is charging the battery like there is no tomorrow. Couple of taps on the meter, it comes back to zero. It is the case of the stuck meter, it goes up, but doesn't come down unless it is slapped.

When a young mechanic came in the evening to fix the lower water hose, I decided to supervise the operation. Due to multiple water hose bursts, I have some idea about how it should be done. The stock size lower water hose, if fixed as is, will press hard against the engine block and eventually burst. It should be cut by 2.75 inches on the lower side before connected. That will ensure that the hose won't touch the engine block. But I got wary and cut only about 2.5 inches, so it has only 1mm clearance now. So I added one more layer of rubber around it to be safe.

Last edited by Samurai : 21st July 2010 at 23:29.
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Old 22nd July 2010, 08:02   #981
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
BTW, what is the direction of water flow from the radiator, does it flow out from the top or the bottom?
water flows from top to bottom.
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Old 22nd July 2010, 08:24   #982
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Sharath,
A very neat restoration job on your 340, body lines and paint job very good. Can the soft top be tightened and stretched further to get rid of the sag?
Surely must be a very capable off roader. Can you post pics of jeep in profile (side view)?
Congratulations it lacks nothing!
Regards,

Last edited by fazalaliadil : 22nd July 2010 at 08:25.
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Old 22nd July 2010, 08:37   #983
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Dear Sharath - I remember that this is the second time the lower hose has burst near your office only. The thermostat remains closed when the engine is cold. That does not mean that there is no water circulation. The water pump is a positive displacement unit and there has to be some mass flow otherwise it will not work. Therefore, there is a bypass provided between the suction and delivery sides of the water pump. In the XDP4.90 engine, this bypass passage is built into the aluminium die casting of the water pump itself. You cannot see it from outside. The water flows through this bypass circuit till the thermostat opens. Then the water flows through the radiator as well as through the bypass circuit because there is no valve in the bypass which closes or anything like that. Now you will need to check if your water pump is "original". If it is some aftermarket item, remove it and throw it out because we shall never know if the casting incorporates the bypass circuit or not. If it is original, do not touch it. Then there can be only two other reasons for hose burst, poor quality of the hoses themselves or rubbing against another part. The remedy is very simple. Buy pieces of original hoses of any car having the same diameter (in this case, bottom hose is 1.5 inches if I am not mistaken), then buy an exhaust pipe of the same OD as the ID of the hose, cut it with a hacksaw and insert the metal tube between the pieces of hose to form the shape that you want. All our first prototypes are made this way only and we run them @ 1000 kms per day. You will have to use four hose clips instead of two. If done properly, there will be no problem at all. You can use it permanently. The main capability required to do something like this is creativity. The technician must want to do something like this. Sadly, this quality is in extremely short supply these days. You have to finally do it yourself sometimes.

Water flows from top to bottom in the radiator and rises from bottom to top in the engine.

And by the way, please keep a good torch in the glove box permanently. You never know when you will need it.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Last edited by DHABHAR.BEHRAM : 22nd July 2010 at 08:40. Reason: add info
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Old 22nd July 2010, 08:57   #984
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai View Post
Now finding parts for a CJ in Mahindra part shop is not easy. Nobody is familiar with the parts. The hoses they gave first were wrong. By now I know the hoses by shape, so I was able to describe the exact shape by drawing in air, and got them.
This goes on to show how a Jeep brings out the Engineer within you, isn't it?

Jokes apart, Sam your Jeep looks awesome

Spike
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Old 22nd July 2010, 09:13   #985
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sharath your jeep looks fab now. The last time when you offered a drive in it this is how it looked

Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family-dsc_0516-large.jpg

The transition has been a wonderful one, time to catch up on the next OTR and see this one in action.
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Old 22nd July 2010, 09:16   #986
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Samurai, looks good. It would look even better with the stock mesh on the grill.
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Old 22nd July 2010, 09:21   #987
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM View Post
Dear Sharath - The main capability required to do something like this is creativity. The technician must want to do something like this. Sadly, this quality is in extremely short supply these days. You have to finally do it yourself sometimes.


And by the way, please keep a good torch in the glove box permanently. You never know when you will need it.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar
Hello , Sharathji, Behramjee is 200%+ correct
Once I heard about owning a Land Rover , that one has to be half a mechanic to own one.
This is also true with Jeeps specially restored ones.Because while restoration, so many parts from common market are used ,which are not exactly of the same quality as in New vehicles.
Now you will encounter so many small problames but those will get sorted out & the Jeep will Settle after a while .
Mean while you will be getting Trained & getting your knowledge Enriched. You will find more Enlightened.
Day by day you will be having more & more Revealations.
You will be found more in the workshop then in Office
You will forget to wear Tie & people will find your sleeves rolled up.
Wife will start complaining about Oil stains on your shirts.
All other Unnecessary things in life are going to fall away as you are proceeding to the great Auto Nirvana.
This is just the begining, Find places in your house to store spares (on the lofts first then near shooe rack , next is bellow the bed but avoid cooking area. Balconies are best for this purpose )
Also find good army disposal boxes to keep in Jeep for all those spares & tools.
There is much more you are going to do ( call me if you need my advice on this ,as I am expertly managing this for years )
Best of luck
Yours Sudarshan
P.S. Ignore your kids If they call you a Scrap dealer
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Old 22nd July 2010, 09:35   #988
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Originally Posted by rjstyles69 View Post
sharath your jeep looks fab now. The last time when you offered a drive in it this is how it looked
Ah, this shot is so old, the Jeep was untouched by me. This was before any mods.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sudarshan View Post
Now you will encounter so many small problames but those will get sorted out & the Jeep will Settle after a while.
Mean while you will be getting Trained & getting your knowledge Enriched. You will find more Enlightened.
Thanks Sudarshan, but I didn't buy it right now. If you see the first post of this thread, that will give you the timeline. I call this Jeep my automobile university for the learning it provides me. And fortunately I can dump all the spare parts in the office.

Last edited by Samurai : 22nd July 2010 at 09:37.
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Old 22nd July 2010, 09:44   #989
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Jeep looks great !! Its wonderful you took the trouble to address all the little issues you desired in the car. Everytime I see someone do up a car like this I feel it reflects their persona. The choice of colour, upholstery, the little things people do differently, it all reflects a person's outlook.

Congrats and hope we get to see your beauty in the next major OTR we attend. Best wishes
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Old 22nd July 2010, 11:08   #990
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Superb Samurai she has come out really well. Love the overall look. For the alloys did you put any preparatory coat on the chromed part? If not be careful while pressure washing.

Second thing, i would strongly suggest you to give a good anti-rust coat, similar to what we do in new cars, ideally from reputed company like Wurth or 3M on the inside as well as the outside of the tub. Ie if its not done, reason being your Udupi climate.
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