[DesertKing]

Originally Posted by Parm

DK im glad you thought of keeping the jeep rather than sell it off!

well its your baby, made by your own hands.....so keep it what ever comes!

cheers:

Hi Parth, I am dreaming to participate in rallies like Desert Storm or Raid De Himalaya and MM540/550 is not meant for rallies (but offcourse they are very off road machine) . I am planning to buy a Gypsy King and since I can NOT efford two vehicles at a time, my add in classification is still there Team-BHP Classifieds - MM540/550 with XD3B engine and good off road capabilities.. - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds.

I wish I could efford two vehicles as MM540/550 is a excellent off road vehicle and I do not want it to get out from my hands. So contraversy.. and confuse.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by DesertKing

Hi Parth, I am dreaming to participate in rallies like Desert Storm or Raid De Himalaya and MM540/550 is not meant for rallies (but offcourse they are very off road machine) . I am planning to buy a Gypsy King and since I can NOT efford two vehicles at a time, my add in classification is still there Team-BHP Classifieds - MM540/550 with XD3B engine and good off road capabilities.. - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds.

I wish I could efford two vehicles as MM540/550 is a excellent off road vehicle and I do not want it to get out from my hands. So contraversy.. and confuse.

participating in a rally is a very expensive affair. please dont think that you can participate in a rally and its easy and cheap and cheerful...it is not!

you cannot rally in a 2nd hand gypsy and you certainly need to do modifications to your vehicle to start and end the rally. you need to find a good navigator who can also act as a backup driver. spares needed to be carried in your vehicle as you cant afford to have a back up team. you wont get a sponsor, so you have to foot the bill from your own pocket.

plus...a single rally takes a very heavy toll on your vehicle!

why dont you get in touch with northern motorsports in delhi to find out how much it will cost to participate in raid de himalays (forget desert storm if you want to enjoy real rally).

cheers:

[Parm]

better than a rally why dont you participate in OTRs in delhi and other places in north india?

or try the Mahindra Escape before you sell you jeep and get a gypsy for rally!

cheers:

[headers]

Originally Posted by Parm

you cannot rally in a 2nd hand gypsy and you certainly need to do modifications to your vehicle to start and end the rally.

sir, you can buy a used vehicle if you know what you want for the rally!

Originally Posted by Parm

better than a rally why dont you participate in OTRs in delhi and other places in north india?

or try the Mahindra Escape before you sell you jeep and get a gypsy for rally!

Sir, have you done any rally?

[DesertKing]

Originally Posted by Parm

better than a rally why dont you participate in OTRs in delhi and other places in north india?

or try the Mahindra Escape before you sell you jeep and get a gypsy for rally!

cheers:

I am very confuse. Sometime I feel that MM540 is good and other time that Gypsy (as I drive quite very fast on off road tarrian/kachcha paths). I never meant to be fed up of MM540/550, it is infect a great machine.

This seems to be good idea. I am also trying to form a group of off road drive lovers in Rajasthan.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by headers

sir, you can buy a used vehicle if you know what you want for the rally!


Sir, have you done any rally?

no sir, i have not done any kind of rally at all.

ofcourse you can and you should buy a trusted 2nd hand used vehicle and take it to a good reputed rally preparation workshop to spend quite a good some of money on it and not cut costs on it, cause you will be driving in it in a rally!

cheers:

[DesertKing]

1. The thermostat switch has been installed a couple of days back. The switch is opening up at 80 degree, I wonder as I have noticed some more power in the motor and it seems to be more smoother now (it may be a psychological effect also).

2. The rear complete differential set (including the axcels) from MM550XD have been baught and we are going to fit this LSD at rear within this week. I am excited to try the machine with rear LSD in desert in new year.

3. Can anybody please if the same can be fitted in the front also. Note that my machine already has got the free hubs lock in front.

Wish you all a very happy new year..

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by DesertKing

1. The thermostat switch has been installed a couple of days back. The switch is opening up at 80 degree, I wonder as I have noticed some more power in the motor and it seems to be more smoother now (it may be a psychological effect also).

2. The rear complete differential set (including the axcels) from MM550XD have been baught and we are going to fit this LSD at rear within this week. I am excited to try the machine with rear LSD in desert in new year.

3. Can anybody please if the same can be fitted in the front also. Note that my machine already has got the free hubs lock in front.

Wish you all a very happy new year..

1.Does the thermostat really have something to do with the power of the vehicle. I think that it will help keeping the engine at the optimum temp, but does it have any considerable change in the power?

2. The rear diff set of the Army 550 already come with LSD's The why do you need to buy them separately? Also how much did you pay for the rear diff set and the LSD's, individually?

3. I am fitting the LSD's in the front. Infact my cousin picked up the LSD (he was referring it to as a complete guccha) from Mayapuri yesterday. I dont know the price as yet. But will be going to the workshop on the weekend and try to find more details for you

[Salikt]

Originally Posted by DesertKing

1. The thermostat switch has been installed a couple of days back. The switch is opening up at 80 degree,

Is it for the A/C or for ???

[headers]

Thermostat is generally for the waterpump primarily!

[IronWolf]

Originally Posted by DesertKing

I am very confuse. Sometime I feel that MM540 is good and other time that Gypsy (as I drive quite very fast on off road tarrian/kachcha paths). I never meant to be fed up of MM540/550, it is infect a great machine.

This seems to be good idea. I am also trying to form a group of off road drive lovers in Rajasthan.

Now you are rousing up the ol discussion, MM Vs Gypsy. Headers, give him the lowdown on the two

By the way, Nice Jeep - after all that effort, selling it off would be really sad.

[DesertKing]

Originally Posted by harjeev

1.Does the thermostat really have something to do with the power of the vehicle. I think that it will help keeping the engine at the optimum temp, but does it have any considerable change in the power?

2. The rear diff set of the Army 550 already come with LSD's The why do you need to buy them separately? Also how much did you pay for the rear diff set and the LSD's, individually?

3. I am fitting the LSD's in the front. Infact my cousin picked up the LSD (he was referring it to as a complete guccha) from Mayapuri yesterday. I dont know the price as yet. But will be going to the workshop on the weekend and try to find more details for you

1. I guess the diesel burns in the engine at quite hight temperature (if I am not wrong at 500 degree) and if there is no thermostate switch, the water system keep on trying to cool down the engine. Since the engine does not reach at the right temprature, some of the fuel is unburned and also the engine does not become a very smooth. EXPERTS - CAN YOU PLS CONFIRM THIS THEORY...
2. My Jeep is not a 550XD but it is a originally a MM540 and I did upgraded the engine to XD3B.
3. I need to confirm the price with my mechanic and I will PM you. I guess, the guchcha should be around 2.5-3.5 K and the whole set for 7-10K.

[DesertKing]

I would like to share something about my view on the headlights of Mahindra Jeeps here.

While my Jeep was with electrician and my search was on for a set of headlamp which has parking light inside, I could only find the head lights of one side. I am talking about the lines/embosed design which are there on the glass of the head lamp and as per my common sence the lining patern has to be just opposite for the headlamp of the other side.

As per my search, only the Autopal's (comes as OEM also) head lights were available in the market place (with the parking light) and the problem was that I only found lights of one side. I almost went to all the shops who keeps the auto parts in my town (perhaps more than 30 shops) but I could not find the accurate pair. I was going one after other shop and most of them tried to convince me that the light for laft and right are same which was against my logic (even some of the shopkippers laughts at me as ). Finally I went to the Mahindra's dealer and he also had the same reply. I was again not convinced at all.

Since the producer of the Autolight India, Jaipur was among our customer list (my company provides logistics for some of their containers shipped to abroad), I gave a call to the company and after waiting for a few minutes and asking the same question on saveral desks, finally the marketing manager was on the line. I wondered that he confirmed me that they are producing and sending the same pattern lights to Mahindra for left and right both .

I than verified his statement by checking on some other new Jeeps. This was really disappointing for me as I a layman like me was able to make it out by his common sence but not a bit company like Mahindra (by which I am attached from my heart).

=================================================
I am facing some minar problems which I would like to share with you. After restoration, the Blue Machine has done more than 3000 Km on odo which includes 40% off the road. The probles are as follows..

1. There is churrr churrr sound from just above the driver side gate. So far I am unable to locate the excect place and reason and it is increased gradually. I am going to take my vehicle to the denter quite shortly. I am damn sure it is due to my 'special styled drive' on off road.

2. I would like to remind you that it has got XD3P engine along with the original 4x4 gear box of MM540. The problem from the very first day is that it makes [i] hummm hummm[i] voice from in the 4th gear in low speed (40-45 km). It can not be from the differential for sure as we have already changed the tail and crown thrice and the differential once. Every time we tried tail and crown of differential ratio. What I have noticed that as we decresed the ratio of tail and crown, this sound was increasing. Due to which I guess there is something wrong inside the gearbox, something minor but the gear box has to be opened.

3. The gear lever of 4x4 are quite very heard, specially the low one/4High, come times I have to push it by my leg with full force. However to disengage the 4x4 for both the levers is OK. Can this be fixed when we open the gear box.

4. The sealed beam of Autopal does not seems to be of good quality as the glass is free and rotating freely. Do I need to buy other set of head lamps??

5. Can somebody pls advice me what is standered differential ratio of Armada Grand (XD3P engine). I am asking this to calculate the speed error of the machine. (my Jeep has meter accembly of Armada Grand and has a differential ratio of 4.27).


The rear LSD has been fitted and everything seems to be ok after I had it's trial on some off road last night. I am not rushing for the front LSD because I want to test/realize the actuall difference in perfomance after each step.

[vinod_nookala]

Dessert king,

Is it humm or a whine from your gearbox in 4th gear? If it is 'kuiiiiiiiiiii' kind of a noise which is whine then i must say this is present almost all old 4wd kia gearboxes either in low doses or in high doses across particular speed. I have had enough experience on this as i have lowered gearbox more than thrice to remove this problem. The problem has become less but not eliminated completely. I have seen such noise in vehicles as new as 2002 models. Mahindra Classics have been spared of such noise somehow!! If you are hell bent upon removing the noise then the only option is change to new transfercase which will cost you about 15-16K

Armada Grand had diff ratio of 4.88:1 on 15 inch tyres. You will have to install free wheeling hubs before you fit LSD in front as axle wind up may break front axle.

[Kandisa]

Hi DK,
what exactly you have done as the top cover on the front cabin? I couldn't identify the material from the photos. Also how much does the total soft top arrangement cost you?
-Best regards,