[himavanth_m]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

Thanks for your comments. Point noted and post has been reported to the moderators to delete the pictures. I had a chance to see the power house as my friend knew some officials there. Well, I have done my part in the best interest as you pointed out by requesting the moderators to delete the pictures, but what about the ground reality? I could see cops guarding the place, openly taking bribes and letting people in carrying still and video cameras.

Sorry for the OT message.
Thanks a lot for doing that.
Yes I understand the ground reality. It is quite bad. But there is nothing wrong in doing our part right? What we are doing by keeping the pics private may not even matter eventually, but atleast we can be free of our conscience.

I got a chance to see the power project because my father had taken up the work for the Power project at both Nagarjun Sagar and Srisailam back in 1985. Through those contacts, I got the opportunity to visit the Power house. And what a wonderful experience it was. Truly unforgettable.
The turbines used to be green in color back then

About 118 NE: I remember we used a 118 NE in 1995 and 1996. I was very very young back then and I do not remember too much about the vehicle and how it drives (I have never driven one although I sat in it). However I used hear from my father that it had the best in class suspension at that time and was very expensive to repair. Also he mentions that the local service centers were incapable of handling such a modern car for those times. So maintaining was becoming expensive and so we sold it.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

Yes I understand the ground reality. It is quite bad. But there is nothing wrong in doing our part right? What we are doing by keeping the pics private may not even matter eventually, but atleast we can be free of our conscience.

Absolutely true!

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

I remember we used a 118 NE in 1995 and 1996. I was very very young back then and I do not remember too much about the vehicle and how it drives (I have never driven one although I sat in it). However I used hear from my father that it had the best in class suspension at that time and was very expensive to repair. Also he mentions that the local service centers were incapable of handling such a modern car for those times. So maintaining was becoming expensive and so we sold it.

Glad to hear that you had a 118 NE. Many mechanics still find it a challenge to work on the 118 NE. The suspension is the best part of the car from a riding point of view but it does need frequent servicing especially considering how bad our roads are. My father does most of the work on the car on his own at home. He was lucky to procure a workshop manual for the 118 NE which helps a lot.

[himavanth_m]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

The suspension is the best part of the car from a riding point of view but it does need frequent servicing especially considering how bad our roads are. My father does most of the work on the car on his own at home. He was lucky to procure a workshop manual for the 118 NE which helps a lot.

Great that your father does most of work on his own .
And how come you procured the workshop manual? and what information does it contain. What about the spares?

One Fond memory of the car:
Back then I was excited to see the Bonnet come up the otherway that too in my own car (I used to see that on TV only or on others cars upto that time). I was very happy to see that and always used to ask my dad to open it and close it every day.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by himavanth_m

And how come you procured the workshop manual? and what information does it contain. What about the spares?

The workshop manual is a reference book for the authorized service center folks to troubleshoot issues. Check out this post to get an idea of what the manual looks like. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2423483

The manual was sold to us by an automobile spare parts shop owner way back in 1995 when got our first 118 NE. Not sure how it came into his hands! In those days, he sold it to us for an exorbitant amount of Rs 1200.00, but it was worth it!! My father refers to it for any issues we face with the car. Our cars hardly visit a garage outside. Hence I can confidently say that all the Rs 1200.00 invested in 1995 have been fully recovered and worth every paisa!! We are lucky to have some shops in Hyderabad that stock many spares for the 118 NE.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

Can we see some pictures of the Air Conditioning control panel? The Viceroy, I assume, would be having a Sanden unit. Also does it have a heater or just the cooling?

Yes, the Viceroy has a Sanden AC unit. The AC is just for cooling. For heating, switch off the AC, open the windows and the Hyderabad air does the rest!! Here are pictures of the AC control panel.

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.

[silverado]

You have got a Gem Rahul
I have always loved 118 NE's compact dimensions and low slung look.

Hats off to you and your dad for maintaining your FIATS in hyderabad so well.

It is threads like these which inspire me to keep my padmini in good shape.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

Yes, the Viceroy has a Sanden AC unit. The AC is just for cooling. For heating, switch off the AC, open the windows and the Hyderabad air does the rest!! Here are pictures of the AC control panel.

OK. So that's a Multi-function switch. But the finish is real crude
Even the functions are limited. No Inner/Outer air or Heater. Seems like an aftermarket job.
One can see the attention to details given by the manufacturer. And this was one of the many reasons for the shutdown of PAL.
Sad but true.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by silverado

You have got a Gem Rahul. I have always loved 118 NE's compact dimensions and low slung look. Hats off to you and your dad for maintaining your FIATS in hyderabad so well. It is threads like these which inspire me to keep my padmini in good shape.

Thanks a lot buddy! In fact all our threads inspire each other and keep us motivated. I had read your travelogue about the trip in the Padmini. Amazing trip, writeup and pics!

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

OK. So that's a Multi-function switch. But the finish is real crude. Even the functions are limited. No Inner/Outer air or Heater. Seems like an aftermarket job. One can see the attention to details given by the manufacturer. And this was one of the many reasons for the shutdown of PAL. Sad but true.

You will be surprised to know that the Viceroy has a factory fitted AC. The inner-outer air option has been removed altogether. The piping behind the dashboard is far better than a aftermarket job. In fact there is even a AC cut off switch provided near the accelerator pedal. The switch cuts off the AC when the pedal is pressed beyond a preset (adjustable) limit. Check out the picture below. This switch ensures that the engine is not burdened with the AC load when accelerating.

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.

[fx45]

another rare variant of the 118NE series was the 1.38D does anyone own one in our forums?

[Scarlet_Rider]

I am not sure about other cities but in Hyderabad we do see quite a number of 1.38Ds. I had never seen any Viceroys anywhere until we happen to buy one!

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by fx45

another rare variant of the 118NE series was the 1.38D does anyone own one in our forums?

The 1.38D was a disaster. PAL was desperate to sell the 118NE among rising competition and it's current offering was not as frugal. So the FNM power plant was shoehorned and Voila--it became an economy car.
I have never driven the 1.38D but had a small drive of the 137D aka the diesel Padmini. As far as i know, both of them had the same engine. The acceleration was pathetic. But the motor was surely torquey. And I have heard that both Premier Diesels (as they were advertised then) were very very cheap to run. Sadly, Premier could not plonk the Peugeot TUD5 in the 118 otherwise it would have been another memorable car like the Viceroy.

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

In fact there is even a AC cut off switch provided near the accelerator pedal. The switch cuts off the AC when the pedal is pressed beyond a preset (adjustable) limit. Check out the picture below. This switch ensures that the engine is not burdened with the AC load when accelerating.

You mean to say if you set the switch at a particular position and when the pedal is presses beyond that, the A/C will remain cut-off? Pl. elaborate in detail. Also was the exhaust air option removed by PPL or was it done by you? My non-A/C 118NE has a sliding lever below the blower switch for that (even your 118NE would have that). Also there is another small lever on the RHS of the stereo console for directing the air towards the floor. Does your Viceroy have that?
I also see that you have a choke lever on the right of the stereo panel instead of its original position above the key! And what is that small black button on the left of your stereo console?

[fx45]

Yes so my question still stands? any 1.38D owner in our forum?

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

You mean to say if you set the switch at a particular position and when the pedal is presses beyond that, the A/C will remain cut-off? Pl. elaborate in detail.

After my father studied the switch and it's connections, he could make out that the purpose of the switch is to cut the AC off after the accelerator is pressed beyond the preset limit. This feature might have been provided to ensure that the engine does not get the additional load of the AC when accelerating hard and/or while climbing ghat roads. There is no mention of this feature in the user manual and the supplement book that came with the Viceroy.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

Also was the exhaust air option removed by PPL or was it done by you? My non-A/C 118NE has a sliding lever below the blower switch for that (even your 118NE would have that). Also there is another small lever on the RHS of the stereo console for directing the air towards the floor. Does your Viceroy have that?

The exhaust air option was removed by PPL. The dashboard is the original one that came with the car. No changes have been done. Check out this picture that I had posted on page 3 of this thread. In the picture you can see that the dashboard has the same AC knob as I had posted previously and does not have the air lever. Also there is no lever on the RHS in the Viceroy. But we do have the air levers in our 118 NE.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...-118ne-s10.jpg

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

I also see that you have a choke lever on the right of the stereo panel instead of its original position above the key!

Yes, the choke lever position has been moved down from the previous position as compared to the NE. Again this was done by PPL and is not a modification. I had also mentioned about this in one of my previous posts.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2334129

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2360688

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

And what is that small black button on the left of your stereo console?

That is not a button. It is the socket of the cigarette lighter.

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.

[Scarlet_Rider]

Hello Folks,

Time to revive this thread! For the past 2 to 3 weeks, there was a knocking sound coming from the propeller shaft of the Viceroy. The noise was more prominent especially while accelerating the car from a standstill. Time for replacing the universal joints! Attaching pictures of the work going on at home. My Dad just needs a small reason to get his hands dirty, but this is a big reason!

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by Scarlet_Rider

Time for replacing the universal joints! Attaching pictures of the work going on at home.

Hi Rahul,
The U-Joints are a problem with this car. How many KM has your car covered?
Hope you are replacing the U-joints with non-nipple type joints as the former type are not maintenance free.
Also I am yet to see the differential section from your manual.
Kudos to your father for carrying such complex jobs on his own

[Scarlet_Rider]

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

How many KM has your car covered? Hope you are replacing the U-joints with non-nipple type joints as the former type are not maintenance free. Also I am yet to see the differential section from your manual. Kudos to your father for carrying such complex jobs on his own

Yes, the replaced joints are the non-nipple type joints. These were the only ones available and as you rightly said is the best option.

The other work that was done was replacing the engine mounting insulator rubber below the gear box. I will be posting the details of the differential section on the 118 NE thread soon.

When we got the car last year the meter reading was 32125. Since then we have covered 4000 kms. We doubt if car had actually covered just 32125 kms before we got it. The meter of this car is one of the easiest meters to tamper with and we feel that it was used for more than 32125 kms before we got it. The person (not the actual owner) who sold the car to us must have done some setting I guess.

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.