[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

13-Oct-2011 :
The radio works, the lights work, power-windows work. So, it is not like the battery is out of juice.
So, why the resistance to start just that one time ? Any explanation>

Check the started motor. May need brush replacement. Even though the car has clocked only less than 50K, the starter would have cranked more than it would have done in 1.5K of mainly long distance driving. So get it checked up and serviced.

Your lesser running is still way too higher than my 2005 Swift which is about to touch only 30K and I am still on my OE battery. Your thread has given me vital inputs to pen mine. Thanks.

[shuvc]

Starter unit/assembly/motor - whatever it is called. Same thing happened to my car.

There was nothing wrong with it. MASS opened it up and found loads of sulphur (??) deposit (don't exactly recall what it was - my thread should have the details).

All they did was take apart the motor. Cleaned it thoroughly and put it back together. This happened 3yrs ago I think. Have had no issues since.

[supremeBaleno]

Thanks, rajeev & shuvc. Looks like the starter motor could be the possible culprit here and would need an overhaul.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Your lesser running is still way too higher than my 2005 Swift which is about to touch only 30K and I am still on my OE battery.

Your OE battery is 6 years old and still running fine ??? That is indeed some battery-life. What make is it ? Exide, I would think...

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Your OE battery is 6 years old and still running fine ??? That is indeed some battery-life. What make is it ? Exide, I would think...

No It is Amaron. Car is 2005 December. I don't know whether it will last for another 43 days to celebrate its birthday. I see some sulphate coatings in the terminal for the first time of late.
Though the battery lasted, two tyres were too bad for me. The JKs were to be replaced at 28K due to wobbling and excessive humming noise. Uneven wear and bulging of course. Law of averages, perhaps.

[supremeBaleno]

Indeed law of averages, even in my case. While this is my 2nd battery in 6 years, my tyres at 52k kms are still as good as new (tread-wise) and looks like will easily last another 20-30k kms.

Talking of sulphate coatings, what colour is this ? Asking because when I checked the battery last weekend, I saw some dried up blue/violet liquid on the terminals. Something I have never seen before in any car - usually you would have this powdery substance around the terminals. Anyone knows what this is ?

I had a chat with my friend who is a car mechanic and runs his own garage near my home at Kerala and he corroborated what you, shuvc and planet_rocker mentioned about checking the starter motor. So need to get this overhauled soon.

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, one thing that I missed mentioning in the 50K post and which never ceases to amaze me,

True. Very True. Baleno is a superb car. Going through few pages of this thread reminds me of the time I enjoyed with it. It stayed with me for only 18 months, but clocked 60k kms without any glitches.

[vigsom]

SupremeBaleno,

I don't think it is the starter ; looks like the immobiliser played a part.

I have seen this happening in my boss' Baleno few years back.

What was it like at the signal?did the starter work slow or did not turn at all?did the dash lights(oil pr.,batt) go dim?

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Surprise

True. Very True. Baleno is a superb car. Going through few pages of this thread reminds me of the time I enjoyed with it. It stayed with me for only 18 months, but clocked 60k kms without any glitches.

You did 60K in 18months ? Or it was 60K when you sold her off ? I know that you had a Swift before the Baleno, but forget what car you bought after the Baleno ???

Originally Posted by vigsom

I don't think it is the starter ; looks like the immobiliser played a part. I have seen this happening in my boss' Baleno few years back.

When you say immobiliser, do you mean iCATS system in Suzuki cars ? Or the remote locking thing ? Either way, this should not be the cause, because my car has neither iCATS nor remot-locking (just plain central-locking that the car had as stock).

Originally Posted by vigsom

What was it like at the signal?did the starter work slow or did not turn at all?did the dash lights(oil pr.,batt) go dim?

Well, I was so tensed due to the traffic that I did not notice the dash-lights dimming - the starter seemed to make a slight attempt to start, but would not proceed further to complete the crank. Not sure if I am able to express it clearly here, in a way that people can understand. Since there is a slight response, it does not sound like the battery is full dead. But at the same time, since the starter seems to not be able to complete the crank, you get the feeling battery lacks juice.

Will have the starter motor overhauled at Ignite and then see. And if it indeed turns out to be the cause, then it would mean that I changed the stock Exide battery needlessly - since at that time also, I had the same issue.

[vigsom]

^^ actually I meant the remote central locking with the immobiliser ; in my boss' Baleno VXi , when the key was turned, the starter would not turn on indicating that the power supply to the starter solenoid was off.The remote central locking unit was changed.

If you say the starter did make an attempt to crank,it could either be the bendix or the starter brushes/commutator .Knowing Denso starters to be trouble free for at least 8 years ,I am surprised.

Yes,a preventive service is a good idea.

[rajeev k]

Talking of sulphate coatings, what colour is this ?

It is some greenish yellowish/brownish one. The best way to clean the coating is to turn to your kitchen cabinet. Get some baking soda and make a weak or moderate solution say 100 ml. With a rag soaked in this solution wipe clean. The terminals will become crystal clean. But take care to prevent spillage on to the chassis or painted surfaces. Keep a dry cloth also handy. I did it. Afterwards apply a thin coat of petroleum jelly.

Btb is the coating you saw responsible for the starting trouble. Horns and, lights would function and if contacts are not full. the starter would not turn. You know, it needs full voltage as it may take around 35 Amps.

[filcord]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

. . . . talking of sulphate coatings, what colour is this ? Asking because when I checked the battery last weekend, I saw some dried up blue/violet liquid on the terminals. Something I have never seen before in any car - usually you would have this powdery substance around the terminals. Anyone knows what this is ?

My MASS puts some 3M coating for the terminals at every service for my cars now and for my Baleno when I had her. It's the same blue/violet colour you mention. This is a protective coating.
Looks like a weak starter, if your battery is ok.

[supremeBaleno]

Thanks, filcord. So, that clears the mystery with the violet colour on terminals.

The starter-overhaul is still pending since I could not get a weekend at Chennai. Should do this the weekend of 12-13Nov when I would be at Chennai.

With the rain-gods blessing Chennai like crazy, an old problem cropped up. After being parked overnight, the next day morning I found the front passenger footwell having a patch of water - this is on the right extreme of footwell. I remembered that I had this problem during last monsoon and planet_rocker had suggested a DIY for this. So came to this thread to search for it, but to my surprise could not find any mention of that on this thread. It took quite racking my brains to remember that it was discussed on phoenix's Getz thread. Copy-pasting the discussion below for my reference in future.

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

After a nice wash of the black beauty's exterior, I took out the door mats And Holy Crap! The front co-driver side foot well's rubber mat is filled with water - the car's OEM mat, the rubber mat - all under an inch of water! For the uninitiated, this is a known problem - if the drain for the windshield gets blocked, water tends to seep in to the passenger side foot well.

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

if you look closely - water seeps in from the extreme left corner from behind the dash board on the passenger side. Small DIY - take out the wipers - open the hood - unscrew the plastic cowl and check the LHS corner behind the cowl for traces of leaves / dirt - get the muck cleaned.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Had a couple instances when after the rains, I have found the front passenger footwell soaked with water. Could never trace the cause. Will checkout the windshield drain.

Originally Posted by planet_rocker

SB - it should be same for the baleno too - also check the AC drain pipe for leaks. there is usually a rubber funnel type thingy attached for collecting the water (which is connected to the drain pipe). Temporary measure to soak up the wet mat - use sheets of news paper & remove the rubber mat for sometime.

[benbsb29]

Biju, similar symptoms on my car. Read here :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2479447

It turned out to be the battery. Interestingly on my car, i was able to start it normally later on, after the above incident.

[filcord]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

With the rain-gods blessing Chennai like crazy, an old problem cropped up. After being parked overnight, the next day morning I found the front passenger footwell having a patch of water - this is on the right extreme of footwell...

Had this problem on the driver's side once. Turned out to be that the rubber on the driver's door had come off slightly and was not making a perfect seal. This was diagnosed after two or three visits. The garage finally refitted the same rubber back carefully, and that was the last I saw of the problem of water leakage.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

The starter-overhaul is still pending since I could not get a weekend at Chennai.

Looks like it is the battery at fault and we can rule out the starter. I solved the mystery of battery-not-cranking-occasionally by borrowing a battery-tester from a mechanic-friend and checking the Baleno's battery today. When tested, while the voltage is indicated as 12.6, the test result says NOK (replace battery). The other 2 possible results are OK and OK-ButNeedsCharging. So, looks like I need to change battery ASAP. BTW, it shows CCA (Cold Crank Amps) of the battery as 350, though I am not sure what it should be for the Baleno - my mechanic friend says it should be 380.

BTW the battery on my Dad's Swift was rated as Good (OK) by the same tester. Amazing battery-life given that it is the OE battery that came with the car 5 years ago and the car is only rarely used (23K kms in 5 years).

Given that this Amaron also lasted only 3.5yrs (like the OE Exide), I wonder what is it with batteries and a 3.5yr life when on my cars ???

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Biju, similar symptoms on my car. Read here :
It turned out to be the battery. Interestingly on my car, i was able to start it normally later on, after the above incident.

Yeah, man - embarassing situation to find oneself in. Especially if its women-folk stuck in such a situation.