[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by oxymoron

Guys, wanted to share my joy. Have been on the look out of 2.4 Liter MT Vitara for few months. Last week acquired a 2011 model in pristine condition 1500 kms away from my place. Sudev was quite instrumental in helping me assess the car. I am based out of Mumbai and would love to catch up with folks around and learn more about the car. Any pointers for the service centre in Mumbai?

Welcome to the club. A 2011 model means you have got a low kms run vehicle.

The main thing to look out for is the Transfer case oil seal leakage. Get that and the oil levels in the transfer case checked.
Also check if you 4WD selector switch is working. For this you should see the confirmation display in the instrument cluster. If it is not working properly get the transfer shift motor and the mechanism serviced.

Other than that fluids change and general servicing should be enough.

[sudev]

When I checked the vehicle selector switch was working nicely and there was no problem in transfer case. The owner did not even know what that switch does!!

[Desmosedici]

How does one ensure that the 4wd mechanism is working fine on a pre owned vehicle apart from the dashboard light. Is there any way one can do this check as i am sure there will be many people who would not know the importance of that 4wd switch and might have driven it on the low mode for quite some time.

[sudev]

One check if neutral is working. Then put car is 4low and move the car. You will feel the power.. The car will happily move from standing even in second hear.
In 4 lock - low or high - tyre scruff will be felt when turning. Do not over do testing.

[oxymoron]

Originally Posted by Desmosedici

How does one ensure that the 4wd mechanism is working fine on a pre owned vehicle apart from the dashboard light. Is there any way one can do this check as i am sure there will be many people who would not know the importance of that 4wd switch and might have driven it on the low mode for quite some time.

I relied on Sudev for that. Also later my friend who owns a Thar did do some testing, we found one spot which had wet sand and tried all the ratios there. As Sudev said, Previous owner was not an enthusiast at all, he hardly utilised the potential of the car. in one conversation he told me that he has not even taken it to Jaipur from Gurgaon. Surprisingly the internal door handle trims still had white plastics at the handles to prevent scratching, he did not even bother to take it off

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by sudev

One check if neutral is working. Then put car is 4low and move the car. You will feel the power.. The car will happily move from standing even in second hear.
In 4 lock - low or high - tyre scruff will be felt when turning. Do not over do testing.

Went to Madhe Ghat near Bhor. There is a beautiful waterfall, for which one has to trek about 1.5 kms from the tar road. There is a good 4x4 track, but we decided we needed the exercise!!
Afterwards, I did try out the initial part of the track, which was pretty steep. Did it in 4HL. Stopped at the very top of the slope and came back in reverse.
If I had gone ahead a couple of 100 feet I would have got a spot where I could have done a U-turn. Would it be advisable to come out of 4HL (or 4LL) before doing the u-turn? And would it be ok to move, while in lock mode, from one side of the trail to the other (using steering wheel) to avoid rocks?

[sudev]

On loose surface yes. The wheels will scruff when turning but not a problem

[sridhar-v]

Got the RH steering ball joint and some front suspension parts & brake caliper pins replaced. Also cleaned the throttle body, injectors and misc work. Car feels much smoother now.
Have ordered one more ball joint set so that LH side can also be replaced. Reasonable bill. Am posting scan copy at the end.

I changed the ball joint as there was persistent steering wheel shudder at 40-50 kmph. Also one could feel the play when turning the wheel.
After the repairs I drove the vehicle for around 65 kms. without any issues. Last Sunday went on a longish trip to the countryside. After driving for 30 kms. I experienced the same shudder at around 60kmph. I stopped the vehicle for about 10 minutes and afterwards the issue was not there. This inspite of continuing on the same road. The shudder did not reappear for the balance 130 kms of the trip.

I feel that this does not seem to be related to ball joints and seems to be more of a driveline issue. Could it be the front differential getting partly stuck? Or is the central differential temporarily getting partly locked up?

Thanks in advance.

[sudev]

Did you drop rpm's too low? Drive line shudder can be isolated by just pressing clutch. If it disappears it could be drive line related. If not.....

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by sudev

Did you drop rpm's too low? Drive line shudder can be isolated by just pressing clutch. If it disappears it could be drive line related. If not.....

It is an AT. Speeds were around 60 kmph & upwards of 2000 rpm. And I was maintaining steady speed.

Now that you mention it I did feel a shudder once, while on the highway on the return leg, when I pressed the brake at around 80kmpl. But it was more of a twitch on the steering wheel and nothing after that.

[vigsom]

^^ It could be due to

a) worn out universal joints on the driveshaft(axle)
b) old brake pads - in this case you will feel the shudder only while braking ; check how smooth the disc is.
c)worn out tyres - tyres with uneven wear OR one unevenly worn out tyre can cause severe shudder at speeds in excess of 60kmph.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by vigsom

^^ It could be due to

a) worn out universal joints on the driveshaft(axle)
b) old brake pads - in this case you will feel the shudder only while braking ; check how smooth the disc is.
c)worn out tyres - tyres with uneven wear OR one unevenly worn out tyre can cause severe shudder at speeds in excess of 60kmph.

Will check out the UJ joints at the time of changing the LH ball joint.
Brake pads were recently changed by previous owner. Problem occurs only at steady speeds without braking.
Tyres are new.

Will keep all of you updated on solutions, if any.

[vigsom]

Checked the throttle body of my GV as part of a routine check and here is what it looked like.

Two pictures of the throttle body and one of the intake manifold.






Post cleaning using simple petrol , the engine runs even smoother and the acceleration has also improved.

This throttle body is easier to clean than the ones I have seen in Maruti G Series engines.

IMPORTANT:

1.Take the key out of the steering slot before disconnecting the wiring harness to the throttle body
2.After reinstalling the throttle body , do not start. Put the key into ignition mode , then press accelerator , keep accelerator pressed and turn key off. Remove key.Remove foot after 10-15 secs. Then re-insert key to start vehicle in idle only.

[sudev]

Better to use throttle body cleaning spray

[Desmosedici]

Originally Posted by vigsom

....

This throttle body is easier to clean than the ones I have seen in Maruti G Series engines.

IMPORTANT:

1.Take the key out of the steering slot before disconnecting the wiring harness to the throttle body
2.After reinstalling the throttle body , do not start. Put the key into ignition mode , then press accelerator , keep accelerator pressed and turn key off. Remove key.Remove foot after 10-15 secs. Then re-insert key to start vehicle in idle only.

Why is step 2 mentioned above important? What does it do? Would this be applicable to any other vehicle?

Just curious to know.

Did you also clean the intake manifold? How is it done?