[honeybee]

Hi guys,

I have inherited a Santro XING from a relative (originally bought in 2003, run for about 32k till 2008 when I got it, presently odo reads 46K~). Initially the engine was reluctant to rev up and the pick up was slower. After some consistent use I found the engine started revving a little freely and the pick up improved a little bit. Either the engine needed a daily use or I needed to work it better.

However, ever since I got the car I have noticed that beyond 110kmph in fifth gear on the Mumbai - Pune expressway, the whine of the engine gets unbearable. I have frequently done upto 120kmph, but the noise gets so harsh I daren't go beyond. Driving close to 100kmph does not produce a harsh sound.

This particular car was drowned in the 2005 floods. Is there any chance the floods may have caused something within the engine to produce such a whine at high speeds? Would an engine overhaul be required/help?

[ishlinea7260]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Hi guys,

I have inherited a Santro XING from a relative (originally bought in 2003, run for about 32k till 2008 when I got it, presently odo reads 46K~). Initially the engine was reluctant to rev up and the pick up was slower. After some consistent use I found the engine started revving a little freely and the pick up improved a little bit. Either the engine needed a daily use or I needed to work it better.

However, ever since I got the car I have noticed that beyond 110kmph in fifth gear on the Mumbai - Pune expressway, the whine of the engine gets unbearable. I have frequently done upto 120kmph, but the noise gets so harsh I daren't go beyond. Driving close to 100kmph does not produce a harsh sound.

This particular car was drowned in the 2005 floods. Is there any chance the floods may have caused something within the engine to produce such a whine at high speeds? Would an engine overhaul be required/help?

I also have a santro xing clocked 82000kms but i havnt had an issue like this till date.
My ride cruises till 140 without making any harsh sounds.
Since you said that the particular car was stranded in the floods i suggest you to get a thorough check up of the engine done.
It will be safe enough if you dont rev your engine till then.

[honeybee]

Thanks for the advice.

I have been running the car for over a year now, and on expressway I have always been running at or above 100kmph, on the local highways at around 80kmph. Apart from the harsh noise mentioned below, I haven't observed any other side effects as yet, such as engine heating or excess oil consumption etc.

What could such a harsh noise indicate, though?

[ishlinea7260]

I have absolutely no idea.
Though i would ask other owners and do a bit research for the same.

[tanwaramit]

same issue with my csr, however it cries at 80 kmph. missed telling A.S.S during last service as some other stuff was priority. Do let us know if you can find out the issue.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by tanwaramit

same issue with my car, however it cries at 80 kmph. missed telling A.S.S during last service as some other stuff was priority. Do let us know if you can find out the issue.

Problem is to reproduce the noise I would have to take the *** engineer on an expressway ride. I don't think they would have techniques or intelligence to figure out if anything is wrong without hearing the noise.

The local Hyundai *** is quite far away from my home, and I would have to pay toll charges to reach that place and back, not to mention the petrol cost and time.

[Psycho]

When was the last time you had the gearbox oil replaced?

[pb10gagan]

are you sure about the engine noise?

how did you figured out that the noise is coming from engine and not from something else, like an alternator or xyz?

as far as i know an engine might not be able to produce a whine. at the best it can produce a very rapid takk-takk.

whine at high speeds can also be due to an obstructed airflow to engine.

[.anshuman]

Whine at high speeds normally is caused due to jammed/worn out bearings, try shifting the car to neutral at that speed and check whether the sound remains.

[honeybee]

Last gear oil change? I don't know, but I think in 2005, after the car was flooded and then taken to the Hyundai A.S.S., they must have changed all fluids in the car. Gear oil replacement in my earlier M800 mpfi was somewhere around 60K ~ 80K of odo, so in the Santro Xing, it should be equivalent. And the car has so far only covered 46K.

The whine/noise is as if the engine is being revved to the redline. I am always in the fifth gear at those speeds. I don't think the engine should be redlining at just above 110 kmph. Santro is definitely capable of going much further.

Re the neutral gear, I have to wait for my next expressway trip, which may not be soon.

[honeybee]

Today afternoon, I went around checking if some of the minor glitches in my Santro could be taken by some accessory shop or roadside mechanic:

1. Fog lights not working: The fog lights are an after-market fitment. One of them stopped working about a month or more of fitting. Getting them checked during a routine checkup from a local M.A.S.S. confirmed the bulb in the foglight needed replacement. The other one stopped a couple of months after that.

2. Dashboard light problem: There are two lights in the dashboard, one illuminates the fuel gauge on the right side and half the speedo (70 and higher), the other illuminates the bottom half of the speedo and the temp gauge. This second light seemed to be malfunctioning. Sometimes it would come on, but most of the times it wouldn't come on, leaving the temp gauge dark. Now, I haven't experienced engine overheating, so I knew I was safe. But it still was annoying.

3. Headlight beam problem: The high beams had stopped working a few months back. Only the low beams worked. On getting it checked, the problem was isolated to the combination box. This part is only available with the Hyundai service centres and they would be charging a premium of course.

I first went to the accessory shop I had earlier visited for sun film. The guy tried to open the front grill portion to access the fog lights, but one of the screws wouldn't come loose. He gave up and asked me to try the service centre. It seems there's a new service centre that's come up at the outskirts of our town, and I didn't know about them. So off I went in search of this centre.

On the way I came to a clutch of automobile repair shops. Just out of curiousity I checked around for an electrician and got hold of one. I told him about the fog lights and the work started. The left headlight assembly was removed and he accessed the foglight from top. Then he found the wire from the on/off switch under the dashboard to the foglights had been nibbled and cut by rats. Another wire was spliced and joined together with this one. Then he switched on the lights and confirmed the left one needed a new bulb. While this bulb was being arrenged, I asked about the combination switch. On learning the beam problem he quietly unscrewed the steering wheel and took the combination switch out. I watched in amazement as he used a sandpaper to clean the contact surfaces on the combination switch and put it back in to make it working. Something that would have cost me a couple of thousands had been as easy as sandpaper. Emboldened by this, I also asked him to look into the dashboard light problem. This was time-consuming work. But finally, after another half an hour he had fixed that issue as well. By that time another guy had replaced the bulb and refitted the foglight as well as the headlight in place.

The mechanic then asked me to take a test ride and pay special attention to the speedo. I watched in shock as the speedo remained frozen through the ride. He said he expected something like that. On opening the dash again, he diagnosed that the speedo cable needed replacement. This diagnosis took about an hour after trying out everything in his book. Off we go to a distant parts shop to get the speedo cable. Fitting that cable took half an hour.

Finally, after spending about three hours, the problems were sorted out. Now the money part. He said Rs. 300/- would cover the labour as well as the foglight bulb. The speedo cable cost another Rs. 320/-. All in all Rs. 620/- and I guess about 1/3 of the bill I would pay if I went to an authorized service centre.

[vigsom]

The bill seems fine - as long as all problems are done.I did not,however understand why the speedo problem came up

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by vigsom

The bill seems fine - as long as all problems are done.I did not,however understand why the speedo problem came up

The mechanic took out the console that houses the speedo, temp and fuel gauges so he could remove the temp guage backlight bulb and inspect it. On checking that the bulb was alright, he then checked the contacts, cleaned them and put the bulb back in. Then he refitted the console. After doing that, he cautioned me to check the speedo.

The reason is the speedo cable runs from the gearbox to this console and its end is a square plug. This square plug goes into the back of the speedo on the console. The back of the speedo has a round hole through which the square plug will enter. Something like a square peg in a round hole. On inspecting the speedo cable plug later, we found that it had worn out its edges and the square shape had actually become round. Which is why it could not turn the speedo.

The cable plug had held onto its own till now, but the moment the console was removed and the plug came out, I guess it refused to grip again. So the cable had to be replaced.

I forgot to take the photos of the cable end, else it would be clearer.

After the cable change, I suspect the speedo is not as quick as it was earlier, which may actually mean the speedo is now more accurate.

[Sankar]

Is it a whine from the transmission or from the engine? My doubt is the transmission. Get it checked up at a competent service centre.

[honeybee]

Putting the car in neutral reduces the sound, so maybe you are right about the noise originating from the transmission.

There have been some other posts regarding this on another thread which really wasn't meant to discuss this problem. So I am just copy/pasting some of them here and will try to answer them.

CPH:
I don't know whether your power steering is electric or hydraulic. If it is hydraulic it might be the cause, which might stem from engine removal.

The car has a Power Steering fluid reservoir so I think it's hydraulic. I am unable to understand how the power steering could produce a whining noise at high speeds. Also what exactly do you mean by the last part of the sentence?

Shan2nu:
It could be the wheel bearings that are making this sound after a certain wheel speed.

If it's the wheel bearings, would the sound be heard at lower speeds too? Specially after a year of observing this phenomenon, the car seems to run just fine till the 100kmph mark.

ghpk:
Same as your case i was too having some noise at high speeds, Got wheel bearing checked twice, and later found it was a WIND Powered LED Light who's dynamo was giving the whining noise : EEEK

The car is pretty much stock, no LED or other fancy stuff. The only aftermarket accessory are the fog lights. But I have been observing the noise even before the fogs were installed, so that's not the cause of the problem.

ilangop:
While driving at higher speeds momentarily shift to neutral and let the engine idle while the vehicle still moving. This way you can isolate the engine noise from the wheel bearing noise. My doubt is, had it been due to engine running at higher rpm, you should be able to hear the noise when ever the engine reaches a similar speed. You may also hear such whinning noise through minute air leaks. So check if all windows panes are raised and ensure there is hardly any gap for air to leak from outside.

I can hear the noise irrespective of whether the windows are closed or open. Also if the windows aren't completely closed, you would hear a sort of whistling noise with which I am familiar. I am sure it's not the wind noise. And the noise is noticed only when the speeds are above 110kmph. But then, I seldom revv the engine at lower gears.

sgiitk:
Also, as the whine is speed dependent it should not be too difficult to run at the same speed into two different gears. It will immediately tell a lot.

I am not comfortable to shifting from fifth to fourth when I am going at 110+kmph.

aargee:
@Honeybee - Boy!!! if you're so concerned about this issue, take it to a good H.A.S.S after consulting with our fellow BHPians & I'm confident you'll get this issue sorted out in no time.

The problem is with a good HASS which is so hard to find. I would have to take the service adviser onto the expressway and demonstrate the problem first hand. And then expect him to find the correct solution and fix it.


Many thanks to each and everyone for their suggestions. From the discussions and after comparing it with my driving experiences, I am guessing the noise may be due to one of these two factors:

1. High engine RPM: I high-revv the engine for long periods mostly in the fifth gear and that too when cruising on the expressway. I have high-revved it just a few times in the fourth or third gear to overtake a stubborn truck or so, so I haven't observed very diligently if the engine made a similar whining noise at high rpms in these two gears. I shall try and do that the next time I am on the expressway.

2. Transmission/Gear box: Again, the noise is only noticed after 110kmph. Assuming the gearbox is prone to making noise, wouldn't it be manifest other times as well? I usually am in fifth gear from 70kmph onwards. So if the gearbox made any noise, it should be heard even at 100kmph. Please correct me if I am wrong.

So right now, high rpms seems to be the cause of the whine. Also even after more than a year of this whine, I haven't experienced any deterioration in the engine performance, so there are chances that I may just have to live with this whine as normal behaviour.