[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by sr_beat

@Soumyajit9: What about down-shifting? I should go to the lower gear when the RPM goes below 1000??

Yes, you can downshift at 1k or when you hear the ring sound. The ring sound indicates that the engine is now dying. I do it at 1k, sometimes lower even. But if you happen to hear the ring sound, immediately downshift !! It also kinda depends how free is the clutch play.

I have read at many places that frequent gear shift stresses the engine and affects FE. So downshift only when neccesary (but avoid excess use of clutch too).

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

The shifting range of 2k is very good. Not sure of what is an Engine Braking ? Hearing for the 1st time. Advice please.

Basically engine braking is, use of lower gears while at higher speed to slow down the car. Say you are cruising at 60 in 4th gear and you spot a red signal a bit ahead of you, so to slow down, remove your foot from A pedal, shift to 3rd, let the car slow down, then to 2nd, then coming to final stop, press the brake.

This will help you achieve better FE, Will keep your brakes a bit cooler. From last few months, I am trying to master this art of using engine braking and now it is the part of my driving. I don't use brakes unless i have to come to dead stop or in emergency condition, Otherwise i use engine braking, as much as possible

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

Basically engine braking is, use of lower gears while at higher speed to slow down the car. Say you are cruising at 60 in 4th gear and you spot a red signal a bit ahead of you, so to slow down, remove your foot from A pedal, shift to 3rd, let the car slow down, then to 2nd, then coming to final stop, press the brake.

This will help you achieve better FE, Will keep your brakes a bit cooler. From last few months, I am trying to master this art of using engine braking and now it is the part of my driving. I don't use brakes unless i have to come to dead stop or in emergency condition, Otherwise i use engine braking, as much as possible

Ohh, like that !! Thanks for the good suggestion. I thought it would stress out the engine. But since you said it gives good FE, I'll try to practice it.

By the way, has anyone faced the peculiar problem that I'm facing lately.
Say, I'm driving at 40kmph, and I need to slow down. So the moment I take off my foot from the accelerator pedal, the engine starts giving jerks. I either have to either completely press the clutch or brake down a lot and downshift. The Lowest RPM is 1k and the Highest is 2.5k max. Is there a problem with the clutch play or something wrong with the spark plug or engine oil ? My wife says she feels lot of jerks now a days and asks me why am I driving rashly (which I am not).

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Ohh, like that !! Thanks for the good suggestion. I thought it would stress out the engine. But since you said it gives good FE, I'll try to practice it.

By the way, has anyone faced the peculiar problem that I'm facing lately.
Say, I'm driving at 40kmph, and I need to slow down. So the moment I take off my foot from the accelerator pedal, the engine starts giving jerks. I either have to either completely press the clutch or brake down a lot and downshift. The Lowest RPM is 1k and the Highest is 2.5k max. Is there a problem with the clutch play or something wrong with the spark plug or engine oil ? My wife says she feels lot of jerks now a days and asks me why am I driving rashly (which I am not).

No, it wont strain the engine, Unless and until you downshift to shorter at higher speed ( comparatively ), Means don't shift to 2nd at 60, first shift to 3rd then 2nd.

And on rest of the part of your post, when you remove your foot from accelerator, shift down one gear and let the car slow down. It won't give you jerks, plus engine braking will come into the play

[sr_beat]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Ohh, like that !! Thanks for the good suggestion. I thought it would stress out the engine. But since you said it gives good FE, I'll try to practice it.

By the way, has anyone faced the peculiar problem that I'm facing lately.
Say, I'm driving at 40kmph, and I need to slow down. So the moment I take off my foot from the accelerator pedal, the engine starts giving jerks. I either have to either completely press the clutch or brake down a lot and downshift. The Lowest RPM is 1k and the Highest is 2.5k max. Is there a problem with the clutch play or something wrong with the spark plug or engine oil ? My wife says she feels lot of jerks now a days and asks me why am I driving rashly (which I am not).

The jerk like symptoms i have experienced is when i keep the vehicle in neutral stopping at signals where there are no counters (not sure when the signal will turn green so keep it on). The RPM looks constant and after 1-1.5 minutes i get a jerk which makes me look whether someone touched the vehicle from behind. Its only when it happened again that i noticed that its something to do with engine idling. I switch-off the engine at Red lights, whenever i dont then i get this small jerk after 1-1.5 minutes of idling.This is my experience.

[InfinteLoop]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

what is an Engine Braking ?

Try not to use the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle as much as possible. Instead foresee potential bottle necks in traffic(red light, people crossing the road, dog crossing the road etc.) and take the foot from the accelerator. When the vehicle is in gear and the foot is off the accelerator pedal , the vehicle has its own braking effect termed "Engine braking".

Going one step further and down shifting from the current gear to a lower gear increases this breaking effect. but since there would be an increase in the engine rev, i doubt it will have a positive impact on the fuel economy.

[sr_beat]

Originally Posted by InfinteLoop

Try not to use the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle as much as possible. Instead foresee potential bottle necks in traffic(red light, people crossing the road, dog crossing the road etc.) and take the foot from the accelerator. When the vehicle is in gear and the foot is off the accelerator pedal , the vehicle has its own braking effect termed "Engine braking".

Going one step further and down shifting from the current gear to a lower gear increases this breaking effect. but since there would be an increase in the engine rev, i doubt it will have a positive impact on the fuel economy.

I noticed the same. When your riding on Highways where you foresee a bottleneck and have room to slow down you can apply the engine braking concept and naturally slow down, but in city traffic where you have to act instantly, when i apply this and downshift its rev'ing the engine too much on the lower gear and i am forced to apply brake. Maybe its a optimal method to adopt in highways and in some city based scenarios but a good one to know for sure.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by InfinteLoop

Going one step further and down shifting from the current gear to a lower gear increases this breaking effect. but since there would be an increase in the engine rev, i doubt it will have a positive impact on the fuel economy.

Agree. Add to the fact that sudden lane changes by other vehicles every two minutes of our commute, bumper to bumper traffic and unexpected obstructions and the leg will be on the brakes constantly.
Engine braking is more effective on highways and the hills. You cannot solely depend on it in the city unless you drive at such hours that you don't find any traffic. Plus I don't think there is any significant mileage increase by not using the brakes.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody.
Sometime back read about the frequent problem of fuel pump in a petrol Beat.
Seems somebody has posted about it.
Can somebody please guide how to identify it? I have a recollection that there is a whistling sound when you turn on the ignition. In my case it happens at times, not always. As my 3 year Chevrolet promise is expiring by mid may somebody please guide how do I go about it.(I took it to a garage in Udaipur and started 4 times but there was no whistling sound)
Incidentally how much does a fuel pump replacement cost?
Thanks and regards

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Hi everybody.
Sometime back read about the frequent problem of fuel pump in a petrol Beat.
Seems somebody has posted about it.
Can somebody please guide how to identify it? I have a recollection that there is a whistling sound when you turn on the ignition. In my case it happens at times, not always. As my 3 year Chevrolet promise is expiring by mid may somebody please guide how do I go about it.(I took it to a garage in Udaipur and started 4 times but there was no whistling sound)
Incidentally how much does a fuel pump replacement cost?
Thanks and regards

Identifying the problem:
- Roll up all the windows.
- Switch off AC and Music System.
- Keep an eye on the speedometer console and switch on the Ignition.
- The Red Light on the Fuel Indicator would come up.
- Simultaneously, you would hear a whistle sound from the rear end of the car. Specifically under the rear seat.
- The moment the Red Light goes off, the whistle sound should stop.
This is essentially a check of the fuel pump for fuel level.

The technicalities behind this, as explained to me by the Chevy Service Engineer, who came to fix my Beat's Fuel Pump rat cut issue is as below:
There is a sensor which checks for the fuel level in the tank before releasing to the engine. The whistle sound indicates checking process and it should stop within 5 seconds. If it continues to whistle, there could be a problem with the sensors. Now the sensors also open a valve (apparently) which lets fuel pass to the engine. So if the sensors are not working and the noise is on, there are chances that the fuel pump doesn't release fuel to the engine.
So in an ideal condition during driving, the noise should disappear, indicating that the fuel is passing on to engine. If the whistle is there during driving also, its a problem.

My Beat is into its 3rd year (and last year of warranty) and has been giving me the whistle sound even during driving. It been like this for about 8 months now. Have to get it replaced.

The 3 year warranty covers this. The only thing that may not be in your favour is Luck. So everytime I take my Beat to make the Service Advisor hear the whistle sound during driving, it disappears the moment I enter the A.S.S.

I am not sure of the pricing of the Fuel Pump, post warranty. I would recommend to visit and get it replaced during warranty, if you happen to hear the noise during driving even.

[myavu]

@ Soumyajit9

Come May 16, my Beaty too will turn 3.

Had booked the service on 18th May.

What all are to be checked in 3rd year service? My running is not that great. Just touching 20000. Last service I already changed Engine oil and Filter. Apart from that it is a fill it - shut it running.

I had opted for an extended warranty at the time of purchase for 5 years. You can also opt it before the warranty runs out.

Cheers!

Vinu

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by myavu

@ Soumyajit9
Come May 16, my Beaty too will turn 3.
Had booked the service on 18th May.
What all are to be checked in 3rd year service? My running is not that great. Just touching 20000. Last service I already changed Engine oil and Filter. Apart from that it is a fill it - shut it running.
I had opted for an extended warranty at the time of purchase for 5 years. You can also opt it before the warranty runs out.
Cheers!
Vinu

Hey Vinu,
Congrats on completing 3 years (or is it entering into 3rd year ?) of your Beat !! Its' a wonderful car and me and my family just love it.
Hopefully all the scheduled services were peaceful, unlike mine and Abhishek's.

My Beat completed 2 years and I got the 20k Service done last month. Since there were oil changes that were done in 15k, this service was relatively easier without any major work done.

Below is the breakdown of the work done on my Beat's 20k service.
Poller (Air) Filter: Rs 410.48
Paid Service: Rs 975
Front Brake Cleaning: Rs 350
Consumables: Rs. 350
Blah Blah Taxes: Rs 267

Apart from the above, the service included general washing, cleaning, nut bolts tightening. Make sure that if you have any rattles / noise, point it out to the Service Advisor. A majority of us (Beat owners) have rattles/noise from the rear end of the car. Plus, make sure that you are not encountering any Fuel Pump issue, which is common with Petrol Beats. To check if you are having Fuel Pump noise, perform the steps I have mentioned in my post above.

Since you have opted for the 5 year extended warranty, I guess it covers all the parts and consumables. You would need to pay only the labour and taxes.
I am still thinking about taking the extended warranty. As such the Chevy dealers and their service centers are pathetic. I am yet to get known to a good service center in Bangalore who deals nicely with Beat. May be if I find one, I will not extend the warranty with Chevy.

Edit: If you happen to be in Delhi, get in touch with AbhishekB86 and samarth.bhatia. They are our Point of Contact for Beat owners in Delhi.

[myavu]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Hey Vinu,
Congrats on completing 3 years (or is it entering into 3rd year ?) of your Beat !! Its' a wonderful car and me and my family just love it.
Hopefully all the scheduled services were peaceful, unlike mine and Abhishek's.

Yes she is completing 3rd year

All my services are updated here in Beat thread

5th Service (2.5 year's) - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2965148

4th Service (2 year's) - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2783411

3rd Service (1.5 year's) -

1. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2584497

2. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2593335

3. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2594830

4. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2598405

I too faced a problem during 3rd Service, but GM managed it well.

Cheers!

Vinu

[faustus77]

Saumyajit
Hi
Thanks for the explanation.
When I put on the ignition the whistling sound is not always audible. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't. However have never heard the same when driving. Is it continuous and always audible?
As mentioned in my post, when I started the car 4 times at the service center in Udaipur, no whistling.(Totally agree about banging your head against the wall)
Took the delivery of the car on 27th May 2010. Still a few days to go. In case you get the price of the fuel pump could you please PM.
Thanks and regards
PS:Spoke to mr.Sajjt on sunday. He too mentioned that you were very knowledgeable.
Incidentally he has PM d that the fuel pump issue cropped up after 2011 models. Any idea?

[superutp]

Guess whats back on my Beat