Strange starting problem in the Swift VXI

CANPUSH · 6th May 2011, 15:05

My brother in law owns a swift VXi model that is 4 years old.

Last fortnight twice he faced a strange problem. When he shut down the engine the car refused to start again. On both occasions he pushed started the car and it worked. After that for more than one week no such problem was seen.

Two days before it happened again.

He took his car to Maruti A. S. S. and had complete check up. They were not able to locate the problem. They checked battery, starting motor, entire electrical circuit but were not able to locate where what is going wrong.

Can someone help?

Lalvaz · 6th May 2011, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by CANPUSH

My brother in law owns a swift VXi model that is 4 years old.

Last fortnight twice he faced a strange problem. When he shut down the engine the car refused to start again. On both occasions he pushed started the car and it worked. After that for more than one week no such problem was seen.

Two days before it happened again.

He took his car to Maruti A. S. S. and had complete check up. They were not able to locate the problem. They checked battery, starting motor, entire electrical circuit but were not able to locate where what is going wrong.

Can someone help?

Hmmm, it has to be a problem with the battery, starting motor or electrical issue, if its not starting normally. Considering that its 4 years old, it should likely be a battery issue. Request you to take it to a battery shop, and ask him to check it. Sometimes, a cell might be weak, and might cause intermittent issues for some time before finally dying out for good. Incase the battery is absolutely fine(doubtful), then it might be a problem with the starting motor.

Steve_Austin · 6th May 2011, 15:24

@Canpush

Battery's the first suspect always, but like you say the A$$ have checked that and don't find any issues there. There's another related and detailed thread and you might want to have a look at that :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-confused.html

In my case it was the starter solenoid and very distinct characteristic of a bad solenoid is the click while firing up.

ff1609 · 6th May 2011, 16:08

My advice, get a service battery from a battery shop, use the service battery for a few days and see if the problem occurs again. Else, it could be the starter.

Jaggu · 6th May 2011, 16:33

Check battery connection and grounding wires, then check the starter motor, if required service it. But if the battery is 4 years old also, it might be the battery.

CANPUSH · 8th May 2011, 07:42

Battery, entire electrical circuitry and starter are checked twice by Maruti A. S. S.

I will now advice him to get the solenoid checked. Also this is not everyday problem. But during last fortnight it has happened twice.

wild child · 9th May 2011, 08:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by CANPUSH

Battery, entire electrical circuitry and starter are checked twice by Maruti A. S. S.

I will now advice him to get the solenoid checked. Also this is not everyday problem. But during last fortnight it has happened twice.

hi

ask him to check the condition of the ignition key socket. A loose main line may be the culprit.

also, as many people pointed out, the battery is too old to still be alive. get it checked in 2~3 battery service outlets.

Check whether the battery terminals are tight or not. loose / rusted up terminals tend to supply current continuously to the starter motor. get the terminals scrubbed nicely with a rough emmery sheet. apply lots of vaseline on the terminals and the main wire and then clamp them together tightly.

get your alternator chked too. Incase your alternator is not pumping out sufficient current back to the battery, this situation could arise.

Check for all earth lines ( ICE / horn / spare light ) .

I believe your BIL's swift's equipped with EPS. Check out it's condition too. Short circuiting in this unit can also temporarily drain the battery resulting in greater outflow from the battery than the inflow from the alternator

happy driving

honeybee · 9th May 2011, 10:07

Was the engine hot when he switched it off? If the engine was hot and he switched off the engine without allowing the engine to cool down a little, then trying to start the engine immediately may cause this problem. I once faced this with my M800 when the engine was hot and I switched off the engine. It refused to come on again when I tried after half a minute.

Jaggu · 9th May 2011, 17:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by CANPUSH

Battery, entire electrical circuitry and starter are checked twice by Maruti A. S. S.

I will now advice him to get the solenoid checked. Also this is not everyday problem. But during last fortnight it has happened twice.

Forget checking, how old is the battery? and yes starter and starter solenoid also can be the issue.

Lalvaz · 9th May 2011, 18:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Forget checking, how old is the battery? and yes starter and starter solenoid also can be the issue.

It's in his first post. 4 years old, which is why I suspect the battery's the culprit.

Jaggu · 9th May 2011, 20:36

If starter comes out ok, then it can be battery. Batteries are totally unpredictable

heysac · 9th February 2014, 13:45

Hi All,

I have a K-Series 2010 Swift which has done only 7500 kms. It was serviced about two months back at a garage and all the fluids & filters were replaced (except fuel/petrol filter). The battery was replaced several months ago and doesn't seem to be the issue. Last evening, the engine didn't fire up after the self. It seemed that after the cranking, the engine was being cut-off since only the malfunction indicator yellow light remained lit while others went off. This morning, my dad tried to fire up the engine and it fired up but the same light was still on even after the car was moved a little bit. The manual says that when this light comes up, you need to get the "emission control system" serviced. Since my car hasn't done a lot of miles it seems one the sensors could be loose. Any suggestions would be appreciated?

P.S. It seems it was an indication from the almighty to not venture out last evening because I took the zen and had a small accident. An auto suddenly came in front from the other lane after the car in front of it stopped. Had a dent on the side, headlight broken and the bumper getting some major scratches from the stupid steel autos put on to prevent body damage! Thankfully we were not at fast speed cause ny 9 month old son was in my wife's lap on the front seat!

Thanks!

aswin ajith · 9th February 2014, 14:15

Hi heysac,

First of all, your 2010 K Series Swift has run only 7500 kms ? Which means in 4 years you have covered just 7500 kms. Have you done all the services as per manufacturer recommends service intervals irrespective of your odo reading ?
Also its been four years, so assuming you are out of warranty. Even then I would highly suggest you get your car thoroughly checked at a reputed Maruti A.S.S. Since you have your Check Engine light on its necessary to run diagnostics test on your car using Maruti s scanner, Tech2 IIRC. This need not be a problem, with the Emission control system. You will get to know the real problem only after running diagnostics test on your car. I recommend you take your car to the nearest Maruti A.S.S ASAP and get the issue rectified. Most likely that one of your sensors have gone bust O2, MAF and the likes.

PS:- I own a 2009 Ritz 1.2 K Series with 27k on the odo. Never experienced any issues till now.

heysac · 9th February 2014, 15:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by aswin ajith

First of all, your 2010 K Series Swift has run only 7500 kms ? Which means in 4 years you have covered just 7500 kms. Have you done all the services as per manufacturer recommends service intervals irrespective of your odo reading ?
Also its been four years, so assuming you are out of warranty.

I have been changing the engine oil annually and recently changed all the fluids & filters. The car is out of warranty since emission warranty is only for 3 years and did not have extended warranty.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aswin ajith

Even then I would highly suggest you get your car thoroughly checked at a reputed Maruti A.S.S. Since you have your Check Engine light on its necessary to run diagnostics test on your car using Maruti s scanner, Tech2 IIRC. This need not be a problem, with the Emission control system. You will get to know the real problem only after running diagnostics test on your car. I recommend you take your car to the nearest Maruti A.S.S ASAP and get the issue rectified. Most likely that one of your sensors have gone bust O2, MAF and the likes.

The manual states that this specific light comes up when there is a problem with the emission control system. I spoke with a garage owner and he advised me to reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery for 5-10 minutes. I just disconnected the battery and the warning light is gone!

If the problem comes back I will take the car to an ASS.

Thanks!

humyum · 9th February 2014, 15:45

Go to a MASS, ask them to connect the Tech 2/SDT and check what is the error code, that ll pin point to the problem in no time. Secondly after all this is done, I would advice you to take your car on the highway (alone and not with wife and kid) and give it a proper full throttle exercise. Your car has hardly run anything and a good Italian tune up will clear the throat of your car.

6th May 2011, 15:05	#1
CANPUSH BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: pune Posts: 400 Thanked: 206 Times	Strange starting problem in the Swift VXI My brother in law owns a swift VXi model that is 4 years old. Last fortnight twice he faced a strange problem. When he shut down the engine the car refused to start again. On both occasions he pushed started the car and it worked. After that for more than one week no such problem was seen. Two days before it happened again. He took his car to Maruti A. S. S. and had complete check up. They were not able to locate the problem. They checked battery, starting motor, entire electrical circuit but were not able to locate where what is going wrong. Can someone help?
	() Thanks

6th May 2011, 15:24	#3
Steve_Austin BHPian Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 74 Thanked: Once	Re: Swift Vxi starting problem @Canpush Battery's the first suspect always, but like you say the A$$ have checked that and don't find any issues there. There's another related and detailed thread and you might want to have a look at that : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-confused.html In my case it was the starter solenoid and very distinct characteristic of a bad solenoid is the click while firing up.
	() Thanks

6th May 2011, 16:08	#4
ff1609 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 166 Thanked: 67 Times	Re: Swift Vxi starting problem My advice, get a service battery from a battery shop, use the service battery for a few days and see if the problem occurs again. Else, it could be the starter.
	() Thanks

6th May 2011, 16:33	#5
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Re: Swift Vxi starting problem Check battery connection and grounding wires, then check the starter motor, if required service it. But if the battery is 4 years old also, it might be the battery.
	() Thanks

8th May 2011, 07:42	#6
CANPUSH BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: pune Posts: 400 Thanked: 206 Times	Re: Strange starting problem in the Swift VXI Battery, entire electrical circuitry and starter are checked twice by Maruti A. S. S. I will now advice him to get the solenoid checked. Also this is not everyday problem. But during last fortnight it has happened twice.
	() Thanks

9th May 2011, 10:07	#8
honeybee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Dombivli Posts: 3,056 Thanked: 2,139 Times View My Garage	Re: Strange starting problem in the Swift VXI Was the engine hot when he switched it off? If the engine was hot and he switched off the engine without allowing the engine to cool down a little, then trying to start the engine immediately may cause this problem. I once faced this with my M800 when the engine was hot and I switched off the engine. It refused to come on again when I tried after half a minute.
	() Thanks

9th May 2011, 20:36	#11
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Re: Strange starting problem in the Swift VXI If starter comes out ok, then it can be battery. Batteries are totally unpredictable
	() Thanks

9th February 2014, 13:45	#12
heysac BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 235 Thanked: 135 Times	Swift Not Starting - Problem with emission control system Hi All, I have a K-Series 2010 Swift which has done only 7500 kms. It was serviced about two months back at a garage and all the fluids & filters were replaced (except fuel/petrol filter). The battery was replaced several months ago and doesn't seem to be the issue. Last evening, the engine didn't fire up after the self. It seemed that after the cranking, the engine was being cut-off since only the malfunction indicator yellow light remained lit while others went off. This morning, my dad tried to fire up the engine and it fired up but the same light was still on even after the car was moved a little bit. The manual says that when this light comes up, you need to get the "emission control system" serviced. Since my car hasn't done a lot of miles it seems one the sensors could be loose. Any suggestions would be appreciated? P.S. It seems it was an indication from the almighty to not venture out last evening because I took the zen and had a small accident. An auto suddenly came in front from the other lane after the car in front of it stopped. Had a dent on the side, headlight broken and the bumper getting some major scratches from the stupid steel autos put on to prevent body damage! Thankfully we were not at fast speed cause ny 9 month old son was in my wife's lap on the front seat! Thanks! Last edited by heysac : 9th February 2014 at 14:09.
	() Thanks

9th February 2014, 14:15	#13
aswin ajith BHPian Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: KL 39 Posts: 144 Thanked: 396 Times	Re: Swift Not Starting - Problem with emission control system Hi heysac, First of all, your 2010 K Series Swift has run only 7500 kms ? Which means in 4 years you have covered just 7500 kms. Have you done all the services as per manufacturer recommends service intervals irrespective of your odo reading ? Also its been four years, so assuming you are out of warranty. Even then I would highly suggest you get your car thoroughly checked at a reputed Maruti A.S.S. Since you have your Check Engine light on its necessary to run diagnostics test on your car using Maruti s scanner, Tech2 IIRC. This need not be a problem, with the Emission control system. You will get to know the real problem only after running diagnostics test on your car. I recommend you take your car to the nearest Maruti A.S.S ASAP and get the issue rectified. Most likely that one of your sensors have gone bust O2, MAF and the likes. PS:- I own a 2009 Ritz 1.2 K Series with 27k on the odo. Never experienced any issues till now.
	() Thanks

9th February 2014, 15:45	#15
humyum Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,752 Thanked: 5,431 Times	Re: Swift Not Starting - Problem with emission control system Go to a MASS, ask them to connect the Tech 2/SDT and check what is the error code, that ll pin point to the problem in no time. Secondly after all this is done, I would advice you to take your car on the highway (alone and not with wife and kid) and give it a proper full throttle exercise. Your car has hardly run anything and a good Italian tune up will clear the throat of your car.
	(1) Thanks