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I noticed a problem today in R3. The fuel meter did not light up all the way to the top like it usually does on a full tank.

The first time it happened, I thought it could be a case of less fuel. As I had asked the attendant to stop fuelling at auto-cut, I thought may be it's a case of vapor lock.

So as soon as this was noticed I stopped, turned around, and went back to the bunk. The auto-cut tripped again. But the fuel meter reading did not budge. I asked him to manually fill in diesel till the brim, while gently swaying the car. Another 3 litres were ingested this way. The fuel meter reading stayed where it was.

Interestingly when I turn the key in the ignition , and the dashboard lights up, I can see the fuel meter light going up all the way to the top before climbing back.

I am not sure if this could be an issue with the float or something else.

Any ideas people?

An update.

I went to the Koncept Mahindra service point, and the ever smiling Manish and Rajinder acknowledged that this issue was that of a faulty sender/float.
As a rectification would involve draining the tank, I decided to get it attended to in the next service.
Mysteriously enough, thereafter, the sender decided to behave itself and now shows a full tank - albeit after having been driven 11 km.

Problems sorting themselves out - now that's a first !! :D

I had noticed a lot of vibration and rattling especially at low speeds. Opening the bonnet revealed that the inner part of the air scoop had gotten separated from the bonnet and was sitting on top of the intercooler guard, along with three of those push-button type fasteners (excuse the non-technical terms but not sure what these are called!) Anyway, I had to prise the thing off as the spongy layer at the bottom had got bonded to the plastic surround / covering of the intercooler, but once I re-attached it using the fasteners this problem went away. Wish I had thought to click some pics but the garage was pretty dark and they would not have come out well anyway.

This is about my 2004 Non-Crde Gear Drive Scorpio.
Update about the solenoid switch problem. Finally managed to get the Solenoid Switch Replaced without removing the fuel pump 4 days back. The switch costed Rs 600 from Authorized Bosch Dealer. This resolved the Engine not shutting off for a few seconds after turning off.

Now there has been a major problem today. It seems Nazaar Lag gahi meri Scorpio ko.
In the last 12 years of ownership and 1,30,000 kms never once have I been stranded on the road for any problem.
Today I got a full tank fuel filled at Pushpanjali, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj. Bought a system D and added 4 cap fulls to the Full tank.
As I started driving back home just 1 km out of the Petrol Pump, the engine sudenly started picking up raise and huge smoke started coming out. My foot was off the accelerator but the rpms started going very high. I put the car in neutral and turned the ignition off, and managed to stear to the side of the road. The engine came to rest after 15-30 seconds with heavy smoke and strange sound.

When I opened the bonnet, i saw that the heater coolant pipe had also burst and all the coolent had spilled all over. I don't know if this happened first and caused the engine racing problem or the engine racing caused this pipe to burst.
The Scorpio wasn't hot at all and coolant was full. The engine was turned on merely 4 minutes before this happened at the petrol pump. Even after the incident when I turned on the ignition the temperature was at normal level.
I waited for my mechanics for 20-30 minutes without trying anything.
When my mechanics arrived they told me to try to start the engine, a few selfs happened with a strange sound and after that it was stuck. The Engine was seized it seemed.
We towed the Scorpio to my mechanics workshop and have left it there.
They told me something seems to be broken inside the engine. Another thought that came to their mind is sometimes because of Turbo Failure such heavy smoke and Engine Racing happens.
The engine will be opened tomorrow and then only will we know what is the state.
I am just hoping that the engine is repairable.
Does anybody have any idea what could have caused this and what could have happened ?
I have an emotional attachment to my scorpio and somehow love it more than my swanky Toyota Camry. It was a sad day to encounter this.

Styler

Query - How to avoid Body rolling in Scorpio (trying to make Highway driving more comfortable)

Model - 2012 Mhawk (Running on Stock Tyres and suspension)

During Wheel Alignment and Balancing, the technician suggested me to try installing a pair of 'Comfortable Buffer' for the rear suspension (Coil Spring). According to him this additional rubber will enhance the drive stability and control body rolling. It will increase the height by 0.5 inch approx.

Those rubbers are manufactured by A1 and costing Rs.1250 each (3 months warranty).

It looked similar to the pic attached.

Has anyone tried these rubbers on Scorpio's. Experts - please advice.

I do not recall any member trying this in the Scorpio, but GTO gave this a try in his Civic & results were satisfying. You may read a bit more here.

Additionally, change the suspension bushes and other rubber related parts of suspension as well as the stabilizer bar. New tires will help if odo has crossed 50K.

I did go through that thread, it might make good difference in Sedans.

Wondering how does it result in SUV's and prons and cons if any.

I did not follow why the change of stabilizer bar - did the original suffer damage or does the new bar have additional properties?

Hello Styler,
I've started following your posts with interest since I too am the owner of a 2004 (June '04) non-CRD Scorpio Glx. Your remark about the emotional attachment to your Scorpio resonated with me. We too are deeply attached to ours and the thought that we may have to part company (only because of niggling worries about the current talk of banning of old diesels) depresses us too. Thankfully we have not had any major issues with our Bucephalus, apart from a couple of shunts on the highway. We do a good deal of touring and till date the vehicle has not let us down, stranded far from home! The real reason why I'm partial to M&M's products!

No doubt you too spend a lot of TLC on your Scorpio, so it is surprising that you should have this problem so soon after adding the system D to the fuel tank. A turbo breakdown is perfectly possible in older cars, specially if the 1-minute idling (before shutting down after a long brisk run & prior to a high speed run on a really cold morning!) has not been followed. But knowing your attachment to the Scorpio, I'm sure this would not be the cause. I'll be following your thread keenly to know how the problem is resolved.

Your earlier problem (continuing to idle after switching off is also common in older diesels) had happened to us too & the solution (as mentioned by SS-Traveller) was replacing the shut-off solenoid. The solenoid activates/deactivates a shut-off line valve (allowing or cutting off fuel to the engine) and with age, the valve/valve seat develops minor leaks due to normal wear & tear - the way of all flesh!

Looking forward to the resolution of your current problem & keeping fingers crossed that the story has a happy ending!

New stabilizer bar to be replaced if the older one is faulty which sometimes happens pre-maturely.

My bad, should have been more clear :)

No problem, Sheel, you're most welcome. But come to think of it, if an after market anti-roll bar (larger section & higher torsional strength & bending moment) is available for the Scorpio, that wouldn't be a bad idea for improved handling!

The Scorpio is at FNG Kumar and Harvinder's garage (Listed in Team-bhp directory) in Vasant Kunj. Met afew Team-BHP members there today morning.
Okay so here is the update.
The head was opened, and the picture wasn't too good.
2 Valves of the third Cylender had broken damaging that piston and the head. The push rods were bent. The turbo had oil so is also damaged.
The engine hadn't siezed though. After removing the head and the damaged valves, the pistons were moving freely and with very little play.

What caused the engine to race to very high rpms, breaking the valves and doing the damage still remains a mystery. The Scorpio was serviced with Oil Change etc barely 900 kms (2 weeks) before this incident at MASS. One suspicious thing we saw was that the thermostat body had a dirty piece of cloth tugged inside. In the last service at MASS, Koncept Automobiles, I had asked them to replace all coolant pipes etc and flush and add the new coolant. It is possible, a cloth was tugged in to stop the coolant from spilling in one of the hose pipes or something. That could have stopped the flow of coolant. But my mechanics say that even in that case the engine can heat up but the engine cannot race and break valves.

For the first few years of ownership I meticulously followed the engine idling at start and stop. I have to admit that after that the engine idling rule was not followed always. But Turbo failing could also not have caused the Engine to race in this way I think.

Now the engine is is undergoing a complete rebuild. The good thing is that this engine has removable sleeves (Similar to Trucks) in which the Pistons move.

We managed to source a good condition head from Mayapuri (Second hand Car Parts Market in Delhi). We also got one piston from there.
We have got a new Genuine Mahindra Sleeve set, Piston Ring Set, Valve Set, Packing Kit, Oilseals, Tappet Bolts etc.

Now that the engine is being rebuilt we took out the fuel pump and injectors and got these serviced, and re-configured from Authorized Bosch Diesel Service Center - Guru Nanak Diesel in Gurgoan. This was the same place I had visited for the solenoid switch a week back.

The only major part to be still sourced is the Turbo Charger. I have been told that Mahindra Uses a TEL Turbo Charger. The Turbo charger is available both in Mahindra Packing and TEL Packing. The Mahindra Branded TEL Turbocharger is more expensive by 4-5K.
I contacted a TEL Dealer for the Turbocharger and he told me there were two models (Part No 53039700088 and Part No: 53049700027) and he wasn't sure which one will go in our Scorpio.
We will remove the current one and see the Part No if we can see it.

It's a decision from the heart not the head to spend a lot of money to get this engine rebuilt. My Scorpio does not have a spot of rust, and all other parts like AC / Clutch / Brakes / Music System, Tyres / Batter etc are in excellent condition so I decided to get it up again. In the last 2 years, I got new battery, new tyres, Complete AC overall with new Compressor, Cooling Coil, Condensor, Blower motor etc.

My Scorpio has been to Leh Thrice , and uncountable trips on the highways and hills. This was the first time in 12 years that my vehicle stalled on the road and I had to call the mechanics.


Styler

Seems that power steering is loosing oil! Any takes??

Took some picture from beneath, looks like its the power steering , correct me if i am wrong?

That does sound seriously bad. From the above (and purely conjecture on my part), the bent push-rods, the damaged piston, liner & head seems to indicate a problem with valve timing (timing chain issues or perhaps a displacement in the chain drive train). This would usually have several possible ramifications, which I'm sure the technicians at the W/shop would probe. The linen caught in the thermostat is not a major issue (as the mech. has mentioned) since you would get ample tell-tale warning of abnormal coolant temperature.
You haven't mentioned the damage to the T/charger, tho' it is likely that minor debris from the damaged combustion chamber has found its way (via exh. manifold) to the turbine rotor with consequential damage.
As you say, your decision is from the heart & since you are going for an engine rebuild, it might be a good idea to check the #3 unit B/end bearing too (major download shock) & replace the shells if needed, while dressing up the journal surface & clearing out any blocked lubrication passages.

Our Scorpio too has been gallivanting around the country over the years. Innumerable trips (at least once a year, often twice) to Uttaranchal (Naukuchiatal) from Mumbai, via Lucknow, and back to Mumbai (4000+ km round trip). My thread (Naukuchiatal - Far from the madding crowd) covers our addiction to the place, which is still ongoing. We also take in the occasional trip to Kolkata from Lucknow, to Madikeri(Coorg distt) from Mumbai & the mandatory trips to Goa and the usual Mumbai outreaches. Like I said earlier, all this without a murmur of protest so far. So, yes, a fellow Scorpio's debacle comes straight home. There, but for the grace of God, goes Shashanka. It can happen to me tomorrow, I know. I'll continue following your posts on this with close interest, particularly the damages to the treasury!
Shashanka

Thanks for the tips. I have been trying to get information about what could have happened. What has exactly happened is a rare occurrence in older diesel engines and the phenomena is called "Diesel Engine Runaway" .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_engine_runaway. Although there could be many causes for this to happen in my case it was probably the turbo failure which caused it. In the last service at MASS the service advisor told me there was some oil leaking into the turbocharger. He told me that I could let it continue and it would do no harm. This was incorrect. The lesson that others can take from this is - if ever you find oil in the turbo charger just replace it. It can cause the Engine Runaway and total damage as it happened with my Scorpio.

Update :
The Engine rebuild is almost complete. The head was installed yesterday.
As i mentioned earlier we sourced a second hand head in perfect condition along with a single piston.

We Installed a complete sleeve set (All 4 Cylenders) New Valves and Valve Guides, New Piston Rings. The pistons have no play inside the new Sleeves.
The timing chain etc was checked with the adjusters and it seemed fine. The Fuel Pump and Injectors were serviced and calibrated at the Mico Bosch Diesel Service Center.

I bought a new Turbocharger (Mahindra - Rs 18,500) . The TEL which supplies to Mahindra was also available for 16,300 but I went with Mahindra.

Now the work will be completed by tomorrow and I will update about how it goes.

Naukuchiatal is a beautiful lake and I have been there a few times some years ago. We stayed at the Uttranchal Vikas Mandal Hotel on the banks.

Styler