Engine jerk/glitch

Abhay · 17th February 2006, 10:44

Well well well....the first real problem (still may turn out to be a false alarm) I have had in my car in about 9000 kms...
I started out at 8am yday morning...and the car gave a coupla jerks while in low rpm...I was like maybe due to the cold engine but when I was in neutral at a signal I noticed the rpm was wavering/ up n down from abt 800 to 650 (rough since the tacho has a least count of 250 rpm)..which was quite low and the engine was jerking on its own...then in any gear I shifted this would happen til the rpm rose to abt 1.5k.. I have never had any engine jerk problems till y'day and I was kinda worried. I reached office and decided to show it to service guys (car had its 2nd service just last week)

In the evening though it seemed to lessen and at one point on my drive back it suddenly disappeared completely ! The car was able to stay in low rpm in 3rd or 4th gears in traffic like it usually does and I was kinda relieved.
Also when it was jerking earlier I noticed a lack of power too as the rpm would not rise quickly when I pressed the throttle.

Should I show this to the mechanics even though now there doesnt seem to be a problem? What could be the reasons though?
Bad fuel ? ( I filled last saturday at HP pump on University Rd opposite Agriculturel College - Pune ppl will know this...) ECU problems ? Sensor or what.....since it seems to have rectified itself I am thinking poor fuel....experts ?

amitoj · 17th February 2006, 11:04

A bad fuel problem wont take almost a week to show up (since u filled on saturday and the problem showed up on thursday), unless you didnt take the car out until thursday!
Isnt ur car almost due for servicing ?

Zappo · 17th February 2006, 11:42

Abhay... I think what happened was that some piece of accumulated junk (could be carbon deposit or any other floating deposits) broke loose. This was hindering the flow of fuel to the engine thus causing the jerk. Once it cleaned up the vehicle stopped jerking. The fact that it was jerking even when you were parked on neutral only makes me more suspiscious.

I would say you take the car once to the servcie station and tell them the problem as well as ask them to check the fuel tank for any sort of accumulated debris. If something manages to clog some fuel line permanently or worse still some smaller particle lands up inside the engine it may not turn out to be such a good experience.

P.S. Sometimes even air blockage can cause the engine to jerk till it escapes.

2fast4u · 17th February 2006, 13:20

if you have tanked up recently just see to it that the petrol cap is closed properly. and as zappo says its not getting proper fuel, blocked line / air / grime in the line. just keep observing it or if u r in doubt visit the service guys.

ancer · 17th February 2006, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abhay

I was in neutral at a signal I noticed the rpm was wavering/ up n down from abt 800 to 650 (rough since the tacho has a least count of 250 rpm)..?

i am no expert but, i did face the same problem with a 5 year old car. the problem engine needed to be tuned, they even did a temp job where the Mechanic ajusted the axel cabled located near your engine!

Abhay · 17th February 2006, 16:09

amitoj, I did drive the car on Tuesday and no problems then.....btw car was serviiced just last tuesday!
afast4u , I will check the fuel cap just in case, and yes I will ask the service guys too...

2fast4u · 17th February 2006, 17:27

THERES u are now. well if it was serviced then its some error on mechanic part.
1) check oil level if it was changed - i had similar problem just a month back due to excess oil filled.
2) check air filter if all is secure. hoses etc
3) engine needs to me timed - mech can help u on that.

turbo_c · 19th February 2006, 22:52

Had a similar problem in my MPFI Esteem some time back... Mine was caused by a loose fuel injector connector.

Im not sure if your Indica runs on petrol, but if it does you can try what I did:

In my case, one cylinder was not firing consistently, I figured that out from the feel of the engine and the noise from the exhaust. To confirm, with the engine running, I momentarily disconnected the spark plug of each cylinder (one at a time). Every time I disconnected the spark plug of a cylinder that was firing correctly, the engine would become (more) unsteady. Finally, when I disconnected the spark plug of one of the cylinders, the engine didn't get any more unsteady... so this was my "faulty" cylinder.

I reconnected it's spark plug cable after ensuring that it was indeed getting power (by allowing the free end of the cable to spark against the engine block), then started fidgeting with the fuel injector connector and viola !

Once I identified the problem, I just cleaned out the connector with WD-40 and my engine has been purring like a dream for the last 4 months.

(Still, I carry a small can of WD-40 just in case

)

- T u r b o C -

nitrous · 19th February 2006, 23:01

I've had this problem before and have heard a lot of people having this.

Ignition Coil. This happens because of a faulty coil which renders 1 or more spark plugs to misfire.

Check and replace if needed.

PS: U didn't mention what car this is.

Mpower · 19th February 2006, 23:37

Nitrous, check out the signature, its there. Lgi is petrol?

nitrous · 20th February 2006, 00:02

Oh, Mpower. I forgot to check his signature.

Then, he must still be having his warranty. But, i'm not sure if tata provide warranty for electrical parts. Ford doesn't.

Abhay · 20th February 2006, 12:09

its an Indica petrol indeed!
Yes the car is under warranty and I have given it to the service guys again y'day..He said it will be ready today.

Thanks for the suggestions I will let you know what the problem was when I find out myself....

sajo · 2nd July 2006, 20:58

I think this is a recurring problem with Tata petrol vehicles. Both the Indica we had and the current Indigo have developed slight jerking, similar to that mentioned by Abhay. The Indigo is just back from servicing, and the problem is still there. Will send it back again on Tuesday. And on both cars, the problem was particulary pronounced in the monsoons. I wonder why..

heelntoe · 2nd July 2006, 23:18

i agree with sajo. our brand new indica xeta is having starting trouble in the mornings and after it has started it will jerk until driven for a certain distance(just reving it will not make it go away). will be taking it in tomorrow to see whats up

sajo · 2nd July 2006, 23:27

Yups..the jerking goes away after some time, but not necessarily so. As heelntoe mentioned, it does not disappear by revving it. Could it be an ECU fault?
@Abhay : What was the cause as told to you by the service station?

17th February 2006, 10:44	#1
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	Engine jerk/glitch Well well well....the first real problem (still may turn out to be a false alarm) I have had in my car in about 9000 kms... I started out at 8am yday morning...and the car gave a coupla jerks while in low rpm...I was like maybe due to the cold engine but when I was in neutral at a signal I noticed the rpm was wavering/ up n down from abt 800 to 650 (rough since the tacho has a least count of 250 rpm)..which was quite low and the engine was jerking on its own...then in any gear I shifted this would happen til the rpm rose to abt 1.5k.. I have never had any engine jerk problems till y'day and I was kinda worried. I reached office and decided to show it to service guys (car had its 2nd service just last week) In the evening though it seemed to lessen and at one point on my drive back it suddenly disappeared completely ! The car was able to stay in low rpm in 3rd or 4th gears in traffic like it usually does and I was kinda relieved. Also when it was jerking earlier I noticed a lack of power too as the rpm would not rise quickly when I pressed the throttle. Should I show this to the mechanics even though now there doesnt seem to be a problem? What could be the reasons though? Bad fuel ? ( I filled last saturday at HP pump on University Rd opposite Agriculturel College - Pune ppl will know this...) ECU problems ? Sensor or what.....since it seems to have rectified itself I am thinking poor fuel....experts ? Last edited by Abhay : 17th February 2006 at 10:46.
	() Thanks

17th February 2006, 11:04	#2
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,348 Thanked: 3,093 Times View My Garage	A bad fuel problem wont take almost a week to show up (since u filled on saturday and the problem showed up on thursday), unless you didnt take the car out until thursday! Isnt ur car almost due for servicing ?
	() Thanks

17th February 2006, 11:42	#3
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,922 Thanked: 2,696 Times	Abhay... I think what happened was that some piece of accumulated junk (could be carbon deposit or any other floating deposits) broke loose. This was hindering the flow of fuel to the engine thus causing the jerk. Once it cleaned up the vehicle stopped jerking. The fact that it was jerking even when you were parked on neutral only makes me more suspiscious. I would say you take the car once to the servcie station and tell them the problem as well as ask them to check the fuel tank for any sort of accumulated debris. If something manages to clog some fuel line permanently or worse still some smaller particle lands up inside the engine it may not turn out to be such a good experience. P.S. Sometimes even air blockage can cause the engine to jerk till it escapes.
	() Thanks

17th February 2006, 13:20	#4
2fast4u BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: pune / Bahrain Posts: 488 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	if you have tanked up recently just see to it that the petrol cap is closed properly. and as zappo says its not getting proper fuel, blocked line / air / grime in the line. just keep observing it or if u r in doubt visit the service guys.
	() Thanks

17th February 2006, 16:09	#6
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	amitoj, I did drive the car on Tuesday and no problems then.....btw car was serviiced just last tuesday! afast4u , I will check the fuel cap just in case, and yes I will ask the service guys too...
	() Thanks

17th February 2006, 17:27	#7
2fast4u BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: pune / Bahrain Posts: 488 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	THERES u are now. well if it was serviced then its some error on mechanic part. 1) check oil level if it was changed - i had similar problem just a month back due to excess oil filled. 2) check air filter if all is secure. hoses etc 3) engine needs to me timed - mech can help u on that.
	() Thanks

19th February 2006, 22:52	#8
turbo_c BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Pune / Mumbai Posts: 132 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Had a similar problem in my MPFI Esteem some time back... Mine was caused by a loose fuel injector connector. Im not sure if your Indica runs on petrol, but if it does you can try what I did: In my case, one cylinder was not firing consistently, I figured that out from the feel of the engine and the noise from the exhaust. To confirm, with the engine running, I momentarily disconnected the spark plug of each cylinder (one at a time). Every time I disconnected the spark plug of a cylinder that was firing correctly, the engine would become (more) unsteady. Finally, when I disconnected the spark plug of one of the cylinders, the engine didn't get any more unsteady... so this was my "faulty" cylinder. I reconnected it's spark plug cable after ensuring that it was indeed getting power (by allowing the free end of the cable to spark against the engine block), then started fidgeting with the fuel injector connector and viola ! Once I identified the problem, I just cleaned out the connector with WD-40 and my engine has been purring like a dream for the last 4 months. (Still, I carry a small can of WD-40 just in case ) - T u r b o C -
	() Thanks

19th February 2006, 23:01	#9
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	I've had this problem before and have heard a lot of people having this. Ignition Coil. This happens because of a faulty coil which renders 1 or more spark plugs to misfire. Check and replace if needed. PS: U didn't mention what car this is.
	() Thanks

19th February 2006, 23:37	#10
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,730 Times View My Garage	Nitrous, check out the signature, its there. Lgi is petrol?
	() Thanks

20th February 2006, 00:02	#11
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: UAE/Lon/Madras Posts: 6,965 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Oh, Mpower. I forgot to check his signature. Then, he must still be having his warranty. But, i'm not sure if tata provide warranty for electrical parts. Ford doesn't.
	() Thanks

20th February 2006, 12:09	#12
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	its an Indica petrol indeed! Yes the car is under warranty and I have given it to the service guys again y'day..He said it will be ready today. Thanks for the suggestions I will let you know what the problem was when I find out myself....
	() Thanks

2nd July 2006, 20:58	#13
sajo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 2,625 Thanked: 1,153 Times	I think this is a recurring problem with Tata petrol vehicles. Both the Indica we had and the current Indigo have developed slight jerking, similar to that mentioned by Abhay. The Indigo is just back from servicing, and the problem is still there. Will send it back again on Tuesday. And on both cars, the problem was particulary pronounced in the monsoons. I wonder why..
	() Thanks

2nd July 2006, 23:18	#14
heelntoe BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: navi mumbai Posts: 240 Thanked: Once	i agree with sajo. our brand new indica xeta is having starting trouble in the mornings and after it has started it will jerk until driven for a certain distance(just reving it will not make it go away). will be taking it in tomorrow to see whats up
	() Thanks

2nd July 2006, 23:27	#15
sajo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 2,625 Thanked: 1,153 Times	Yups..the jerking goes away after some time, but not necessarily so. As heelntoe mentioned, it does not disappear by revving it. Could it be an ECU fault? @Abhay : What was the cause as told to you by the service station?
	() Thanks