[fireblade007]

In March 2013 I purchased my first car. That was a Maruti Suzuki Swift Zdi. I was happy with the performance of my Swift.

I married in October 2013. My wife was not happy with the ride quality of Swift. She was always complaining that jerks from potholes were easily transmitted to the passengers without much buffering from the suspension. My parents home is about 200 kms from where I stay . My wifes house is about 360 kms from where we stay. Wife was easily getting back pain while travelling for more than 150 kms in the swift. By August 2013 I started thinking of replacing my Swift. I was not in a financial position to buy a new car. Looked for used diesel sedans for a month. Finalised on a Sx4 Zdi 2011 March registered . The car had run 45000 kms with its first owner who was a homeo doctor by profession. The reasons I selected the Sx4 were 1) The asking price was in my budget. Bought it for 5.25 lakhs 2) Wife was happy with the ride comfort of Sx4. Felt considerably heavier than the swift. Sx4 diesel has a kerb weight of 1250 kgs compared to less than 1100 kgs of the swift. 3) After sales support of Maruti Suzuki 4) Service history was clean. All Services where done from a Maruti Suzuki dealer workshop. The service manager of that workshop was my friend. He also gave me a thumbs up to my decision to buy that Sx4. Apart from a warranty replacement of the high pressure pump at 26000 kms the service history was uneventful. Sold my Swift for 5.9 lakhs to an individual buyer in September 2014. At that time the odo of the swift was at about 45000 kms. 45000 kms in one and half years. That was pretty decent running.

A short review of the Sx4 Ddis. I bought the zdi variant which has dual airbags, anti lock braking system, climate control air conditioning, steering mounted audio controls and alloy wheels as extra compared to the vdi variant.

Interiors and space The Sx4 has decent space for both the front and rear passengers. The front seats are placed a little higher than other sedans of the same segment. Boot space is good with 504 litres. The ground clearance is generous with 180 mm. Inspite of the good ground clearance the bottom aspect of the front bumper tend to scrape when descending sharp inclines. This may be due to the soft suspension set up and the protruding front bumper.

The interiors looks good. But doesn't feel elegant or classy. The integrated audio system is average.

Engine, Driving, Fuel efficiency
The car is powered by the Fiat Multijet engine in the 90 bhp tune. The engine is tuned in linear manner. The turbo kick is tamed compared to Swift. But the car accelerates better than a similar speced Fiat Linea diesel . It is drivable below 2000 pm. The high speed dynamics of the car is not as good as that of my Swift. However it can comfortably cruise at 110kmph to 120 kmph on expressways. I am getting an average fuel efficiency of about 16-18 kmpl calculated by tankful to tankful method. My running is a mixture of highway and towns without heavy traffic.

Ride quality. The ride quality was the priority factor in selling my Swift. The ride quality is better than the swift. The heavy build and fatter tires might be helping in the cause. My wife certainly feels more comfortable over long distances as compared to the Swift.

I bought the car at at about 45000 kms. The owner had changed engine oil, brake pads at 45000 kms. All the previous services were done at appropriate time. These services were done at Maruti dealer workshops. So the service history was available online at Maruti after sales. I didn't change any fluids after the purchase.

50000km service. This service included only change of engine oil and filters. The cost was approximately 2500 Rs for the engine oil and filters and the labour charge was approximately 1100 Rs. It included general check up, break cleaning, caliper pin greasing and a wash also. The alignment and balancing cost an extra of about 650 RS

55000kms- Did the alignment and balancing from outside. Checked the fluid levels at home.

58000kms. The trouble starts now. When I checked the engine oil level at home, found it be at the lowest level of dipstick. I took the car to Maruti after sales. They drained the oil from the car and measured it. The car was having only about 1300 ml of engine oil. The SA told me that the engine oil taken up by engine oil filter is taken as 200ml. So the deficit of oil is 3100 ml - 1500ml= 1600ml. The total engine oil capacity of the ddis is 3100 ml. The oil was last changed at 50000 kms. The oil consumption for 8000 kms is 1600ml. So the average engine oil consumption per 1000 kms is 200ml. The service manager told me that according to maruti the maximum oil consumption for 1000 kms for the ddis is 100 ml. We checked the compression of all the cylinders. It was found to be normal . The compression is checked by connecting the compression guage at the ports of the glow plug. There was no significant smoke from my car also. At this point I was out of my extended warranty by 2 months. The service manager asked me to keep a watch on the engine oil levels. We changed the engine oil and filters and the air filter.

60000 Kms- The 60000 kms is a major service. The transmission oil, coolant, brake fluid were changed. The engine oil and oil filters were not changed. Apart from this the egr cleaning done at my request and the intercooler was also cleaned. These were done considered to eliminate probable causes of engine oil consumption.

At 61000 kms the engine oil was drained. The oil consumption was calculated to be at 250 ml per 1000 kms for the last 3000 kms.

After that at each 2000 kms the engine oil was drained and topped up. The engine oil consumption was measured at each drainage. The consumption increased from 250 ml at 61000 kms to about 380 ml per 1000 kms by 69000 kms. By 65000 kms the car had started emitting large amount of smoke and at cold start the engine was having an abnormal sound which lasted for about 20 to 30 seconds.

After the 70000 kms the abnormal sound that appeared at the cold start began to appear through out the time engine is running. At this point the service manager suggested me to go for a rebuild as there is no point in pushing the engine more. I gave the consent for engine rebuild. I didn't go for the half engine method. The half of engine of Sx4 ddis was about 86000 RS. For your info, the Swift ddis half engine cost is 84000 Rs.The engine was dismantled at the MASS. The engine head and the half engine was packed and sent to a Maruti recognized lathe. At the lathe the pistons were inspected and found to be damaged. The crankshaft was not having issues. It was decided to change all the four pistons. Standard size pistons were used. Sleaves were inserted in all the four cylinders. The connecting rod bearings, crankshaft bearing , all the gaskets, oil pump,timing chain were changed. The clutch disc was also changed as it was nearing its end. All the 16 valves and their seals were changed. All the rockers which connect the valves to camshaft were also changed. The total cost of parts was about 38000 Rs. The labour charge at the lathe was 10000 Rs. The labour charge at the MASS was 15000. So the total cost for the engine rebuild came to 63000 Rs. The engine rebuild took about 20 days. During that time I was given a loaner Maruti Alto for my use.

Driving experience after the rebuild The engine has become butter smooth. The NVH levels have also improved. The clutch became lighter. No visible smoke. I was asked to run in the engine for about 5000 kms. So I am keeping rpms upto 2000. The fuel efficiency is about 17 to 18kmpl by tankful to tankful method.

What I learned from the rebuild experience If you buy a used car which is still in the warranty period, always measure the drained engine oil to find out its average oil consumption. Verify with the service manager whether it is within the company prescribed levels. Dipstick may not give the exact picture. The dipstick of my Sx4 shows a fall in oil level when the total oil in engine comes to about 2100ml. The total engine oil capacity of my Ddis is just 3100ml. Increased engine oil consumption could be the first sign of a engine failure

Pictures of my Swift ZDI






Pictures of my SX4







Cost of parts changed during the rebuild

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Technical Section. Thanks for sharing!

Must say, there's a lot of useful information in your post for any owner of the national engine.

Originally Posted by fireblade007

The half of engine of Sx4 ddis was about 86000 RS. For your info, the Swift ddis half engine cost is 84000 Rs.

So the total cost for the engine rebuild came to 63000 Rs.

Well-priced considering it was at an authorised dealer.

The engine rebuild took about 20 days. During that time I was given a loaner Maruti Alto for my use.

If you buy a used car which is still in the warranty period, always measure the drained engine oil to find out its average oil consumption.

Great tip, thanks again!

[amitpunjani]

Originally Posted by fireblade007

After the 70000 kms the abnormal sound that appeared at the cold start began to appear through out the time engine is running. At this point the service manager suggested me to go for a rebuild as there is no point in pushing the engine more. I gave the consent for engine rebuild. I didn't go for the half engine method. The half of engine of Sx4 ddis was about 86000 RS. For your info, the Swift ddis half engine cost is 84000 Rs.The engine was dismantled at the MASS. The engine head and the half engine was packed and sent to a Maruti recognized lathe. At the lathe the pistons were inspected and found to be damaged. The crankshaft was not having issues. It was decided to change all the four pistons. Standard size pistons were used. Sleaves were inserted in all the four cylinders. The connecting rod bearings, crankshaft bearing , all the gaskets, oil pump,timing chain were changed. The clutch disc was also changed as it was nearing its end. All the 16 valves and their seals were changed. All the rockers which connect the valves to camshaft were also changed. The total cost of parts was about 38000 Rs. The labour charge at the lathe was 10000 Rs. The labour charge at the MASS was 15000. So the total cost for the engine rebuild came to 63000 Rs. The engine rebuild took about 20 days. During that time I was given a loaner Maruti Alto for my use.

Sir, thanks for sharing this valuable piece of information. What surprises me the cause of Engine Rebuild at just 70000 kms of running. Any specific reason you could identify?

Thanks

Amit

[fireblade007]

Poor fuel quality, bad driving habits by previous owner, manufacturing defect in my car are the possible causes I can think of.

[Dr.Naren]

Hello buddy,
I too own SX4 ZDI March 2011. I have run 1 lakh kms now. I too faced similar issue of increased engine oil consumption at 80k kms. Service advisor had asked me to go for engine rebuild. But I opted for just piston rings change and head service which costed around 10k. There was no increased oil consumption post piston rings change.
Cheers!

[fireblade007]

My car also had an abnormal sound, slight drop in performance and huge smoke by 70000 kms. When the engine was opened I was advised to change the pistons rather than changing rings alone as there was damage to pistons. Whether that advice was honest or not I don't know. If the ring change alone turns unsuccessful I might have to take the car to workshop again. I didn't want to take chances.

[fireblade007]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

Hello buddy,
I too own SX4 ZDI March 2011. I have run 1 lakh kms now. I too faced similar issue of increased engine oil consumption at 80k kms. Service advisor had asked me to go for engine rebuild. But I opted for just piston rings change and head service which costed around 10k. There was no increased oil consumption post piston rings change.
Cheers!

Dr. Naren,did you do the rings change from Brd Motors Thrissur? Ring change and head service in 10000 RS seems very cheap.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by fireblade007

Dr. Naren,did you do the rings change from Brd Motors Thrissur? Ring change and head service in 10000 RS seems very cheap.

Yes buddy. I did it in thrissur. How did you come to know about it? They had advised me engine rebuild citing scratches in bore. But I checked the bores myself and it looked fine. 10k is for lathe work and piston rings change. Timing chain, head gasket and other labour was around 5k.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by fireblade007

Poor fuel quality, bad driving habits by previous owner, manufacturing defect in my car are the possible causes I can think of.

I personally know two ZDi here which met with similar fate! I guess if you search around in TBHP, you will get more samples. The 89/90bhps DDIS mess up inside a Suzuki for some unknown reason.

Would it be coz the engine oil need of the 90bhp ones is different than the 75bhp ones and ignorance of service personal to top it right lead to such?

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by jkdas

I personally know two ZDi here which met with similar fate! I guess if you search around in TBHP, you will get more samples. The 89/90bhps DDIS mess up inside a Suzuki for some unknown reason.

Would it be coz the engine oil need of the 90bhp ones is different than the 75bhp ones and ignorance of service personal to top it right lead to such?

There are few lineas too which required early engine overhaul. 1.3 multijet engine with VGT is known for sudden acceleration drop issues in sx4,ertiga, linea, manza. Both maruti and fiat recommends 5W 40 synthetic oil for 90hp multijet. Maruti changes it every 10k kms but fiat recommends 15k interval.

[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by jkdas

I personally know two ZDi here which met with similar fate! I guess if you search around in TBHP, you will get more samples. The 89/90bhps DDIS mess up inside a Suzuki for some unknown reason.

Would it be coz the engine oil need of the 90bhp ones is different than the 75bhp ones and ignorance of service personal to top it right lead to such?

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

There are few lineas too which required early engine overhaul. 1.3 multijet engine with VGT is known for sudden acceleration drop issues in sx4,ertiga, linea, manza. Both maruti and fiat recommends 5W 40 synthetic oil for 90hp multijet. Maruti changes it every 10k kms but fiat recommends 15k interval.

My aunt's Linea also had half of its engine block changed. The symptoms were also similar to OP's. I thought it was caused due to the driver's negligence, these post make me think otherwise.

BTW it clocked close to 1 lakh km's when the issue cropped up.

[rohittunga]

My Linea had to undergo a rebuild after 1,10,000 km. Failure was due to the infamous timing chain despite replacing them at 60,000 km. The 90 bhp variant of Fiat's Multijet is nowhere near as reliable as the 75 bhp.

[GTO]

Wow guys! 70k - 100k kms is too damn early for engine work. I've never owned a diesel engine that needed to be opened up that early.

Agreed that we're seeing this problem more with the 89 BHP MJD than the 74 BHP one. Goes to show what stresses an additional 20% of power can cause, and why you need to take more care. For instance, I simply don't agree with the 15,000 km service intervals. On synthetic - 10k kms tops.

Originally Posted by fireblade007

Poor fuel quality, bad driving habits by previous owner, manufacturing defect in my car are the possible causes I can think of.

And poorly timed or missed oil changes.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wow guys! 70k - 100k kms is too damn early for engine work. I've never owned a diesel engine that needed to be opened up that early.

Agreed that we're seeing this problem more with the 89 BHP MJD than the 74 BHP one. Goes to show what stresses an additional 20% of power can cause, and why you need to take more care. For instance, I simply don't agree with the 15,000 km service intervals. On synthetic - 10k kms tops.

VGT, high pressure fuel pump and injectors are the only differences between 75 hp and 90hp 1.3 multijet engines. 90 hp engine is known for sudden drop in acceleration (no specific reason) and increased oil consumption requiring engine rebuild. There are few 75 hp engines too which required early engine overhaul. Extraction power from smaller capacity engines is the culprit I believe.

[mahesh_sn]

Thanks for the useful info Fireblade007!!
My Manza has just crossed 60000 km. Engine is running butter smooth and I have had no issues of loss of acceleration or excessive smoke. I have got all 10K services done on time and from TASS only. But then, this thread has got me thinking now. I will now keep a close watch on oil level and exhaust gas.

OT: I hear conflicting views on timing chain replacement for 1.3L 90 bhp MJD/QJD/DDIS on the forum and elsewhere. Manza owners manual doesn't say anything about it. One TASS asked me to get it replaced during 60K service. An another TASS and an FNG said it's not required, so I didn't go for it. It is not cheap. I was quoted ~25K IIRC. I know this is nothing as compared to engine rebuild cost, but still..