[desiaztec]

Folks,

After being mildly pleased by my 2012 Swift petrol run only 59,000 Km, I have started experiencing an issue with it which no FNG and a Maruti service station has been able to diagnose and give me an accurate report.

My Swift P shuts off at idle and slow speed on first and the second gear. I first showed it to an (un)FNG who said clutch is at fault and I got it replaced along with engine mounts which he insisted and the damage to wallet was around Rs. 9000. The problem still persisted and he gave up. More check ups were followed by different mechanics who all suggested I go to a Maruti service station.

I gave my car to one AAA Vehicleads in New Delhi who kept my car for about four days. They did everything they could and ultimately said, "Engine needs to be overhauled". This would cost me around Rs. 60,000 and I'm in no mood to get it overhauled fearing the issue might still persist. Damage to my wallet for this diagnose was a measly Rs. 1200 only.

Regarding this peculiar problem, it only happens at idle and first or second gear below 1200ish RPM, and while making turns. Although, the car becomes alive after a single crank soon after.Also, it is not able to pull in higher gears like it used to before.

My post is not a rant regarding the questionable quality of my car but to find a resolution to have it rectified.

I don't redline, I'm a sedate driver.


Ashish

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

My Swift P shuts off at idle and slow speed on first and the second gear. I first showed it to an (un)FNG who said clutch is at fault and I got it replaced along with engine mounts which he insisted and the damage to wallet was around Rs. 9000. The problem still persisted and he gave up. More check ups were followed by different mechanics who all suggested I go to a Maruti service station.

Regarding this peculiar problem, it only happens at idle and first or second gear below 1200ish RPM, and while making turns. Although, the car becomes alive after a single crank soon after.Also, it is not able to pull in higher gears like it used to before.

Hi Ashish, The problem could be related to any of the sensors not passing the right signal to ECU. I would recommend connecting a OBD scanner and check for errors. If you are a DIY bob it would be interesting to invest a grand and grab a bluetooth OBD scanning tool and observe your engine through your android mobile.

Regards,
Ilango

[desiaztec]

Originally Posted by ilangop

Hi Ashish, The problem could be related to any of the sensors not passing the right signal to ECU. I would recommend connecting a OBD scanner and check for errors. If you are a DIY bob it would be interesting to invest a grand and grab a bluetooth OBD scanning tool and observe your engine through your android mobile.

Regards,
Ilango

Thank you for the suggestion for buying the OBD scanner. However, the service station guys did scan my car and found no fault with sensors.

[Leoshashi]

Get your throttle body cleaned comprehensively, can be done as a DIY too. Also purchase a bottle of Fuel Injector cleaner(Liqui Moly is what I use) and pour it once or twice during fuel fill-ups.

These two steps should solve your issue IMO. Won't cost you more than 1000 rupees in total.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: When you are using Injector cleaner mixed with fuel, try to take your car to higher rpms too.

[desiaztec]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

Get your throttle body cleaned comprehensively, can be done as a DIY too. Also purchase a bottle of Fuel Injector cleaner(Liqui Moly is what I use) and pour it once or twice during fuel fill-ups.

These two steps should solve your issue IMO. Won't cost you more than 1000 rupees in total.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: When you are using Injector cleaner mixed with fuel, try to take your car to higher rpms too.

Hello Shashi,

I just checked with the workshop manager and he said that throttle body was cleaned along with some calibration. Regarding the fuel, they emptied the tank and I have filled up High Speed Petrol now.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

Hello Shashi,

I just checked with the workshop manager and he said that throttle body was cleaned along with some calibration. Regarding the fuel, they emptied the tank and I have filled up High Speed Petrol now.

Did they clean the injectors?? Car dying at lower rpms point towards clogged injectors too.

Regards,
Shashi

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

Folks,
A More check ups were followed by different mechanics who all suggested I go to a Maruti service station.

Kindly take the car to another MASS or garage service station of repute. Hunt in the team bhp directory for one. Always take a second opinion whenever the amount runs into several thousands.

In the case of my Civic it would have poor idle and would shut off while waiting at traffic lights. I had done throttle body cleaning, replaced the air filter and at one time had also had the EGR valve thoroughly cleaned. The Honda guys also did a idle re-learning procedure using HDS (Honda Diagnostic). This did help quite a bit.

[Thermodynamics]

Sometimes the causes can be too trivial and often mechanics tend to overlook such things.

A similar thing happened to my old granny Santro. It would stop anytime, on the run. I checked with different mechanics, Hyundai service center, changed clutch, decarbonized engine etc., nothing helped. One fine day, the car refused to start, at all. The Battery was dead. Changed it and wallah, Granny is sprinting like bolt.

So I learnt it hard way. Batteries age in different ways. Sometimes it is difficult to asses a dying battery, the volts may appear normal when you measure but may behave weird under different demands. This could be also the issue in your case. While idling or at lower rpm the Dynamo is not generating enough to keep the dying battery alive. how old is the battery? you may also check the leads if they are corroded. Battery drain due to faulty wiring could also cause similar issues.

[One:1]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

Folks,

After being mildly pleased by my 2012 Swift petrol run only 59,000 Km, I have started experiencing an issue with it which no FNG and a Maruti service station has been able to diagnose and give me an accurate report.

..........

Regarding this peculiar problem, it only happens at idle and first or second gear below 1200ish RPM, and while making turns. Although, the car becomes alive after a single crank soon after.Also, it is not able to pull in higher gears like it used to before.

........

Not one to speculate, but sounds like a clogged fuel filter to me. When was the last time that it was changed?

Try these steps and see if they help
1. Replace the fuel filter
2. Clean the MAF (mass airflow sensor)
3. Replace the air filter
3. Clean the distributor cap
4. Clean the injectors
5. Replace the spark plugs
6. Get the tappet valves adjusted for clearance

and this is out of the blue, but
1.Have your throttle cable checked
2. Have the HT leads checked

leave the battery unplugged overnight to reset all the sensors.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

...AAA Vehicleads in New Delhi who kept my car for about four days. They did everything they could and ultimately said, "Engine needs to be overhauled". This would cost me around Rs. 60,000 and I'm in no mood to get it overhauled fearing the issue might still persist. Damage to my wallet for this diagnose was a measly Rs. 1200 only.

Ashish, considering that you are in Delhi, the best option for you would be to take the car to Maruti Service Masters and ask them to diagnose the issue. The engine cutting out at idle / low rpm is possible due to a number of reasons, including throttle body, clogged injectors, sticky/gummy valves, sensors malfunctioning with heat (esp. the MAF sensor), fuel pump failure, etc. (but certainly not the clutch being at fault!).

As Shashi said...

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

...purchase a bottle of Fuel Injector cleaner(Liqui Moly is what I use) and pour it once or twice during fuel fill-ups.
PS: When you are using Injector cleaner mixed with fuel, try to take your car to higher rpms too.

...try this first. Also, clean the radiator and AC condenser, and put in fresh coolant. Heat soak in the Delhi summer may be a problem too.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

My Swift P shuts off at idle and slow speed on first and the second gear.

Please get the spark plug ignitors checked up. As they are a costly item , around 1.8-2k per piece, you may first disconnect them and ask your mechanic to fit another used Maruti's ignitor and check the performance. If it's ok with the other set, your car's ignitors are at fault. If it is so, suggest you change both instead of one to maintain homogeneity. Also there are many fake / spurious ignitors available, get the genuine one's from an authorised distributor / Maruti service station.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by arjab

Please get the spark plug ignitors checked up. As they are a costly item , around 1.8-2k per piece, you may first disconnect them and ask your mechanic to fit another used Maruti's ignitor and check the performance. If it's ok with the other set, your car's ignitors are at fault. If it is so, suggest you change both instead of one to maintain homogeneity. Also there are many fake / spurious ignitors available, get the genuine one's from an authorised distributor / Maruti service station.

I support this approach along with fuel tank and tank to injection path cleaning. My ignition coils went bad once and I ended up replacing the spark plug injectors alongwith. In case of my Getz they fitted Verna plugs and it worked. My problem was slightly different, in lower gears the engine was knocking badly and over 3rd gear the problem used to go away however if rpms dropped the problem used to reoccur once again.

Additionally I agree to the other recommendation about getting battery checked from authorised center's and not from the car service centres. If the battery is 2+ years old it's one more reason to get it checked at the earliest.

[desiaztec]

Thank you all for all the prompt suggestions. My mechanic had carried out each of the jobs as have been instructed by you all but to no avail. I finally got fed up and got it evaluated at cars 24 and have sold it. Got a sweet deal and bought a 2013 Brio run only 22000 Km from a neighbor.

I request the moderators to close this thread.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by desiaztec

I finally got fed up and got it evaluated at cars 24 and have sold it.
I request the moderators to close this thread.

If you can't fix it, sell it! I'm sure Cars24 never figured out the problem with the car, and some unsuspecting new owner will discover the glitch soon. Good luck to that fellow!

[desiaztec]

I shared with them that my car is knocking but the problem wasn't reproduced at the time of test drive. The fuel gauge sensor was also damaged by my mechanic when he was carrying out his troubleshooting, the reserve fuel indicator was blinking. This too was shared with their test drive executive. So nothing was hidden. I tried to be truthful.