[lokesharo]

Hello All

I have Dec'10 Ritz(P) with 85k on the odometer.

For the past few weeks, I am observing a problem while driving the car suddenly stalls on its own.

The car starts on its own(pressing the race pedal) when at higher speeds, but at lower speeds, with all the functionalities(steering, brakes, etc) going down, it is quite scary and unsafe.

I went to a local mechanic and the scan showed no error codes. He said that till the scan shows some error, there isn't anything he can do.

He said that the problem is with ECU most probably and advised to take a new one on rent for a week and then pay the full amount if the problem is not seen again.

He was against getting the wiring checked as he said the mechanic will open the entire can to check all the wiring and it is not worth the effort.

Any advice on what can be the problem?

[MT_Hyderabad]

Originally Posted by lokesharo

Any advice on what can be the problem?

Start with the battery first. Disconnect all battery connections and reconnect and see if it resolves the issue.
Secondly, sometimes just the age of battery gives a clue. What is its age? Anything more than 2 years may be one of the reasons for these issues. Most SVCs have a battery checking guage which could prove helpful.

If battery is not the issue, check the sensor connections on the sensor located near throttle body. I don't know what it is called.

You may also check if the spark plugs needs replacement.

[vaasu]

Originally Posted by lokesharo

Any advice on what can be the problem?

I would recommend going to Maruti workshop and getting it scanned using SDT, assuming your mechanic used generic scanner.

However, erratic stalling symptoms are very similar to issues faced by my friend with his DZire of the same vintage. I do not remember he mentioning about any error codes, but he had to ultimately replace his ECU to resolve this problem


Thanks.

[Jeroen]

These random problems can be tricky to diagnose. As Vaasu mentioned, get it scanned with a proper scanner, not a generic one.

Personally, I doubt it is the ECU. But it could be a simple bad connector or connection. Or a crank- or camshaft sensor going wonky. As long as the fault remain intermittent it’s unlikely a check on the sensor would show anything. But it might have thrown an error, but you most likely need a brand specific reader to see it.

So, check all electrical connection for corrosion, tightness, if not replace the sensor(s).
Good luck.

Jeroen

[lokesharo]

Originally Posted by MT_Hyderabad

Start with the battery first. Disconnect all battery connections and reconnect and see if it resolves the issue.
Secondly, sometimes just the age of battery gives a clue. What is its age? Anything more than 2 years may be one of the reasons for these issues. Most SVCs have a battery checking guage which could prove helpful.

If battery is not the issue, check the sensor connections on the sensor located near throttle body. I don't know what it is called.

You may also check if the spark plugs needs replacement.

The ECU repair guy told me if the car is starting fine, then the battery can't be the issue as the role of the battery is not much once the car is in motion. Didn't know if I should adhere to this advice or not.
The battery was replaced year and is approx 10 months old.

In spite of the above statement, I went to the local mechanic, he opened the bonnet and cleaned up the spark plug and some other components. He also disconnected the battery connections and reset it.
I'll drive it for a couple of days to see if the problem has been resolved or not and will update then.

Thanks all the suggestions.

[alexpaul]

I had similar problem of car (Ritz Diesel) losing power immediately and stalling in middle of drive. This occurred multiple times and I had the battery changed as well.
However the last incident that occurred was near the Maruti showroom service center and the service personnel diagnosed it to relay fuse problem in the fuse box. He changed it and this stalling issue never occurred till date.

Please check with this solution and see if it works for you as well.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by lokesharo

Dec'10 Ritz(P) with 85k on the odometer.
...while driving the car suddenly stalls on its own.

The car starts on its own(pressing the race pedal) when at higher speeds, but at lower speeds, with all the functionalities(steering, brakes, etc) going down
...scan showed no error codes. He said that till the scan shows some error, there isn't anything he can do.

He said that the problem is with ECU most probably and advised to take a new one on rent for a week and then pay the full amount if the problem is not seen again.

He was against getting the wiring checked as he said the mechanic will open the entire can to check all the wiring and it is not worth the effort.

Any advice on what can be the problem?

What's with Ritz cars and their ECMs? Reported a similar issue with a friend's Ritz some time ago (Did your FNG / ASC advise "ECM repair"? Is it a scam?), where the CEL was on, but the mechanic advised ECM repair without checking the DTC.

The sudden stalling and subsequent starting without any ECM DTC could also be due to overheating. Does this happen after driving for a while, especially during the midday heat? Check your radiator fan.

[dhanushs]

I had a similar issue with my Palio, and turned out to be the fuel pump. Please do check it out.

[mayankk]

I had this issue with my Tucson.
Difference was it used to happen when I stopped. Occasionally when restarting. It was a problem with the ecu, had to be opened up and repaired with some solders redone. They had deteriorated with age. The issues never happened again. Try the rental ecu once.
You can also get in touch with my mechanic who diagnosed it finally (I see you're in Faridabad).

Alok

092113 11576
098114 18963

[Rocketscience]

In my Cruze, this frustrating issue turned out to be nothing but improper installation and connection of the ECU from the factory, they actually issued a recall for it worldwide (and in India) and what they changed was just the tray where ECU was installed, they then took out the wires from ECU, sprayed some sort of gel on the connector and reapplied it and the problem was solved for good.

You might start with something as silly and simple as this.

Maybe from the vibrations over the years or due to some problems with the connection with the ECU such a problem occurs. Good luck on this.

[lokesharo]

Originally Posted by lokesharo

The ECU repair guy told me if the car is starting fine, then the battery can't be the issue as the role of the battery is not much once the car is in motion. Didn't know if I should adhere to this advice or not.
The battery was replaced year and is approx 10 months old.

In spite of the above statement, I went to the local mechanic, he opened the bonnet and cleaned up the spark plug and some other components. He also disconnected the battery connections and reset it.
I'll drive it for a couple of days to see if the problem has been resolved or not and will update then.

Thanks all the suggestions.

After the cleanup, I have driven around 200 KM and the frequency of issue coming up has reduced.
The car has stalled roughly around 2 or 3 times only. But the problem is there.
Any pointers on what next should be done here?

[dadu]

Originally Posted by lokesharo

After the cleanup, I have driven around 200 KM and the frequency of issue coming up has reduced.
The car has stalled roughly around 2 or 3 times only. But the problem is there.
Any pointers on what next should be done here?

Have you tried getting the fuel injector cleaned ?

If not try with System G or similar. I saw System G on Amazon also, therfore no harm in trying this. Run with two-three tanks on System G.

[CSA]

Originally Posted by lokesharo

Hello All

I have Dec'10 Ritz(P) with 85k on the odometer.

For the past few weeks, I am observing a problem while driving the car suddenly stalls on its own.

The car starts on its own(pressing the race pedal) when at higher speeds, but at lower speeds, with all the functionalities(steering, brakes, etc) going down, it is quite scary and unsafe.

I went to a local mechanic and the scan showed no error codes. He said that till the scan shows some error, there isn't anything he can do.

He said that the problem is with ECU most probably and advised to take a new one on rent for a week and then pay the full amount if the problem is not seen again.

He was against getting the wiring checked as he said the mechanic will open the entire can to check all the wiring and it is not worth the effort.

Any advice on what can be the problem?

There are 2 coolant hoses going in and out from Throttle Body, if there is air Inside these pipes coolant will not flow through Throttle body and Throttle body will stay cool. I observed this issue while changing coolant in one of my customer's car (Ritz Petrol).

Do it on cold engine.
1- Remove Upper Hose Pipe (Out Flow Pipe) on Throttle Body
2- Open Radiator cap for a while until coolant starts coming out from the hose pipe you removed earlier.
3- Put Back Hose Pipe of Throttle body and do not forget to put spring clamp of hose pipe.
4- Top up coolant through radiator cap only and drive your car once its warm enough to open thermostat then cool your engine completely and once again top up coolant through radiator cap.

Check if this problem exist.

[turbogeek]

We have '09 Ritz with about 255k km on the odometer, this issue has cropped up twice or thrice(with multiple instances each time). The solutions are as follows:

1) Clean the throttle body: it stops opening properly
2) Tighten the clutch(if it is happening while shifting the gears)
3) Coils(unlikely the cause but possible)

[Elvis5.0]

These symptoms remind me of a fuel pump issue. If it was a battery problem, there would be trouble starting. Just my opinion. I’m not a mechanic.