[attrip2008]

I own 2018 facelift Creta petrol SX AT. It has served me very well for the past 4 years. However, yesterday a very weird incident happened (in my experience). Wife and I were heading out for some shopping and when I started the engine of the car, the whole cabin started to shake and check engine light was flashing. I immediately switched off the the engine. I opened the bonnet to check the engine bay for any visible issues. Did not see any issue. With a nervous hand I again switched on the engine. This time there were no vibrations or engine light. Turned off and on the engine a couple of time and did not face any issue. We started on road with reluctance but thankfully no issues and I am back. In fact I did another short run after that.

But I am concerned due this incident, a lot. I have had pretty much niggle free ownership so far and now there are horrors of engine issues running in my mind. Car is out of warranty.

When I searched through forum I figured that it was an engine misfire. And that it could be due to mutiple reasons- spark plug, fuel mixture, wiring issue, etc. etc.

Couple of things I am able to trace back
1. Got a tank full of HP Power petrol the previous night. Could it be fuel issue.
2 there are rats in my society open area and as car is parked outside, rats do make visit to the car. But I did not notice any visible signs of rodent damage.

Questions

1. Has anyone else experienced this issue in Creta petrol or otherwise? How common is this?
2. What should be my next course of action here? Can I diagnose the problem myself? Should I be running to the SC or wait?

Thanks in advance.

Mods- I could not figure the right thread for this. Please help move to a relevant thread if needed.

[kosjam]

While I don't own a Creta, nor do I have a petrol car, a couple of things that immediately comes to mind:

1. One possibility is one of the engine mounting bolts (the bolts that are used to mount the engine to your car chassis/body) has come loose, or fallen off. It may have shaken into a position which temporarily is such that its not causing more vibrations.

2. Second possibility is that one of the injector solenoid valves temporarily got stuck in open position, causing abnormally large amount of fuel to be injected into one of the cylinders, causing a large imbalance of power which caused violent vibrations.
Stopping and restarting the car may have resolved the issue if it was an electrical one, or there might have been some solid particle obstruction in the valve which prevented it from closing fully, which has since passed.

If the problem does not come again, the SC wont be able to help much, he might change the fuel filter and/or check fuel lines. Or maximum, he might run an error code check to see if anything was amiss.

Best to play a wait and watch game, as this seems to be a one off issue. If it does happen again, try to take a recording of vibrations/ engine lights to show the SC people.

[attrip2008]

Originally Posted by kosjam

If the problem does not come again, the SC wont be able to help much, he might change the fuel filter and/or check fuel lines. Or maximum, he might run an error code check to see if anything was amiss.

Best to play a wait and watch game, as this seems to be a one off issue. If it does happen again, try to take a recording of vibrations/ engine lights to show the SC people.

Kosjam- thanks a lot. the possible situations you describe make same (as much as I am able to comprehend) and as you suggest it’s hopefully a one time issue.

I have been anxious that I might be responding to this incident appropriately. But I think it makes sense to wait and watch as definitely nothing seems to be problematic right now even as I took couple of more short runs. And you are right that without exact issue at hand - SC May not be able to pin point anything.

Quick question - will the error code check describe if the issue was with say fuel
Mixture or due to spark plug or something else? Or, would it just say that engine has a misfire?

I am trying to understand if it will help rule out some serious issues and hence might be worth the effort.

Thanks again.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by attrip2008

I own 2018 facelift Creta petrol SX AT. It has served me very well for the past 4 years. However, yesterday a very weird incident happened (in my experience). Wife and I were heading out for some shopping and when I started the engine of the car, the whole cabin started to shake and check engine light was flashing. I immediately switched off the the engine. I opened the bonnet to check the engine bay for any visible issues. Did not see any issue.

Fuel quality/Spark Plug/Ignition Coil.

Avoid slow moving fuel, especially in rainy seasons. (Ethanol mix is extremely hygroscopic)

[attrip2008]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Fuel quality/Spark Plug/Ignition Coil.

Avoid slow moving fuel, especially in rainy seasons. (Ethanol mix is extremely hygroscopic)

Just so I am getting it right- Would you say that HP Power may be ethanol adulterated ? More so because it is not widely used?

Might be the cause because I got the tank filled only the previous night. It is a shame if that is the case. I have been using a premium fuel and have been using the same filling station for a while but this problem never occurred but nothing is impossible.

[TorqMaster]

Hello.

What I am stating here may not apply to you but I will state it in case it helps.

My minivan (automatic) in the USA used to throw tantrums (Check engine lights). After many heartbreaking fixes (expensive) i realised it used to go away when i refuelled the car. Then found out the petrol cap had developed a fatigue in the seal. Due to this there was a difference in pressure when the car started (fuel pump facing sudden pressure differences due to the petrol cap leak).

The engine would shudder and the car would immediately throw up the error for all cylinders etc. Open cap, close tight, error gone. Sometimes goes off by itself.

Just check your petrol cap and change if necessary.

[Eddy]

Ignition coil gone. Happened to me too a long time back.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...when-idle.html (Problem: Ford Ikon vibrating (almost shaking) when Idle.)

See post 1 for the problem and post 25 for the resolution.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Ignition coil gone. Happened to me too a long time back.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...when-idle.html (Problem: Ford Ikon vibrating (almost shaking) when Idle.)

See post 1 for the problem and post 25 for the resolution.

I agree with this diagnosis. One of the cylinders just did not fire right and it has got everything to do with a spark.

[Samba]

In these modern cars, if the check engine light blinks even once, the ECU will register the cause of the error. A simple OBD scan will tell you the actual reason.
If it do not, wait for the problem to reoccur once more. It will surely show in an OBD scan.

This can occur due to multiple reasons. No point in speculating and shooting up your blood pressure!

[Naetik30]

It seems like a fuel injector issue. May be - try changing the fuel pump you use regularly. If your car is under warranty, get it diagnozed and replace the injectors under warranty. If not tough luck, it can be an expensive repair.

[RidingHood]

Since you said the problem did not repeat, the chances of it being rats is very unlikely.

Fuel injection seems like a more probable cause, but this again is a very vague guess.

Well, if you do have a diagnostic tool, there might be a list of DTC codes that have recently cropped up. The SC might be able to help you with it too.

My advice, take it to the SC and get a diagnostic check. And also talk to the service guy on building a rapport with him and getting the procedure for ORA, just to be safe.

[Vaishak]

I own a 2020 Polo TSI and this has occurred to me more than once (thrice, if I’m not wrong). Never had a CEL but experienced heavy vibrations in the cabin. As soon as I restart it, everything’s back to normal as if nothing happened at all. I also could not recreate it again. The last time it happened was about an year ago. Checked for rat visits but nothing seemed out of place. Since it never happened again, I didn’t go behind it.

[jaideepshinh]

@attrip2008
Hi, this could be a failing crankshaft position sensor. This particular sensor has a slow failure- keep observing if this issue reoccurs, and if it does, swap out this sensor (its normally not expensive)

Normally when you restart, the error clears and the car works well again, but might start shuddering again when the sensor acts up.

This happened to me in my W203 mercedes, and the service center wasn't able to diagnose the issue as the error clears automatically whenever the car is switched OFF and the ON. It is an inexpensive repair, just a headache for diagnosis. I found it by using a standard OBD Scanner and looking for realtime data while driving. You get alarm codes of misfires first and then it changes to crankshaft position sensor after some time.

This is most likely not a mechanical issue considering that it became OK when you restarted the car. If it was mechanical in nature (loose bolt, engine mount etc) it would be a persistent issue and not something which disappears with a restart.

Best of luck with your repair!

[attrip2008]

Thanks all. Car is not under warranty. Did not get the extended warrant in 3rd year. :(

Many are alluding to ignition coil/spark plug issue. Or, it could be the dreaded fuel injector.

One big factor is that issue has not recurred - so does that push probability of any one issue to be higher?

I will see if I can get OBD scan. So, I don’t have a device- can I get that through SC? What will be the charges ballpark?

Another thing- the fuel tank is now filled with the latest fuel which might be one of the factors for the issue. I am planning to continue using it unless others suggest otherwise.

Last is the worst case scenario- if there is a major problem. While I don’t have extended warranty, I do have the engine protect from ACKO along with zero del. I thought I would buy this instead of warranty. Will that be of any help for fuel injector issue?

Thanks for bearing with my questions and helping out so much.

Originally Posted by jaideepshinh

@attrip2008
Hi, this could be a failing crankshaft position sensor. This particular sensor has a slow failure- keep observing if this issue reoccurs, and if it does, swap out this sensor (its normally not expensive)

Normally when you restart, the error clears and the car works well again, but might start shuddering again when the sensor acts up.

EDIT- sorry I did not see you post before responding. This makes a lot of sense. I will be sure to watch out as the issue recurs and probably get an OBD scanner too. Thanks again.

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[ravigupta000]

I own Hyundai Aura 1.2P and experienced the same thing one morning within 4-5 months of ownership. Immediately called the SA form where I made the purchase, he suspected a 2-3 reasons - a rat bite, some sensor not working properly or carbon deposit on spark plugs due to impure fuel. Asked me to restart the car again and come straight away to the service center, which fortunately was right in the next lane to my office. After restarting the car, the light and the shake were gone, still I went to the service center, they checked the engine thoroughly and found that there were carbon deposits due to adulterated fuel. It was the fuel which was the culprit and I got the fuel just 2-3 days back from an outlet which I went to the first time.

The service guys flushed the fuel, filled some from their stock and cleaned the spark plugs thoroughly. The issue was gone, never went to the fuel outlet again and have never faced the issue again in more than two years after that incident.

Originally Posted by attrip2008

I own 2018 facelift Creta petrol SX AT. It has served me very well for the past 4 years. However, yesterday a very weird incident happened (in my experience). Wife and I were heading out for some shopping and when I started the engine of the car, the whole cabin started to shake and check engine light was flashing