[vidushak]

Trying to figure out (mis) behavior of cooling system in Palio Stile 1.6 driven for 1000 Km.

While on my way for a short trip to Igatpuri, stopped at an incline waiting for friends to arrive after driving the car for about 3 kms. Noticed a small stream of liquid on the road under the car. I found out it was water. Immediately called up the service helpline who asked me to check the temperature gauge which was little less than halfway mark. Helpline was of the opinion that it was just A/C water as I had been driving through the city traffic with A/C at full blast. Also, I had kept my engine running with A/C on for 2-3 minutes.

Few days back after driving the car for 3-4 kms in city traffic with A/C at full blast. The dash A/C vents emitted a some smoke. Checked the temperature gauge which was little over halfway mark. Stopped the A/C and the car. Some water was also dipping from under the car. On another occasion, I tested for leakage of water under the car. The leakage was observed only when A/C is switch on.

Need advise on
1. Is water dipping from under the car during A/c usage normal ?
2. Is the smoke observed was the gas leaked by cooling system to manage the overload?
3. Does these symptoms points to any issue with cooling sytem like leaking water pump ?
4. Should I go in for my first service and get cooling system checked?

PS: Welcome any best practise to use cooling system of Palio.

[abhik]

Originally Posted by vidushak

1. Is water dipping from under the car during A/c usage normal ?.

Yes, this is the condensed water occuring due to the cool air inside the a/c pipes and heat outside, just like your normal house a/c which drips water upon running.

Originally Posted by vidushak

2. Is the smoke observed was the gas leaked by cooling system to manage the overload?

No, the white smoke(like what comes out of the refrigerator/freezer i.e essentially cooled water vapours) occurs when the outside temperature is cool or humid and is actually a good indicator that you have a good/powerful cooling A/C. This is mostly visible on Tata Safaris and Indicas.

Originally Posted by vidushak

3. Does these symptoms points to any issue with cooling sytem like leaking water pump ?

No, Its normal.

Originally Posted by vidushak

4. Should I go in for my first service and get cooling system checked?

Dont think you need that to be done.

[iraghava]

1. Yes, it is normal.
2. No, it's actually because due to being run for a long time your compressor has iced up & so is giving you that whitish air. Switch it off for a few minutes & it should be back to normal.
3. No, if halfway mark is where the temp needle stays normally then there is no cause for worry in any of these cases. Worry is only if you see the temp needle shooting above the normal mark or there is some smoke coming out of the engine compartment.
4. You can but I don't think there is any need to do so.

[RedMM340]

Question #1;
Is your A/C cooling effective? Is the air out of the vents nice and cold?

Question #2:
Does your engine temp stay below halfway?

If the answer to both is yes, then everything is o.k.

P.S. The water coming out of the bottom of the vehicle is condensate, and very normal in humid weather. This is the water that is pulled out of the hot humid air in the vehicle, that drains out of the HVAC system and vented to the ground via a rubber tube.

[Seeler_Rebeiro]

<<Few days back after driving the car for 3-4 kms in city traffic with A/C at full blast. The dash A/C vents emitted a some smoke.>>

Did you check if your A/C setting was set to "recirculation" mode ? That could have an impact on the white smoke coming from the vents especially since the A/C was at full blast.

[bottle]

The temperature guage in my car always stays slightly below the halfway mark no matter how hard i drive. If it is going over the half way mark it might be better to err on the side of caution and get it checked at an authorised service center just in case.

[headers]

Originally Posted by bottle

The temperature guage in my car always stays slightly below the halfway mark no matter how hard i drive. If it is going over the half way mark it might be better to err on the side of caution and get it checked at an authorised service center just in case.

This comes from a guy who touches 170 at the slightest open road ahead!

[RedMM340]

Originally Posted by vidushak

Few days back after driving the car for 3-4 kms in city traffic with A/C at full blast. The dash A/C vents emitted a some smoke. Checked the temperature gauge which was little over halfway mark.

1. Is water dipping from under the car during A/c usage normal ?
2. Is the smoke observed was the gas leaked by cooling system to manage the overload?
3. Does these symptoms points to any issue with cooling sytem like leaking water pump ?
4. Should I go in for my first service and get cooling system checked?

PS: Welcome any best practise to use cooling system of Palio.

Sorry I misread the last time. If your temp is over halfway, get it checked. My palio is usually at the 1/4 mark for temp. Will only get to the 1/2 mark at extended idling.

Regarding the smoke. Let's make sure that the terminology is correct. Smoke means there is a fire source. Smoke means that there is something burning. If you smell smoke you have an emergency situation. Do not drive the vehicle prior to a complete check up or you risk a vehicle fire.

If what you are describing is just visible water vapor, then there is no problem. You live in Mumbai, right? This is a high humidity region, so some water vapor will start to condense in the evaporator/blower unit and get blown out before having a chance to condense and flow down through the drain. This is not a problem.

[vidushak]

After going through all post and testing my A/C, I am convinced there is nothing wrong with the cooling system.

The A/C was at full blast and setting was @ "recirculation" mode. The temperature gauge was little over ½ way mark. It’s my bad to use “smoke” instead of water vapors.

Earlier, I use to drive Esteem (in Bangalore) that never exhibited such behavior.

[Seeler_Rebeiro]

Originally Posted by vidushak

After going through all post and testing my A/C, I am convinced there is nothing wrong with the cooling system.

The A/C was at full blast and setting was @ "recirculation" mode. The temperature gauge was little over ½ way mark. It’s my bad to use “smoke” instead of water vapors.

Earlier, I use to drive Esteem (in Bangalore) that never exhibited such behavior.

Good to hear that. The Palio Cooling system is one of the most powerful around and which is why you may not have experienced this in other cars.