Team-BHP - Fiat Palio MJD - Known Problems

Its back. Or, it never went anywhere. The AC still freezes up after a hour or so of running, and then the "turn-off-the-compressor, prepare for wet feet, and restart compressor" routine has to be resorted to.

Took it to VST Motors in Madras, and they agreed to change the thermostat and expansion valve under warranty. Only issue: parts weren't in stock, and I would have had to leave the car back in Chennai for a week or so.

Solution: Put the VST service adviser on the phone with Zaakir at Prerana, and ask him to explain what Prerana needed to do to fix this problem. Prerana has ordered for the parts, and they're due in 10 days. And the wait continues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amarprusty (Post 1238449)

How is the claim settlement and service for United India as compared to private players

To be honest with you, I've tried a private player only for one car that I have owned - Tata AIG. Clean relationship from beginning to end, but I didn't have a reason to file a claim with them when I held the policy. Relationship-wise, they are pretty honest and transparent.

United India's claim settlement is fairly quick (3 weeks is the longest I've had to wait, and 1 week the shortest), and they have a great relationship with most companies' Authorized Service Centers. Also, they have a huge employee base, so things like taking photographs of your vehicle, etc. are done very quickly (same day or next day). The third reason I would suggest them is that they don't try to nickle and dime you - what you see is what you get. They don't ask you to lug accident parts to their office to prove replacement, etc. (This happened to a friend of mine insured by New India Assurance - he had to take his Esteem's damaged bonnet to their office!)

For the last week, Forza's brake oil warning light has been coming on during hard acceleration. I mean the light that looks something like this: (!)

I checked the brake oil level and its barely above minimum. My guess: during hard acceleration, the level shifts ever so slightly, triggering off the warning. The oil looks clean and healthy, though.

The car was serviced at 14k kms., and is now at 18500 km. This is the first time that I've had to refill any of the fluids in the car (except the windshield washer fluid of course). I called up Prerana and they told me to replace the brake pads! At 18,500???? Its scheduled for the 22,500 service, which is a good 4,000 km. away. Braking is still 100%, and there is no squeeking sound from the brakes. My limited experience tells me that Prerana is out for some Vit-M from my pocket.

Questions to the forum:
1. Do I just refill the oil using DOT4 oil? Or should I haul her in for a look-see at Prerana?

2. Reverse has also become a little difficult to engage, especially once the car has been running for a while. Nothing serious,though. I was wondering whether the clutch's hydraulic efficiency would have been impacted by the lower oil level?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ice (Post 1350814)

I think quite a few people faced this problem , me included. For me the fluid was leaking. It was fixed in the fourth service but its reappeared again after 3k kms :(

Previously the resevoir was almost dry when I checked, This time Its well above minimum but the warning light has still come on

Would recommend that you take the car in, maybe at Concorde to get a second opinion but do get it checked. I wasnt able to source DOT4 at regular lubricant shops easily so its less of a hassle to get it from TASS

My car's recently completed 35000 kms., most of it on the highway. It's been pretty problem-free, and I've not faced any major issues....till yesterday.

Actually, let me step back and tell you what happened 2 weeks ago. On the weekend of the 23rd (Jan), I was driving from Bangalore to Kumbakonam via Salem, Namakkal, Trichy, and Thanjavur. I left Bangalore around 5 AM, and the car was brilliant. But between Namakkal and Trichy, I felt the acceleration fade completely. The symptoms:

- The engine took thrice the usual time to rev till 2000 rpm
- The turbo did not kick in
- The engine refused to rev over 3200 rpm
- Speed maxed out around 90 kmph (which was achieved with great difficulty)
- No warning lights flared up

Buses and trucks were overtaking me with ease suddenly. So I pulled over and disconnected and reconnected the Pete's box lead to the engine, and disconnected and reconnected the battery. My initial suspicion was that the Pete's was responsible - being an after-market item, it is cursed with being the prime suspect in case of trouble.

After the disconnect and reconnect, the car was perfectly ok. Since then, I have driven ~ 2,000 km. on it (again, mostly on the highway) with no issues whatsoever.

Until yesterday....

driving from Madras early in the morning, the car was in fine fettle. I had pretty much forgotten about the issue mentioned in the para above. Then, as I was over-taking a truck on the Krishnagiri-Hosur stretch. At 80 (when I normally shift to fourth), the acceleration suddenly disappeared. It's as if the car was suddenly mired in quicksand. All the symptoms mentioned above were exhibited again, and I was convinced that a disconnect/reconnect would fix it. But it didn't. I then disconnected the Pete's box and connected the stock ECU lead to the engine, but to no avail.

I limped back to Bangalore, and headed straight to Prerana on OMR. I waited there for 4 hours while they checked the car out thoroughly.

Diagnosis 1:
Water in the fuel tank. So they flushed the tank and took it for a test drive, but the problem still remained.

Diagnosis 2: ECU issues. They reset the ECU, but the problem persisted.

Diagnosis 3: (current hypothesis) Turbo failure. They've dismantled the turbo and are examining it as I type this. I'll keep this thread updated on the outcome of their examination.

I don't think Diagnoses 1 and 3 hold water (pardon the pun). Here's why:

1. Why did the first occurrence of this issue get sorted with the disconnect/reconnect if it was a fuel/turbo issue?

2. With mechanical issues, does an engine that is performing perfectly one moment just lose it's power without any external symptoms? (no smoke from the engine or tailpipe, no warning lights or sounds, no mechanical grinding or sudden loud sound, no change in other parameters such as engine temp, oil pressure, etc.)

Thoughts? I'm VERY desperate, and very upset with all this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by planet_rocker (Post 1723769)

What about the air filter? did they check the filter?

I don't that there is any problem with the ECU since the car behaved abnormal with / without the Pete's box / OE ECU. what about the wires / connectors to the ecu / petes box??

The air filter's fine, and all the leads to and from the ECU are also ok. I just visited Prerana, and the prognosis is not good - the turbo is busted. The fins on the intake valve are bent out of shape. I seriously don't know how this happened! And at 35,000 km!

Prerana's ordered a new turbo (it's identical to the one on the Punto, so should reach Bangalore quickly). I wanted to get at the ECU memory bank to see what error message had popped up when the engine went limp, but they refuse to access the ECU since the turbo has now been removed (I'm guessing they need to start the engine to access the memory bank)

Will keep this thread updated. Why me, Fiat?!

@Ice... even if it is the turbo, atleast you're under warranty.

This is the first case of turbo failure I am coming across on the MJD although have heard many cases in the Swift DDIS. I have seen a seized MJD engine here at Elegant though.

While they're ordering the new turbo, is it possible to re-fit the older one with a new air filter and check? As Bubby says, it could be a problem.

Even I have faced momentary lack of power on 2-3 occasions and a full-on stalling on one occassion, all in 5th gear at 1800-2000 RPM, but its never happenned again, so it could be an air-filter issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by architect (Post 1726825)

@Ice... even if it is the turbo, atleast you're under warranty.
Even I have faced momentary lack of power on 2-3 occasions and a full-on stalling on one occassion, all in 5th gear at 1800-2000 RPM, but its never happenned again, so it could be an air-filter issue.

Architect: The air and fuel filters were changed after the fuel tank was drained (Diagnosis #1 - Water in the tank). No change in performance.

Update:
Took the car for a test drive last night with the new turbo in place. It's FLYING! Things seem normal now. I guess I owe Prerana an apology for doubting their suspicions regarding the turbo.

Now that I think about it, there was a whistling sound emanating from the engine between 3000 and 4000 rpm. This sound - according to HRag, is a sure indication of a work turbo bearing, or a leak. With the new turbo, there is no whistling sound.

I get the car back today, after the 37500 km service. Will be driving to Madras tomorrow or on Saturday, so should be able to tell if she's completely fixed.

Many thanks to Hrag for all the advice and assistance!
My thanks