[advaninilesh]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

My friend's Alto K10 (old model) had a small incident with a bike, and lost the plastic cladding that comes in place of the fog lamps. Is this part available at Maruti Genuine
Spare shops? How much for a (left hand side) piece?

Yes, the bezel and is easily available priced around Rs 70/-

[Mr.O]

AC in my 2012 Alto K10 is not working properly. Air coming out of the vents is not as "fast" as before. I think there might be something stuck in the AC filter. Can anyone tell me where that filter is located. How can we remove it? And how can we clean it?

[goandude]

Hi Guys,
I have been driving around an Alto, which is about 5 yrs old and has 30k km on odo, for 2 weeks now. The other day i noticed that the coolant reservoir was almost empty. Since I had not opened the hood since I took the car I presumed it was like this earlier. Added coolant and water mix to the FULL mark and drove it 15 kms in the traffic of Shillong. When the car cooled down I noticed that the coolant level is reduced to 1 cm below the FULL mark. I repeated the exercise again, filling it to FULL and drove 27 kms and again the coolant level had dropped by a similar amount.There is no visible leak on the garage floor and around any pipes/hoses that I can see. The engine oil is OK and the oil cap is not showing any white mayo like stuff. Engine temperature indicator is at 1/2 mark when hot and no change in it. That is the engine is not overheating. Fan is working on and off as it should I think.
So My question is, "Where is the coolant going?".

Going through this forum I read someone having coolant leak into the passenger compartment and I checked this but no leakage inside the car either.
Any information will be helpful.
regards

[glenmz]

Originally Posted by goandude

Hi Guys,
I have been driving around an Alto, which is about 5 yrs old and has 30k km on odo, for 2 weeks now. The other day i noticed that the coolant reservoir was almost empty.

I have had a similar issue with my Wagon R.
Once, when I opened the hood, the coolant reservoir was almost empty. I took it to the neayby garage and asked the mechanic to check. When he opened the reservoir, there was coolant inside! Did not face the issue again.

So - did you check the resorvoir after keeping the engine on or driving a while?

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by goandude

So My question is, "Where is the coolant going?".

As there is no visible signs of leakages anywhere, check the following also,
1. Is there contamination of the engine oil with coolant. Look for foaming and yellowish colour.
2. There is a rubber tube inside the coolant reservoir connected to the reservoir cap.. Check if this tube is intact or else replace it.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by goandude

When the car cooled down I noticed that the coolant level is reduced to 1 cm below the FULL mark. I repeated the exercise again, filling it to FULL and drove 27 kms and again the coolant level had dropped by a similar amount.

Originally Posted by glenmz

I have had a similar issue with my Wagon R.
Once, when I opened the hood, the coolant reservoir was almost empty. I took it to the neayby garage and asked the mechanic to check. When he opened the reservoir, there was coolant inside! Did not face the issue again.

So - did you check the resorvoir after keeping the engine on or driving a while?

I checked the reservoir after driving a while, as mentioned above, and then waiting for it to cool down.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

As there is no visible signs of leakages anywhere, check the following also,
1. Is there contamination of the engine oil with coolant. Look for foaming and yellowish colour.
2. There is a rubber tube inside the coolant reservoir connected to the reservoir cap.. Check if this tube is intact or else replace it.

I checked the oil level and oil filler cap for contamination. There was none visible. I had a old Fiat with a blown head gasket and know what this contamination looks like.
The rubber tube inside the reservoir is fine.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by goandude

I checked the oil level and oil filler cap for contamination. There was none visible.

One more point, btb, is your car fitted with an LPG kit?

[goandude]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

One more point, btb, is your car fitted with an LPG kit?

No. But on closer scrutiny with a torch I found some brownish residue on the junction of two hoses, the lower radiator inlet hose and the hose leading to the engine. The junction has a circular clip on it and quite deep in the engine bay, thus I could not get a pic of it.

Could it be that the leak is so small that it leaks only when under pressure? Leaving this brownish residue? But then when parking the car after a drive, while it is still hot and under pressure, the leak should manifest as drops on the ground, right?

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by goandude

No. But on closer scrutiny with a torch I found some brownish residue on the junction of two hoses, the lower radiator inlet hose and the hose leading to the engine.

It is advisable to replace all coolant line hoses over a period, as these are subjected to thermal stresses and liable to fail. I feel 5 years is definitely time for replacement.

[escape velocity]

I have an Alto 2007 LX model. The car has been giving problems lately.

Few months back it started giving jerks while accelerating.

A roadside mechanic cleaned the spark plugs and suggested to replace the plugs. The car ran file for a few days but the problem reoccurred. This time I asked another mechanic to change the spark plugs but he found them OK but cleaned the Throttle Body.

The car ran smoothly for over a month but today, after having been driven for about 20 kms, it started jerking again. It would run smoothly for few kms. and then would start jerking as if it has run out of fuel. The car would not idle properly and engine would shut after a couple of minutes.

This time I changed three spark plugs but the problem persisted. Another mechanic blamed it on distributor and suggested to replace it. He, however, cleaned the distributor and rubbed the points with a sandpaper. Thereafter, the car has run smoothly but I take it with a pinch of salt. I cannot undertake long journey in my car with peace of mind.

I got it checked from another mechanic who ruled out any malfunction of the distributor and advised to get the fuel filter cleaned if problem occurs again.

The experts of Team-BHP are therefore, requested to conjecture what could be wrong with the car and advise on future course of action. Mileage -~53,000 kms.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by escape velocity

I have an Alto 2007 LX model. The car has been giving problems lately.

Few months back it started giving jerks while accelerating.

I got it checked from another mechanic who ruled out any malfunction of the distributor and advised to get the fuel filter cleaned if problem occurs again.

1) Get the air filter changed,

2) At the correct clearance for the spark plugs,

3) Get the fuel tank cleaned once. Hope the fuel the you fill is of good quality?! Fuel quality plays a lot of role in drive ability.

4) Get the injectors cleaned if you haven't.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by escape velocity

Few months back it started giving jerks while accelerating.

Is there any misfiring, attributable to either no or weak spark in any one of the cylinders?
If no, then first replace the fuel filter and observe. Cut open the old filter to see if it is clogged and full of muck. If yes go for fuel tank cleaning also.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by escape velocity

Few months back it started giving jerks while accelerating.


I

Have you checked the leads too? I had bad idle on my car for months before I changed the leads, and it never resurfaced.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by escape velocity

I have an Alto 2007 LX model. The car has been giving problems lately.

Few months back it started giving jerks while accelerating.

A roadside mechanic cleaned the spark plugs and suggested to replace the plugs. The car ran file for a few days but the problem reoccurred. This time I asked another mechanic to change the spark plugs but he found them OK but cleaned the Throttle Body.

The car ran smoothly for over a month but today, after having been driven for about 20 kms, it started jerking again. It would run smoothly for few kms. and then would start jerking as if it has run out of fuel. The car would not idle properly and engine would shut after a couple of minutes.

This time I changed three spark plugs but the problem persisted. Another mechanic blamed it on distributor and suggested to replace it. He, however, cleaned the distributor and rubbed the points with a sandpaper. Thereafter, the car has run smoothly but I take it with a pinch of salt. I cannot undertake long journey in my car with peace of mind.

I got it checked from another mechanic who ruled out any malfunction of the distributor and advised to get the fuel filter cleaned if problem occurs again.

The experts of Team-BHP are therefore, requested to conjecture what could be wrong with the car and advise on future course of action. Mileage -~53,000 kms.

1. If there is any problem with ignition - spark plugs, injectors or distributor, your FE will go down drastically. As you have changed - spark plugs, cleaned distributor and the throttle body, the only other area of concern is the HT leads to the spark plugs. Get them checked.

2. Choked Air filter will decrease the FE, but rarely result in jerking.

3. If the jerking starts after driving some distance, especially at higher speeds, sufficient fuel may not be reaching the engine. If you have not changed the fuel filter, do so. If the fuel quality is bad, it is advisable to change it every 20K km. If the condition persists at high speeds (but never at low speeds and short distances), then get the fuel pump checked, it may be failing.

4. If you have been driving in heavy B2B traffic, then a lot of carbon and sludge may be there in the engine (another reason for low FE). I suggest that you do an "Italian Tune Up", that is take the car to the nearest highway and drive at least 50km at 90-100. That will clean up the engine, and improve the FE drastically.

Lastly, check your owners manual for the service intervals. There is a detailed chart showing the recommended - inspection and replacement schedule. Adhere to it (change what ever is recommended faithfully) and the Alto will last 3L+ km. If you do not have the manual, you can download it.
http://marutistorage.blob.core.windo...k_Alto_800.pdf

[rajeev k]

Many Altos(Old) have this jerky running, when speed goes below a certain level in each gear, with the AC on. This can be solved by replacing with some good imported spark plugs. This has been discussed in depth in this forum, but I do not remember clearly whether it is in this particular thread or on another.