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-   -   Baleno(altura) steering oil leaks, car overheats on using ac, help required (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/78056-baleno-altura-steering-oil-leaks-car-overheats-using-ac-help-required.html)

I'm going to have to go back to the year 2006 when we first purchased this vehicle from maruti true value, okhla, service masters, delhi.
I was merely 16 then and hence knew virtually nothing, all I do remember is that the first day itself, while my father parked the baleno altura in the compund, the steering made loud creaking, 'krr krr' noises.
At this time the car had done 42,000km.
The issue was diagnosed, I don't remember what they did but the noise went away only to return about a month later. It was sometime later diagnosed to be a oil leak problem,something to do with the power steering oil seals.

The problem kept recurring though and service masters kept doing something about it including calling 'engineers' from Maruti.

Jumping to 2008 when on the highway the steering made the loudest noise ever possible, the oil had leaked out completely. We somehow got the car back t delhi and ended up spending a lot of money topping up the oil every few hours.
Maruti fixed it again and then again in 2009, they don't charge us for the seals, i'm frankly not even sure f they change them or just fix it up temporarily.
My dates may be wrong, the only reason I wrote this is to give you guys some sort of an idea, I remember clearly the last change being october 2009, the oil levels are down again even after a top up about 20 days ago.
Another interesting detail is the disappearance of the noise initially observed.

Please help me, my car at the moment has covered just a bit more than 1 lakh km, I'd like to know if there's anything I can do or if there's a chance of a permanent fix, the car otherwise is in top notch condition, would really like you guys to help me out with these so that I can continue to use this vehicle peacefully.

A visit to Maruti about 15 days back led to the usual drama about how the car is out of warranty yet we'll change the seals and charge you only for the labor, oils etc.

My local mechanic too thinks it's the oil seals that are causing the problem and has quoted 3k to fix the problem.
Pls advice, thank you for listening.
Sukrit

Ps- My model runs on the hydraulic power steering, I'm not sure if the baleno's later had an EPS or not.

just changing oil seals wont help.you need to change complete pump i guess it costs around 44k!

Where is this leak from? Oil seals in the steering rack?
In that case you need to get and fit a new steering rack in there. The shaft probably is worn out. And the Maruti service guys kept changing to new seals but the old shaft being worn out so after a tiem the leak starts again
regards

I don't understand cars as well as most of you do here, I do know that the oil seals leak, i'm not really sure where from though.
Since you guys feel that replacing the oil seals won't fix the problem then what should be my course of action, should I pursue Maruti as it seems they sold me a defective car, should I get the problem fixed locally, how much would it cost or should I sell the car?
please:

@deutscheafrikar- What you're saying seems to be correct and indicates some cost cutting by maruti when it came t repairing the car, what are the costs involved and what would you advise ?
I have all the service records, atleast 10 which ask for a rectification of the same problem.

Some mishandling and a slight bent steering shaft, hence new washer lasts no long. Replacing the complete kit is the way forward. There is no history of reliable steering repairs jobs.

How much would this cost approx ?
Will it be reliable or are thr chances of a relapse ?

@sukrit Go for the streetwise workshop guys, and they may be able to source parts from a 'scrapyard' for the replacing components. Worth a try, before going for a whole replacement. Whole set replacement costs above 25k or so.. for baleno it has to be imported, so it might be more pricey.

Hey,
save your self the trouble and pick up a used steering rack from the scrapyard.It should cost you around 5-6k and spare another grand for labour charges(though i would suggest you get this done from outside).

In my case,the power steering seals failed causing the ps fluid to leak. The seals were 'fixed' but they failed again and were done again FOC as a re-job. In order to keep the PS pump from seizing when the seals failed the first time, we disconnected the power steering till such time as we got a replacement rack as the old one was destroyed. Put that on only to find the pump had also seized!

So basically, just save yourself the time and trouble and get yourself the part from a totalled car or maruti.

Btw, the pump is around 25k* and the rack is around 40+ :).
All the best!

PS: As a policy, maruti authorised serviced centers are supposed to replace such parts and not repair them.

And how did you know he needs to change complete pump, If pump been a problem, ten sound would not have disappeared temporarily.

BTW pump costs 23K to be precise.

Ask your maruti workshop if they can get you a decent rack from a totalled car so to speak. These company guys are able to manage this I once got a rack for a fiat uno for 1/3rd the price. In mumbai there is a guy in Naaz cinema gulley who repairs these racks. He is supposed to be an expert. Do you want his number so that you can speak to him about your problem? If the cost of a new one is so high then maybe you can given him one last try. A friend of minc ewho is a car dealer now settled in bangalore still sends his vehicle steeing racks to thsi chap. But it means removving the rack and sending it to him most probably with a relative or friend who will carry it for you. But you need to find out from your service station guys what seal has been changed so often, who has been doing the job (in house or outside) and also the condition of wear on the shaft.
Regards

Thanks, shall look into it.
Would you know someone who can get me the parts ?


Binz, thanks for replying, I'll be relying on you a lot in the next couple of weeks, I hope you won't mind being bombarded with questions.
I suppose i could pursue Maruti for not having replaced the part but the car being 4 years old(2nd hand that is, total age is 9 yrs) they'll quite definitely find ways out of the situation. Don't really trust service masters anymore, i've probably got this fixed atleast 5 times.
If I understand correctly, you too got the parts from a totaled car right, how much did this cost you ?


@ Binz, @akas
There has been no sound in the last 3 years except once when there was absolutely no oil. What would this seem like, a pump failure or something else ?




Hi, I really don't feel upto trusting Maruti Service masters, I'm quite sure they knew about this problem even when the car was in warranty yet did nothing about it, I'd much rather get it done from outside, atleast i know the local mechanic and can go back t him. Maruti's been doing the same thing for the last 4 years almost.
I'm in new delhi so sending will be difficult besides I doubt dad will agree. Maruti has never been too keen on disclosing details.

Does anyone know someone/someplace where I can get these parts ?
Thanku.

It's hard to tell, but whatever the reason is be sure it's not at all a pump failure. The problem to look is where and why it's leaking oil?

Binz your better bet as he was also getting similar issue i guess some times back.

Is there any way for me(self diagnosis) to understand where the oil is leaking from?

Friend you are lucky to be in delhi, there are specialist steering repair guys near jhandewallan, ask any workshop there and they will guide you. I had excessive ply in my esteem steering and they fixed it for 250 rs in 2007, mine was a manual though

Yoou can head to jama masjid or to mayapuri, getting these parts is not a big problem. Before you go to jama masjid or mayapuri, i suggest you first go to kashmiri gate auto spare parts market. Ask for the price of a new one then go to jama masjid/mayapuri. you will now have an idea. Getting used parts is a gamble, some times they are good some times bad than what you have, most of the times they are repaired for sure.

First go to jhandewallan, see if they fix you problem, else go the new/used way. New one in karshmiri gate will be aprox 50% less expensive than maruti.

Pramod

I have a similar problem in my esteems PS . This is what I've found out so far:

1. The service manual says that opening the steering rack and pinion assembly is a "forbidden service"

2. There are two types of seals - original SGP ones and the local ones. The SGP seals are not readily available (I've got them after 2 months from the MGP distributor!) - according to my friendly neighborhood mechanic - a repair job with the original seals works perfectly while one with "local" seals may work or may not work. But mostly they use the locally available stuff as the SGP ones are not readily available.

3. In case the rack and pinion assembly in worn out - there are people who can repair them and make them work as good as new - you need specialized tools for this - an average garage cannot do this. I'm sure there will be someone who'll be having such a setup in every state/city (my mechanic in goa sends the racks to belgaum where they're repaired and sent back)