[honeybee]

Originally Posted by curios

But I know how bad its gets when the car struggles to accelerate and it feels weak and under-powered. Sometimes, the responsiveness is suddenly low, after some kms of driving.

The engine makes a lot more noise as if it's struggling hard to revv up. This seems to happen with the AC on; the engine feels much smoother without the AC running.
...
Is it a worn out clutch? Want to retain the car for a couple years at least, so willing to spend on keeping it fit.

I am assuming the regular services have been done on time and properly, so the oil has been changed, oil filter and air filter have been changed at the prescribed intervals.

Does the problem occur only when the AC is on, and does the car run normally with the AC off? If yes, get the AC compressor/ belt checked.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by curios

And did I mention that mileage as last measured was a shade under 8kmpl (in 2018)! The fact that I drive once or twice a week, has been the saving grace. Else my fuel bills will empty my wallet like leaking faucet.

Has the car had a compression test done? Given the age of your car (not sure about the mileage clocked) the valves seats and/or piston rings may worn out.

[curios]

Continuing with my 14 years of a sad experience with my Chevrolet Spark, my woes (and expenses) never seem to cease, even as I'm left with 15 months to spare before the car is scrapped as per law.

I had been complaining to the ASC guy for long about poor mileage (8-9kmpl at best). But when my gear shifts began to get stuck in 1st, 2nd and quite majorly in reverse gear, he suggested a clutch replacement as the clutch was over 80% word out he said.

Not wanting to take a risk with such a vital part, I got that done at Rs 13.5K (including cost of coolant tank and a corroded coolant pipeline) on 25th December, 2022. The good news is that the car's mileage has gone up considerably.

Sadly, though, the clutch pedal has been uncomfortable to use since.

What's worse was that the gear shifts were still giving trouble. Ergo, next advise - change the gear shift cable set (cost Rs 2.5K or so). A couple of visits later, they did some work ('bush set' or something) at the place where the gear cable below gets the push/pull from the stick. I'm sorry but I cannot explain this any better :(

Some perceived improvement but very soon the issue of hard gear shifts/stuck gear is back nearly the same as before!

While that was under consideration, my car had shuddered a couple of times, once when I was inside on the phone without my foot on any pedal. This had never happened before. This time, the spark plugs were cleaned and the problem is ok now, I think.

But the clutch pedal continues to feels tight and my foot is tired very quickly with the new clutch assembly. The synchronization between clutch and acceleration is off ever since, which means I experience near stops between gear shifting, and this is very unsettling.

They said it was perfect and the pedal adequately soft to press. They greased some part above the pedal. No difference so far.

I just cannot afford to sink in big monies into a car that is clearly slated for the junkyard by April 2024 end or May 2024 first week.

Yet I thought to maximise its usage and maybe do an outstation trip -- finally after nearly a decade -- since the clutch is new and all that.

But the past two months have been spent in at least 6-7 visits to the ASC, and I'm so tired and fed up now.

At least before the clutch replacement, I was getting only the gear shifting issue. Now a new aspect has been added. In stop-go traffic its a nightmare with my left foot hurting.

I just don't feel comfortable driving this car anymore. Appreciate some advice and help in how to address this please.

[revvharder]

Originally Posted by curios

At least before the clutch replacement, I was getting only the gear shifting issue. Now a new aspect has been added. In stop-go traffic its a nightmare with my left foot hurting.

I just don't feel comfortable driving this car anymore. Appreciate some advice and help in how to address this please.

It looks like the FNG hasn't been able to narrow down the issue and is just doing guess work. Could you share if the clutch cable has been replaced or not ?
Also you could also look at the teambhp directory for competent workshops near you, it just seems like incompetent workmanship to me.

[curios]

Originally Posted by revvharder

It looks like the FNG hasn't been able to narrow down the issue and is just doing guess work. Could you share if the clutch cable has been replaced or not ?
Also you could also look at the teambhp directory for competent workshops near you, it just seems like incompetent workmanship to me.

You're right, the service supervisor hasn't taken the car for a detailed drive even once to diagnose properly. I was shown the clutch plate and other stuff before replacement but not sure if clutch cable was replaced. Assuming it was.

[curios]

Here's the list of components that were replaced.

[curios]

Originally Posted by revvharder

It looks like the FNG hasn't been able to narrow down the issue and is just doing guess work. Could you share if the clutch cable has been replaced or not ?
Also you could also look at the teambhp directory for competent workshops near you, it just seems like incompetent workmanship to me.

Where on Team-BHP can I find details of tried and tested workshops please?

[revvharder]

Originally Posted by curios

Where on Team-BHP can I find details of tried and tested workshops please?

Here it is,

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-bhp-directory/

[curios]

Sometimes it's sheer tough luck when it comes to the reliability and comfort we expect from some of our prized possessions. This I've come to realise with my Chevy Spark's 14+ years of experience. No matter how diligent I've been in getting it serviced from the authorised service guys, or not shying from paying the required monies, it has acted quite the same throughout.

After spending roughly Rs 25-27K since December 2022 (clutch replacement, engine oil service, AC gas filling, plugging leakages in coolant system and so on at different visits) yet another leakage happened in the coolant system (lower side) in August.

My car engine was constantly stopping and I took a detour to the service centre, pushing it every few hundred feet for like 10km, until it broke down near the service centre and steam/smoke began coming out.

A crowd had gathered and asked me to step away, fearing it was on fire. It was a case of coolant draining out. The centre guys replaced the pipes etc but a mild burning smell continues even a month later.

Since then, I have felt the bonnet area above the engine feels super hot even with a small neighbourhood drive. Asked the Chevrolet guy to check and the temperature was recorded around 92 degrees celsius or so. He said it's perfectly normal in this range so no problem.

I still get a burning smell (though maybe a wee-bit less perhaps) all the time after a drive and the bonnet gets super hot still. Coolant levels are ok.


Let me rewind a bit to my other issue which had come up before this. After the AC gas filling in June, my car had been struggling to climb up the small incline in my basement parking. With no AC on that's not a problem I think.

The Chevrolet service guy says it's a clear case of fuel pump malfunction. Chevrolet estimate - Rs 16K. He helpfully advised Denso for saving money given the life-stage of the car.

Went to Denso service guy (Abhi Auto in South Delhi) and he suggested that with less than a year left, why bother. Paid Rs 300 for a quick scan, and no fault found. Advised to keep the car in idle for a few minutes before moving after overnight parking. I try to keep the AC off as I start out as a stop-gap solution.

This sluggishness and sometimes almost stopping on the incline on 1st and 2nd gears was a big issue, before I faced the traumatic heating up incident.

Both issues bother me, and I feel terrible about the shuddering and near stops when starting out from home. Forgot to mention that a couple of times, have felt a continued shudder with the car standing still and engine running.

Despite keeping everything in shape it's getting too troublesome now.

The car goes to the scrapyard by end April 2024. (no option of extension through fitness test in NCR).

Is there anything at all I could do to keep my car in reasonable shape and running condition before it meets its inevitable fate? Also is it safe to drive this outstation like say 300km one way?

Thanks in advance. Will appreciate some guidance from you all kind and experienced folks on Team-BHP.

[curios]

Update: The shuddering continues to happen upon starting and moving the car. Worried. Can someone please advise? Thanks.

Originally Posted by curios

Sometimes it's sheer tough luck when it comes to the reliability and comfort we expect from some of our prized possessions. This I've come to realise with my Chevy Spark's 14+ years of experience. No matter how diligent I've been in getting it serviced from the authorised service guys, or not shying from paying the required monies, it has acted quite the same throughout.

After spending roughly Rs 25-27K since December 2022 (clutch replacement, engine oil service, AC gas filling, plugging leakages in coolant system and so on at different visits) yet another leakage happened in the coolant system (lower side) in August.

My car engine was constantly stopping and I took a detour to the service centre, pushing it every few hundred feet for like 10km, until it broke down near the service centre and steam/smoke began coming out.

A crowd had gathered and asked me to step away, fearing it was on fire. It was a case of coolant draining out. The centre guys replaced the pipes etc but a mild burning smell continues even a month later.

Since then, I have felt the bonnet area above the engine feels super hot even with a small neighbourhood drive. Asked the Chevrolet guy to check and the temperature was recorded around 92 degrees celsius or so. He said it's perfectly normal in this range so no problem.

I still get a burning smell (though maybe a wee-bit less perhaps) all the time after a drive and the bonnet gets super hot still. Coolant levels are ok.


Let me rewind a bit to my other issue which had come up before this. After the AC gas filling in June, my car had been struggling to climb up the small incline in my basement parking. With no AC on that's not a problem I think.

The Chevrolet service guy says it's a clear case of fuel pump malfunction. Chevrolet estimate - Rs 16K. He helpfully advised Denso for saving money given the life-stage of the car.

Went to Denso service guy (Abhi Auto in South Delhi) and he suggested that with less than a year left, why bother. Paid Rs 300 for a quick scan, and no fault found. Advised to keep the car in idle for a few minutes before moving after overnight parking. I try to keep the AC off as I start out as a stop-gap solution.

This sluggishness and sometimes almost stopping on the incline on 1st and 2nd gears was a big issue, before I faced the traumatic heating up incident.

Both issues bother me, and I feel terrible about the shuddering and near stops when starting out from home. Forgot to mention that a couple of times, have felt a continued shudder with the car standing still and engine running.

Despite keeping everything in shape it's getting too troublesome now.

The car goes to the scrapyard by end April 2024. (no option of extension through fitness test in NCR).

Is there anything at all I could do to keep my car in reasonable shape and running condition before it meets its inevitable fate? Also is it safe to drive this outstation like say 300km one way?

Thanks in advance. Will appreciate some guidance from you all kind and experienced folks on Team-BHP.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by curios

Let me rewind a bit to my other issue which had come up before this. After the AC gas filling in June, my car had been struggling to climb up the small incline in my basement parking. With no AC on that's not a problem I think.

Can you make sure there is such a big difference in performance with AC on and off?

An AC system will easily require 3-4 HP from your engine. So on a small car/engine it is usually noticeable as a small degradation in performance. But what you describe is way too much.

As you mentioned, the fuel pump might be on its way out. Did they measure the fuel line pressure? If not, you can’t really tell.

The two simple things that can have a big impact on performance are air and fuel filter. Air inlet filter is easy to check of course. Fuel filter can’t be easily inspected. It needs to be removed and replaced. You need to check where the fuel filter (s) is/are on your particular car. There is usually one in the line from the fuel pomp near the fuel tank to the engine. Many car also have a built in strainer inside the fuel tank, usually part of the fuel level indicating and build in pump if that is applicable.

Good luck
Jeroen

[curios]

Thanks so much.

None of them - ASC or Abhi Auto measured the fuel line pressure. Is it a big process or easily done? They both ran only the diagnostics on a laptop/machine, and declared the overall car error-free.

The air filter and fuel filter had been replaced around 4 months ago as part of the engine oil replacement service round. AC service was done a couple months later.

Post the heating up incident, is it possible the oil and filters might have been affected/damaged in any way?

Also, is the strainer replaceable at low cost? I'm caught between the ASC guy being dead sure it's the pump and the Denso chap saying no point since I've got few months to go.

A vital point I forgot to mention is that the owner of Abhi Auto was categorical that a fuel pump won't go bad like this -- it will die out completely -- contradicting the ASC guy I suppose.

All this is making me very anxious about whether it's safe to drive or risky? Have an outstation trip coming up and cannot decide if it can be done with my car, especially with my elderly dad coming along.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Can you make sure there is such a big difference in performance with AC on and off?

An AC system will easily require 3-4 HP from your engine. So on a small car/engine it is usually noticeable as a small degradation in performance. But what you describe is way too much.

As you mentioned, the fuel pump might be on its way out. Did they measure the fuel line pressure? If not, you can’t really tell.

The two simple things that can have a big impact on performance are air and fuel filter. Air inlet filter is easy to check of course. Fuel filter can’t be easily inspected. It needs to be removed and replaced. You need to check where the fuel filter (s) is/are on your particular car. There is usually one in the line from the fuel pomp near the fuel tank to the engine. Many car also have a built in strainer inside the fuel tank, usually part of the fuel level indicating and build in pump if that is applicable.

Good luck
Jeroen

[curios]

Was hoping for some thoughts on this, as it's becoming tough to depend on this car. Have my elderly dad to ferry around when needed for routine and medical situations.
Have no clue on what can be done to diagnose, and none except one kind BHP-ian has offered some advice so far. Will be grateful for some helpful pointers please.

Originally Posted by curios

Thanks so much.

None of them - ASC or Abhi Auto measured the fuel line pressure. Is it a big process or easily done? They both ran only the diagnostics on a laptop/machine, and declared the overall car error-free.

The air filter and fuel filter had been replaced around 4 months ago as part of the engine oil replacement service round. AC service was done a couple months later.

Post the heating up incident, is it possible the oil and filters might have been affected/damaged in any way?

Also, is the strainer replaceable at low cost? I'm caught between the ASC guy being dead sure it's the pump and the Denso chap saying no point since I've got few months to go.

A vital point I forgot to mention is that the owner of Abhi Auto was categorical that a fuel pump won't go bad like this -- it will die out completely -- contradicting the ASC guy I suppose.

All this is making me very anxious about whether it's safe to drive or risky? Have an outstation trip coming up and cannot decide if it can be done with my car, especially with my elderly dad coming along.