[Trust_In_Thrust]

A very simple solution for you
Go buy the rear suspension of Alto (CNG Factory Fitted).As Maruti advertise saying that they have improved rear suspension for CNG load.
For the front you can check if Alto Vxi had a different setup .
For the info I m using WagonR back springs on my Zen 2003 having CNG and ZenDsprings up front . It works well.

[SAS]

Originally Posted by Trust_In_Thrust

A very simple solution for you
Go buy the rear suspension of Alto (CNG Factory Fitted).As Maruti advertise saying that they have improved rear suspension for CNG load.
For the front you can check if Alto Vxi had a different setup .
For the info I m using WagonR back springs on my Zen 2003 having CNG and ZenDsprings up front . It works well.

Excellent!! This is exactly what I wanted to do. How's your experience been with the modified springs? Also were there any other parts other than springs which you had to alter, like shocks with revised damping rates, etc? Where did you get your job done, since most MASS's don't do this customization work.

Does anybody know where I can do similar job in Mumbai? I'll be visiting Nakita's garage shortly, but it would be helpful if I had choices. Thanks.

[SPARKled]

The tick tick sound is a classic tie rod wear issue. i have had this in almost all cars that I have owned so far. Get this changed and you are set to go. In fact if the mileage done is sufficiently high check the lower arms and the shocks as well.

[SAS]

OK guys, here's an update. I took it to the nearby MASS. Here's what he says needs to be done:
1. Steering rack needs to be replaced: he says that the noise is coming from the steering rack and the assembly needs to be replaced. Expected price for parts is ~3k. Anybody had experiences with replacing their steering rack and at what mileage?
2. Strut check: Inspect and then revert whether any work is required
3. Check lower suspension arms: Check and replace parts if necessary
4. Wheel alignment: This is required after changing the steering and suspension parts.

While I am ok with the suspension checks, what I'm worried about is the steering rack replacement. Any idea guys when you had to do it? Thanks...

[SAS]

Guys,

My car is back from the MASS and for the benefit of others, I'd like to share my experience with what parts needed to be replaced and the labour. I had given the car to St Francis ITI, Borivali. They are a MASS and are pretty genuine unlike many MASSes which just wait to loot you when you walk in the door.

1. The steering ball joint was gone and the rack had some play in it. So replaced steering case set : Rs. 2.8k parts plus Rs. 280 labour.
2. Changed the bushings and mounts of the stabilizer bar. Rs. 150
3. Changed both the front shock absorbers. Rs. 2300 for both plus Rs. 450 for labour
4. Changed the bush set for the front strut Rs 632
5. Changed the steering wheel since it was jammed and was not coming out. Rs. 724 plus Rs 120 labour
6. consumables and grease Rs. 300
7. Paid service Rs. 710
8. Wheel alignment Rs. 320 (was required after the changes in front suspension)
9. Engine decarb Rs. 1200. The engine was knocking on petrol, hence got it decarbed using the liquid. Now the knocking problem has reduced significantly.
10. Brake cleaning rs. 325
11. Coolant change Rs. 120

Overall I'm happy with the job. The front suspension is perfect, although since he replaced the steering rack the steering is new and is a bit tight. As part of the servicing, the throttle body was cleaned and tuning done and the car runs smoothly after this and the decarb which was done. Overall I'm happy, although pretty saddled with a high bill of Rs. 11.1k at this service.

Now the only thing left is the rear suspension. The shocks are fine and the springs are fine too, however due to the CNG tank the rear sags a bit. I asked him what to do and he suggested installing rubber spacers in the rear. I also visited Nakita motors in Bandra today and he too suggested installing rubber spcers rather than modify the springs since that would take a toll on the shocks since they would get elongated. So now I shall put spacers rather than modify the rear springs. I'm expecting to do the job sometime next week.

@Trust_In_Thrust: do you have any problems with your shock absorbers after installing the wagon R springs in the rear in your zen? How many kms have you run with your modified rear suspension and have you faced any issues till date with it?

[Trust_In_Thrust]

No Issues at all.
Except i can take corners faster and so do the potholes and speed breakers.

[SAS]

Originally Posted by Trust_In_Thrust

No Issues at all.
Except i can take corners faster and so do the potholes and speed breakers.

How long have you been running this setup? I'm wondering about the long term impact of modified springs..

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by SAS

I also visited Nakita motors in Bandra today and he too suggested installing rubber spcers rather than modify the springs since that would take a toll on the shocks since they would get elongated. So now I shall put spacers rather than modify the rear springs. I'm expecting to do the job sometime next week.

SAS you could have opted to do the front suspension job at Nakita as well, i am sure you could have saved a few thousand bucks atleast but as long as you are happy with MASS work i guess it's not a issue.

[SAS]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

SAS you could have opted to do the front suspension job at Nakita as well, i am sure you could have saved a few thousand bucks atleast but as long as you are happy with MASS work i guess it's not a issue.

I'm happy with St Francis ITI MASS. They are pretty close to my house, they allow me to bring in my oils, plugs etc and they just charge for labour. Nakita is good, but a bit of travel and I was out of station. The most I would save here would just be around Rs. 1.5k or so on this bill.

The guys at St Francis ITI MASS are extremely genuine. They also work on Hyndai cars. My wife's 7 year old santro was giving starting problems. They serviced the starter motor, charged just Rs. 400 and it's working like a charm...They fixed my brakes really well, serviced my AC nicely and I've done other jobs there.

Also it's attached to an ITI. It's run by Priests who also support the children at the ITI. I support them this way by taking my car there and getting it serviced and giving them my business..

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by SAS

Hi,

I have a Maruti Alto purchased in May'04. .....
3. I have fitted a CNG kit in the car and have been using it since the past 1 year. The additional weight of the CNG cylinder has caused the rear car to go down a few inches. Also now that the CNG kit is there, the rear suspension bottoms out when 2 or 3 people sit at the rear.

Could you please comment on any other issues because of this kit? Alto 800 cc is notorious for lack of power even on petrol. How is the power and pick-up on CNG? My relative has an Alto running on gas, and the lack of power is sometimes irritating. He's been using the gas kit for the past 2 years - yet to figure out any long-term maintenance issues.

[SAS]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

Could you please comment on any other issues because of this kit? Alto 800 cc is notorious for lack of power even on petrol. How is the power and pick-up on CNG? My relative has an Alto running on gas, and the lack of power is sometimes irritating. He's been using the gas kit for the past 2 years - yet to figure out any long-term maintenance issues.

There are few long term maintenance issues of CNG conversion. I haven't had any till now.

Regarding the performance, well I have installed the TAP (advancer) which advances timing to improve power since CNG is slower to burn. With that, there is not a substantial power loss. Also you could install a lambda sensor which helps maintain the correct AFR instead of manually tuning the fuel ratio. These two should improve performance and performance loss should be ~20% as compared to petrol. Also you should go for low rolling resistance tyres. I have installed Michelin XM1+ on 12 inch neo alloys and they work perfect. Also I use castrol GTX 20w50 oil which helps since an engine running on CNG typically runs slighter hotter than while running on petrol

I have used CNG over the past 12 months. There is not a substantial lack of power as compared to petrol and the tradeoff between cost and power is worth it. In fact on the Mumbai-Pune expressway which I frequent often, I have taken the Alto upto 130kmph, with sustained riding at 110kmph on CNG mode between the expressway start at Pune till just before the Ghats start at Lonavala. In Mumbai's bumper to bumper traffic, the Alto is nimble enough and I am able to keep up with traffic easily. Whenever I need power, it's available at a flick of a button by running on petrol. The only drawback is when the AC is on, you're on an incline and running on CNG. You definitely need to downshift. Yes, I could have wished for more power, but the tradeoff between power and economy is worth it. This setup is great for city commuting and inter city runs between Mumbai and Pune and also between Mumbai and Gujarat since these routes have CNG outlets. I have run around 20k kms since I converted to CNG. My running cost is around Rs. 1.3 per kms (fuel only) and till date I have saved around Rs. 50k in fuel cost alone (at current cost levels). I paid Rs. 28k for installation. I saved Rs. 22k till now and plan to use the setup for another 4 years before selling off my car. Heck, my running cost is lower than a bike!! Also running on CNG drastically helps the environment with lower CO and CO2 as well as evaporative emissions. I also love the fact that it is difficult to adulterate CNG unlike petrol

What has your relative done to mitigate the rear of the Alto sagging down post CNG conversion? Can you ask him and update me? Also any best practices from him on running his Alto? Please do share them

[indianv2]

Originally Posted by SAS

What has your relative done to mitigate the rear of the Alto sagging down post CNG conversion? Can you ask him and update me? Also any best practices from him on running his Alto? Please do share them

Sas, I too run an Alto VX 1.1 with CNG. Have used it for over 12K kms in less than a year. My Alto was facing sagging in the rear. The rear suspension spacers had almost bottomed out (worn mostly). I added oversized spacers in alongwith the spacers present. My senior mechanic advised against putting a new spacer and an new oversized spacer since the car tends to jump with that type of setup.

Overall improvement in height resulted in slightly easier ingress at the rear. Parents and my better half confirmed that. The car height feels as good as new

[SAS]

Originally Posted by indianv2

Sas, I too run an Alto VX 1.1 with CNG. Have used it for over 12K kms in less than a year. My Alto was facing sagging in the rear. The rear suspension spacers had almost bottomed out (worn mostly). I added oversized spacers in alongwith the spacers present. My senior mechanic advised against putting a new spacer and an new oversized spacer since the car tends to jump with that type of setup.

Overall improvement in height resulted in slightly easier ingress at the rear. Parents and my better half confirmed that. The car height feels as good as new

Thanks for the reply. Few questions:
1. What was the height of the spacers? 1 inch?
2. Also did you put new original spacers (viz. spacers over spacers?)
3. How does the car feel when 2 or more people sit in the rear?
4. Finally what was the cost and from where did you get it done?

[SAS]

Ok guys, final update. Today I bought oversized spacers (they were a shade over 1 inch). Bought them for Rs. 320 for a pair at an auto parts dealer. These are rubber ones. Then also got them installed. The St Francis MASS did the job perfectly and they charged me Rs. 220 incl taxes for the fitment. The old original spacers were almost worn out and barely a few mm thick. Overall ride height at the rear has increased to around 3 inches and the suspension feels nice and firm. The shocks have become old and a also had a very small leak. The service advisor said that they were still good and I could continue with them for some more time. So I did not change the rear shocks. Overall all the issues have now been sorted out and the car runs perfectly. Thanks everybody!

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by SAS

...bought oversized spacers (they were a shade over 1 inch). Bought them for Rs. 320 for a pair at an auto parts dealer.

Glad you finally decided on the most tried-and-tested solution.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Answered your queries inline in bold.