[Blue Thunder]

Right rear view, a few days after I had bought it.




Front right view, a few days after I had bought it




Left Rear view, a few days after I had bought it




The dashboard and steering wheel when I had bought it : the dashboard was faded, and the steering wheel looked lousy, and also had lot of play.




With the new dashboard and new steering wheel (that of an Omni). The dashboard change was a big disappointment.
I was told that apart from the instrument cluster, all else would be new, but was disappointed to find only
the base dash replaced, the aircon vents, the handgrip on the passenger side, and certain other parts on
the dash were all the same old stuff, so it didnt have the "new" look at all : one has to look real hard and
close to realise that the dash is new.

[determinus]

Congrats. I know how it feels to be in one. Brings me back to the biggest mistake in my life -- I sold my forest green 1997 Gypsy King 413W in 2003 for 1.65L (minus 15k for the transfer, it was a Bangalore vehicle and sold in Pune). The engine was so smooth that you cant make out if it is idling, and the body shape was brilliant. It was a soft-top and I drove it from Bangalore to Pune when I moved. I didnt trust the movers.

I already had an Esteem, and then in 2003 I bought a 1.6GTX. I was not in need of money, nor had any parking issues, but was using it very rarely which at some cursed point of time prompted me to find someone who will take good care of it. It took 8 months to find a Gypsy lover who isnt a lowballer. I thought it will be in better hands, and signed the deal. Sadly the chap sold it within an year. I see it once in a while around. Ironically, I have parking issues at the new place (which made me sell the GTX), but may be I should just buy it back. I miss it badly. Simply put, selling it was the biggest mistake in my life.

[headers]

congrats BT..finally..you've got it.. later..cheers

[Edsel Rulez!]

The replaced dash does make the interior look better, and the steering wheel certainly adds that flair! Congratulations - and do post a drive/ownership report after a month or two.

[Blue Thunder]

@ determinus --> I know how it must feel , thinking about the King which you had sold off. It must have had a lot of wonderful memories for you.

@ Edsel Rulez! --> I will definitely be posting my Gypsy driving experiences here, mostly I guess it will be beach off-roading :-)

@ headers --> thanx !

[rmonie]

Congratulations on your buy. Please keep an eye out for rust on the floor & rear bay especially where the rear seats are anchored. the gypsy is prone to rust in these areas.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by rmonie

Congratulations on your buy. Please keep an eye out for rust on the floor & rear bay especially where the rear seats are anchored. the gypsy is prone to rust in these areas.

Thanx for the tip, rmonie. My Gypsy does already have some rust in these places . I will be getting a paint job done sometime later.

[Blue Thunder]

Yesterday ( 16th Jan ) , I had gone to the beach with my cousins. This was an opportunity to do some offroading with my Gypsy. So I wanted to go to some stretch of beach that is normally accessible only with a 4X4 (or on foot :-)).
We went to a beach near Kovalam (in Chennai, not the one near Trivandrum :-)). I enjoyed driving in the beach sand in my Gypsy : it was fun. More details and pics about this in a separate thread.
When we had had enough fun in the water and Were about to start back home, I wanted to shift from 4L to 4H, and then to 2WD. But to my dismay, the gear selector got stuck in the neutral between the 4L and 4H (there is a neutral position in the Gypsy transfer case), and the vehicle wouldnt move. I tried moving the gear selector in all possible ways (spent maybe 20 mins, getting underneath the vehicle also ), but it just wouldn't budge.

Then I decided that it would be a waste of time, if I tried to do something myself. I called up the MSM(Maruti Service Masters) service person, and he told me that this would be set right by removing the 4WD gear selector (from inside the Gypsy, no need to get underneath), and using a
screwdriver to push the gear into position. Since it was a holiday for them , they couldn't be of any further help.
Then I called up the myTVS 24X7 service helpdesk : one technician was immediately called up and we were put in conference mode, while I explained the problem and gave my location. The technician was deputed, and he arrived in a 2-wheeler in about 1 hr 15 min. I took him to the beach where the Gypsy was (by now it was dark, though not pitch-dark, thanks to a half-moon shining brightly through the cloudless night sky).
This technician had previously serviced Gypsies : he quickly got down to the job, and partially rectified the problem ( took around 20 mins).

Hats off to myTVS for their prompt and professional service on a holiday !!!

But now the Gypsy would move only in 4L. We drove back home in 4L mode, not wanting to take the risk of getting the selector stuck again in neutral when shifting back to 2WD.

I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this/similar problem .

I am going to get it serviced at MSM or ABT: it probably needs the gear selector assembly to lubricated/overhauled, and anyway it needs a thorough water-wash after all that wave-bashing :-).

[headers]

BT..Next time..your 4L gets stuck..try reversing the vehicle a little by jerking the clutch and then shift to 4H and then 2H.. This happens if you leave the 4wd unused for a long time..and it is not properly lubricated..

I've had this problem umpteen times with both jeeps and gypsies..

Better luck next time..

cheers

[Blue Thunder]

I tried reversing as well as moving forward by jerking the clutch, then moving forward/backward in quick succession : it wouldnt work.
Today, got it serviced at ABT , and it is now fixed. What you said is right, headers : looks like the previous owner has not used it much in 4WD, so it was not lubricated well. Now they have lubricated it well, and also changed the t-case oil. The 4WD selector works super-smoothly now . Cost of servicing Rs650/-.

[headers]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

I tried reversing as well as moving forward by jerking the clutch, then moving forward/backward in quick succession : it wouldnt work.
Today, got it serviced at ABT , and it is now fixed. What you said is right, headers : looks like the previous owner has not used it much in 4WD, so it was not lubricated well. Now they have lubricated it well, and also changed the t-case oil. The 4WD selector works super-smoothly now . Cost of servicing Rs650/-.

Great.. Also, a good practise to keep the 4wd working fine is to shift it into 4H / 4L atleast once a week..and move a few feet..so that engaging them in tight situations becomes more purposeful..

Beware..using 4wd in tarmac can cause stress to the transmission of your vehicle..

[govigov]

@bt, whats the FE that you are getting?

[Blue Thunder]

@ headers --> thanx for the tips. I had to drive it for around 20 kms on tarmac in 4L : I am hoping there was not much damage to the transmission, since most of the route was straight roads, the damage in 4WD on hard surface is more when turning the vehicle.

@govigov --> I have just checked the mileage once so far , and looks like around 8-9 kmpl in city driving conditions. I have not used it in the highway (and dont think I aill be in the near future ). In the present setup, I will be using it mostly for some weekend offroading and city driving

[headers]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

I am hoping there was not much damage to the transmission, since most of the route was straight roads, the damage in 4WD on hard surface is more when turning the vehicle.

There are stresses build up in the transmission especially 4L even if you drive on straight tarmac roads..

anyways.. never mind you had a good experience ..thats it..

[Alfa_Kilo]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

...the gear selector got stuck in the neutral between the 4L and 4H (there is a neutral position in the Gypsy transfer case), and the vehicle wouldnt move. I tried moving the gear selector in all possible ways (spent maybe 20 mins, getting underneath the vehicle also ), but it just wouldn't budge.

Then I decided that it would be a waste of time, if I tried to do something myself. I called up the MSM(Maruti Service Masters) service person, and he told me that this would be set right by removing the 4WD gear selector (from inside the Gypsy, no need to get underneath), and using a
screwdriver to push the gear into position.

Exactly the same thing happens to me sometimes. I have a very old Isuzu engine mated to a much worn gearbox from the same manufacturer in my MM540DP. Sometimes, the reverse does not disengage, though the gear lever slides into neutral position. It occurs when I carelessly push it diagonally into neutral rather than a clean forward-left stroke. One has to remove the gear lever and slide the fork back with a screwdriver. It happens because the lug under the gear lever is quite worn, and there is a lot of free play. The exercise used to take me ~45 mins initially, but now I can do it under 15 mins.
Your TCase should not be worn, but check for freeplay.