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Originally Posted by jayded  Boy, now this is scary. So you guys are saying this vehicle once stopped on a moderately sharp incline, fails to climb it even on first gear  ??? Now I have not driven diesel cars extensively but would assume here that it's not a common trait of all diesel engines, please correct me if I'm wrong here.
The engine should be delivering sufficient power even before the turbo kicks in right? I'm really confused and dazed by this behavior and it's a nightmare since the landscape of major part of the state where I am is pretty much sinusoidal to say the least. |
jayded, I went to my dealer's workshop today and got a mechanic to check the problem.
We tested it at the same basement parking where I had faced the issue of engine stalling in first gear while climbing the slope. I was at the wheel and the mechanic told me to use the half clutch technique. This time the car pulled with good power. Earlier when the car had stalled, I was releasing the clutch and pushing the accelerator pedal simultaneously like I do in my petrol cars.
I think there is no issue with the Figo diesel. I was missing the half clutch trick because in petrol cars, I did not need it and it's my first experience with a diesel car. I will still want to test the Figo in hill driving.
I hope this helps.
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Originally Posted by .anshuman Most diesel cars can climb the steepest inclines seen in the basements of buildings and malls in second gear without accelerator pedal touched. This is with the rpm close to idle, i am sure Figo can do this too, i have tested Elantra, Swift, Verna, Scorpio, Punto and Fortuner. |
.anshuman, I doubt that Figo can climb any slope in second gear especially from low rpm without pushing the pedal. Sad but true.
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Originally Posted by raju2512 I have not faced any problem with the petrol version. With higher torque, diesels should perform better. It could be a manufacturing related issue and not a generic issue with Figo |
raju2512, I could overcome the issue by using half clutch trick. Thankfully my Figo is not a lemon.
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Originally Posted by jayded Does it have something to do with the fact that most Figo owners are new to diesel, and hence missing any trick initially on how to work it out?
Getting stuck in such a situation is not only extremely embarrassing but also gives you "heart in you mouth" moments very often. I believe that's not what one deserves after buying a car for around 5.5L.
Whatever is the case, most Figo TDCi owners have complained about stalling on an incline on one or more occasions, and I've failed to see such incidents reported by other car users, or may be I've not searched hard enough. |
jayded, you just echoed what I feel. Shifting from petrol to diesel is a bit of a learning curve. I am new to diesel Figo and would like to drive other diesels with the same displacements and figure out if the Figo has any issues with power on inclines.
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Originally Posted by longhorn Are you positive that you were in first gear and not in third ? If not, try it once more. Stop on a slope and pull the hand brake. Now slot it to neutral and then to first. Now release the handbrake as the car tries to move forward in first gear. This should work, else Ford should replace your car. |
longhorn, I was in the first gear for sure. Also the hand brake was not engaged. I will try what you mentioned above on inclines. The half clutch technique did work out for me today on the same slope. I doubt if the car would pull on it's own in first gear. I will find a suitable practice spot and post back.
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Originally Posted by coldice4u kage, i have never faced any problems when trying to pull in 1st gear from a stationary position on an incline. Also no pwer loss was ever felt when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd. The incline where i had faced problems was a 2nd gear incline. But in case i had to slow down while going up and have to downshift to 1st , i felt an uncomfortable loss of momentum. You have to mash the throttle before the car picks up momentum again.
Just for the reference my cousin owns two cars, the TDCI Figo and a 98 carb Zen. On the inclines coming out of the basements of her apartment, the Zen could easily make it in 2nd gear, but i always used 1st gear on the Figo. |
It's heartening to know that Figo can be expected to behave like normal diesel cars. I need some more practice to figure out the trick to drive on inclines. Surprisingly, petrol cars which I drove could climb without the half clutch technique. I will find out soon about my Figo and post back.
I agree that petrol cars can easily negotiate slopes in 2nd gear too. The Figo diesel feels odd in this respect. Must be the technical differences.
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Originally Posted by RGK In a slope, shift to 1st and leave it and start moving (it should and will move up with 4 pax. If the vehicle does not climb then the engine is absolutely useless, only to be thrown out) Even the old Matadors on Ambassdors have easily climbed all slopes
Modern engines are extremely capable of pulling over a slope with ease
Last weekend I drove my B-i-l Ikon 1.8D (a known sluggish engine) to Kodai from Palani, I did not have any problem in climbing with 4 people inside. I think Figo should not have any problem in climbing infact should zip the slope.
Points to be noted: - never do a half clutch business - will decrease the power of the engine and clutch plate life and also will not climb(so we rev up the engine which is also useless).
-By instinct we keep the left leg on the clutch and think to avoid jumping forward. No need, release the clutch slowly and easily it should move up in 1st with its full torque.
-Please do not try in 2nd gear.
-Even if there are vehicles at the front and back - need not rev up, should easily move up in 1st. If need to be stationed in a slope precise use of hand brake is best for a longer period and Half clutch can be used without rev up of the engine for a very shorter period of 1 to 2 min.
My apartment has a 45 degree slope for 2 metres and no problem with my figo, but need to test in a hill drive. |
Thanks RGK for this information. I try what you said and hopefully get confident about driving my Figo uphill without the need to jump or stall the car. Practice is on the cards for me.
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Originally Posted by Adrenalin It should not be a problem for new machine like Figo. My 5 yr old ford ikon does the fair job of climbing any slope without any hassle. Best way i always follow and recommend is when on slope and you are stopped(as in your case), put the gear in neutral, pull the parking brakes, slot to 1st gear and start releasing the clutch(also gentle press on accelerator) and parking brake gradually(in sync) and when the car start moving a bit you can release the parking brake completely. You should be able to negotiate.
If this does not happen, you need to get FIGO engine check thoroughly from authorized service station. |
Thanks Adrenalin, I will definitely practice the clutch, accelerator, hand brake routine to overcome this issue. BTW, I went to the workshop today and with the mechanic's guidance (he suggested half clutch technique) I made it up the same slope. This time there three people in the car opposed to one last time with Ac on too.
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Originally Posted by sanjayc What is the big fuss about shifting down to first before bumps/slopes? Is it too inconvenient or the left hand is not free? |
sanjayc, there is fuss in using the left hand for downshifting, its just that I am gradually getting used to the new diesel vehicle.
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Originally Posted by MutantX down shifting for extra thrust is common. I park my i10 in the 1st floor at office, i always downshift to 1st gear. It is always safe to climb up the ramp on the 1st gear, gives you more control. *atleast according to me*. I havent driven figo to comment, but let me TD it this weekend  |
Mutantx, thanks for the feedback. I wish you a good TD of Figo.
1st July 2010, 11:23
