[karmania]

Why would you pour water into the battery? (of all places!) I though the batteries were sealed... only the very very old batteries were probably using water (not too sure.. vague memories). I bet thats what caused it to burst.

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by Fordmanchau

Hey Unoczar,
You are back with a phataak!!! ( I meant BANG!!), good start.
Waiting to hear your story and about the Choo cha of the car.
Certainly it would have been a ordeal , dealing with car breakdowns when on the trip.

OH it was!!! the last 3 days of the return from delhi to hyd were the WURST! (a word from Yeti blogs, i hope Sam dont mind!) , we lost two days just repairing the car!

Originally Posted by MX6

It takes a lot of skill to express frustration with humour. Satire and self directed sarcasm are part of a dying art.
I see that in you with that statement of yours "When a hyderabadi says koi fikr nahin start chewing your nails".
Seems like we have another smart cat here!

hehehe.. thanks.. actually i developed a lot of patience on the trip, dealing with a lot of stuff. Abhi toh i am just relieved after this.. thinking of going to a beach and lying down among the waves...

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by lsp

@unoczarWaiting to read about the things in detail and the Choo Chaa part.

In the first pic the taillights are held together by cellotape. That should've given u a hint?

a li'l busy with work...i'll post this evening.

a hint about?...

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by karmania

Why would you pour water into the battery? (of all places!) I though the batteries were sealed... only the very very old batteries were probably using water (not too sure.. vague memories). I bet thats what caused it to burst.

i had no idea.. as i said. they just opened the small holes with one rupee coins and kept pouring water into it?!!

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by unoczar

even the exide fellow we went to, in shimla said, "maine apni zindagi mein aisi battery nahi dekhi?!"

now, i think t-bhp experts can shed some light... i can just provide few details...
...our driver sahab kept pouring "bisleri" into the battery.. they also sealed the openings with small plastic things to keep the water from coming out every now and then....

Maine dekhi - a couple of times. About 30 years or more ago.

Your alternator's regulator / rectifier obviously burnt out at some point, and the driver didn't have a fikr in the world about some home-made remedy. As a result, the battery was getting a continuous high-current charge making the electrolyte (acid) boil over and come out of the vent holes in the caps. Didn't matter on short runs in the city, but on long highway runs...

The driver plugged the vent holes nice and proper to stop this. The gases which were supposed to come out of the vent holes stayed inside. And you had .. PHATAAAK!... I would have loved to amaze / amuse myself with a view of the acid damage inside the engine bay - please do post pics of that if you can, it ought to educate someone else here!

Please carry on with the story. Oh - and get your alternator repaired properly.

[pulsar56]

Welcome back to Hyderabad khaleed Bhai.

Originally Posted by unoczar

i had no idea.. as i said. they just opened the small holes with one rupee coins and kept pouring water into it?!!

This is what I got on Google! Maybe this caused the battery to go PHATAAK! (I am also not an expert, Just guessing!)

Battery acid is sulfuric acid, and its dissociation in water is HIGHLY exothermic. Adding a small quantity of water to the concentrated acid releases so much heat that the water can reach its boiling point.

BTW, all of us are eager to read about the choo-chaa part!

[ranjith.rajaram]

Hi Unoczar,
I personally feel the beast (Scorpio) has not been handled properly, if you would see HVK’s logs you would know what Scorpio can handle. You name the NH in India his Scorpio you have cruised on that road.

You can only blame Mr.Yama (your driver ) for all these mistakes.

From the picture the one in which the taillights are held together by cellotape I could see lot of scratches and dent looks a bad sight for the Scorpio….

[MX6]

Guess your driver was singing "Har fikr ko duve mein udatha chala raha" and then your battery went bang.
Couple of suggestions here.
Please use the multi quote option to respond to messages. back to back posts will attract choo chaa from mods!
And ensure that you are on top of the service records/ if possible have a complete inspection with a mechanic before embarking on such long trips and don't take words of drivers.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by unoczar

Well, i will take a part of the blame.. but our driver said that "bhai, somebody is doing choo chaa on us and our car", i said, "pagal ho gaya hai kya?", but now when i do reflect on the entire trip , i am also forced to think likewise..

Do you have any doubts on any specific person for doing this choo chaa? Who would be interested in doing that on you and your friends?

Anyways, eagerly waiting for this travelogue. As promised, please start it in the evening.

Cheers!
Irish

[n.devdath]

Well indeed, going by the number of dents your Scorp has on its rear fender and the tail light being held using tape..well speaks for your driver's love for your car.

"Main isko do saal se chala raha hun"
Main use do minute mein nikaal deta.

But bygones are bygones, please go ahead with your story and pictures.

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by Irish

Do you have any doubts on any specific person for doing this choo chaa? Who would be interested in doing that on you and your friends?

Anyways, eagerly waiting for this travelogue. As promised, please start it in the evening.

Cheers!
Irish

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Well indeed, going by the number of dents your Scorp has on its rear fender and the tail light being held using tape..well speaks for your driver's love for your car.

"Main isko do saal se chala raha hun"
Main use do minute mein nikaal deta.

But bygones are bygones, please go ahead with your story and pictures.

Originally Posted by MX6

Guess your driver was singing "Har fikr ko duve mein udatha chala raha" and then your battery went bang.
Couple of suggestions here.
Please use the multi quote option to respond to messages. back to back posts will attract choo chaa from mods!
And ensure that you are on top of the service records/ if possible have a complete inspection with a mechanic before embarking on such long trips and don't take words of drivers.

are nahi nahi baba... he's not my driver, he drives that scorpio for my dad. I have a swift which i love and maintain properly except for a few dents ;-).

As soon as we returned from the trip, i sent him back (our other house in old city) threatening him with dire consequences if he ever brought that car back to me again. Now its up to the car's owner to manage it, i've wiped my hands clean of it. I'm even gonna give all the bills to my dad.. we spent close to 27,000 on the car itself, details of which you'll all know.

@Irish No buddy, i dont think any one would do or is capable of doing that.

@MX6 Next time, its my swift, or the train/bus. No borrowing cars, no kit kit no pit pit. and no PHATAAAK!

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by unoczar

are nahi nahi baba... he's not my driver, he drives that scorpio for my dad. I have a swift which i love and maintain properly except for a few dents ;-)

Well, so he is your dad's driver right? If you love cars, which I m sure you do, and this trip has helped you to understand what reliability means, please please get rid of him before your dad ends up stranded on the road in the sweltering heat of Hyd.

[lsp]

Originally Posted by unoczar

a hint about?...

The maintenance and general health of the car.

Repairs worth 27k

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Well, so he is your dad's driver right? If you love cars, which I m sure you do, and this trip has helped you to understand what reliability means, please please get rid of him before your dad ends up stranded on the road in the sweltering heat of Hyd.

hehe.. thanks for concern. But, he has already which i learnt from him.

1.
bhai, gaadi ke "breakan" isse pehle bhi phail huye they
kab?
ek saal pehle, purana pull kane atak gaye they hum log
hmmmm...

2.
aur ek baar bhai, kuch ignition ka problem tha gaadi start nahi hori thi, mahindra waala aake tow karke leke gaya tha.
hmmmm...

============================


Some Stats:


Starting meter: 36853 KM
Ending meter: 43618 KM

Total Trip: 6765 KMS
Diesel: Approx. 690 litres.
Spending on Diesel: Rs. 25,541
FE was above 10 on plains and much less on hills.
Places/Cities visited/stopped over: Jabalpur, Panna, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, New Delhi, Shimla, Mandi, Manali, Rohtang(6 km from it), Srinagar, Amritsar, Old Delhi.
Road Taxes: Rs. 1050-1100 Approx. biggest was manali tax Rs. 300
Police Challans: Rs. 1350
Stayed a day each at Jabalpur, Panna, Agra, New Delhi, Mandi, Manali (Kattrain 18 km from manali), Srinagar, Amritsar, Old Delhi, spent a night on khatiyas at a dhaba in some jungle in MP, spent a night on the back of a very loooong lorry near Ludhiana because car broke beside it. A few other sleepless nights.
It was an adventure filled journey none the less.
It shall start tonight hopefully. I hope you guys enjoy it. Comments/Brickbats welcome.
A mysterious picture from near Rohtang Pass. I guess some one can explain this, many passerbys were interested in that shine.

[mallumowgli]

Maybe sunlight reflecting on a spot of water..?