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How I found a simple fix for an engine issue on my 2011 Grand Vitara

1st February 2023, 11:07 by Dev Shah

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My wife drives this car every day. When I asked her she said everything was fine. She mostly thinks that I that imagine problems in cars.

recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This post was due for a while.

I can't thank Vigsom enough for patiently listening and offering advice.

My GV has done about 105k kms.

Some context on the powertrain:

XP 95
Mobil1 ESP full synth.
Denso Irridium (installed at 80K kms)
Clutch kit + flywheel installed at 80K kms.
Input shaft bearing installed at 90K kms.
Release bearing and slave cylinder 90K kms.
Engine mount installed at 80K kms.
GB mount installed at 80K kms.
Clutch bleed at every service + runs Toyota Dot3 brake fluid (I have a Toyota and standardizing fluids makes my life easy).
All transmission fluid changed at 95K kms to Toyota GL4 and GL5 oils.
Throttle body last cleaned at 95K kms using Liqui Moly spray to avoid touching the throttle body.
New ignition coils installed at 100K kms.

The last oil change was at 100K kms with SGP oil filter and air filter (I've been using only SGP parts since I got it at 80K kms). I'll get to this oil change and the anxiety that it caused me.

Problems:

Jerky start from first gear. I had to rev high and then slip the clutch for a smooth start.
When shifting from 1st to 2nd gear the car lost some its grunt and I had to keep the revs high.
When revving at idle I felt there was a misfire (or I felt so; there was definitely a delay).
When revving at idle I could hear a faint sound from the throttle body - sounds similar to revving an old carburetor engine without a air filter.

I was expecting the engine to run a lot smoother after I replaced the ignition coils.

However, I was completely baffled at the engine behaviour since there was nothing I could point the root cause to.

My wife drives this car every day. When I asked her she said everything was fine. She mostly thinks that I that imagine problems in cars.

The list of suspects were the vacuum plumbing or throttle body plumbing. But I couldn't get to anything. I knew there is a problem but couldn't find anyone who thought as much or at least proved me wrong. I would hate to admit to myself that I was paranoid .

That is when I thought that it may not be a bad idea to reach out to Vigsom for help.

It was so nice of him to call and discuss the background on a Friday night. And in true Vigsom fashion we went point by point to understand the problem better. At the end of the call we agreed that he would meet me when in BLR.

The next day I had some time and decided to look at the engine one more time.

After digging and probing around I thought of removing the engine cover and cleaning it. And there it was - a small oil patch at the filler cap. I touched the cap and I immediately knew the problem.

The filler cap was a little loose: Not at its tightest fit. It was clear the loose cap was the root cause behind the sound of suction and possibly the cause of the engine misbehaviour as well.

Did my best to tighten it without breaking it. The next day I reset the ECM calibration. Drove down to meet Vigsom the next weekend. The drive still wasn't smooth although Vigsom was on the opinion that there was a very low probability of any issue.

It was only last weekend, after the GV had been driven for about 100kms after the ECM reset, that the drive felt amazing. I guess the work on the powertrain is finally beginning to pay off.

Vigsom and I are discussing using a K&N and/or a remap to get over the notorious low end torque. The other engines I drive is a heavily pampered 1KD and a rev-happy G13B - so the low end torque of the J24B does seem like an issue at times.

Thanks so much Vigsom. It is amazing to have another pair of eyes look at a problem.