Maruti Zen Estilo: Technical Issues & Solutions


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Hi guys,

Recently, my mother has told me that she finds the gearbox in my Estilo a bit notchy and difficult to use compared to my previous car's. I have no problem with the gearbox myself but I have seen mentioned on the forums somewhere that there is a bushing replacement kit supplied by Maruti to solve this issue. If anybody has more information on this, especially any specific part numbers/names, I would really appreciate it!
 
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Re: Maruti Estilo Gearbox

Mr.Viru, Did you check the gear Oil ?? If thr color of it is dark , Flush it off and pour new one.I will surely chevk about the bushing replacement kit at MGP
 
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Re: Maruti Estilo Gearbox

Mr.Viru, Did you check the gear Oil ?? If thr color of it is dark , Flush it off and pour new one.I will surely chevk about the bushing replacement kit at MGP
The fluids and bearings are all fine, the synchromesh is intact for all the ratios as well. Basically the gearbox is in good mechanical condition, except the bushings on the linkage may be a bit dodgy. I would appreciate that!
 
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i have zen estilo 2007 model with cng, when i m driving car and release accelerator pedal being in gear, it shakes back and forth too hard, in the same way as if i m using engine braking i.e. just like i have shifted to 1st gear in 40 kmph speed.
such shaking is most observable in lower gears and less in higher gears.
i think car idles too low that is why whenever i release accelerator it shakes (but IDK exact problem).
the problem is more observable in petrol than in cng. however cng ride is much smooth and comfortable.
car is also idling rough. it is much rough in petrol than in cng. but rpm increase slightly and then goes down but only by a little margin, as if car is breathing?
should i try to increase idle rpm? will it solve my problem?

my zen estilo 2007 model knocks ans sometimes smokes on petrol.

1st i would like to tell about knocking--
it does not knock on idling no matter what rpm is, it only knocks when driving under load and accelerating quickly, and i can also prevent knocking by slightly releasing accelerator.
there is no knocking in cng in any situation. i used xtrapremium petrol and knocking went down a little but is still there under heavy load.

now i would like to tell about smoke--
car smokes a little white(it appears white to me atleast) it is not steam coz it is heavy, it smokes only on petrol, it is similar to the smoke that old scooters used to smoke when started after a long time. smoke goes away completely as soon as shifted to cng.
when car is driven regularly on petrol-it does not smoke even on petrol. but if it is driven on petrol after somewhat 2-3 days it smokes again. i can also smell petrol in cabin and around car when driven on petrol.
what could be the issue?
could it be due to adulterated petrol? coz smoke instances went down after i started using xtrapremium?
 
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As far as the shaking is concerned, it seems that your car is bouncing off the anti-stall mechanism. This commonly happens when the accelerator cable stretches and becomes slack over time, resulting in a lower-than-ideal idle throttle level. Essentially, you can solve this by carefully and gradually tightening the throttle cable using the adjustment screws/nuts on it - it's fairly straightforward. Take care not to over tighten the cable, or this could affect your vehicle's engine behavior.

I can't be 100% sure about the smoke as my experience with CNG vehicles is limited, but I would say fuel quality is a good place to start. Aside from this, it could also be due to the fuel system being contaminated with CNG after usage, in which case it's unavoidable and a non-issue.

Have you inspected your fuel filters and spark plugs recently?
 
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spark plugs were serviced recently and they are perfect, fuel injectors were also cleaned recently, fuel filters are untouched. i m just checking accelerator cable and respond about it soon.
what else can cause such problems?
 
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By "untouched", do you mean it has never been checked/changed or that you've inspected it recently?

Let me know if it works.

The stem of the issue seems to be incomplete combustion, which could be down to numerous factors that compromise the fuel and ignition systems.
 
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fuel filters are as it is, they never have been cleaned, my service mechanic told me that these modern cars do not require fuel filters to be cleaned, so i have never cleaned them. i don't think it will get dirty. spark plugs are new.
 
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As far as the shaking is concerned, it seems that your car is bouncing off the anti-stall mechanism. This commonly happens when the accelerator cable stretches and becomes slack over time, resulting in a lower-than-ideal idle throttle level. Essentially, you can solve this by carefully and gradually tightening the throttle cable using the adjustment screws/nuts on it - it's fairly straightforward. Take care not to over tighten the cable, or this could affect your vehicle's engine behavior.

I can't be 100% sure about the smoke as my experience with CNG vehicles is limited, but I would say fuel quality is a good place to start. Aside from this, it could also be due to the fuel system being contaminated with CNG after usage, in which case it's unavoidable and a non-issue.

Have you inspected your fuel filters and spark plugs recently?
i don't understand how loose throttle cable would affect idle rpm, coz as far as i know idle speed in decided by ecm, even if throttle cable is perfectly tight it wont affect idle speed as throttle position stays at zero whether throttle cable is perfect or it is loose.
 
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Yes, fuel filters in most newer cars (including ours) are a single piece of plastic with a filter element inside and cannot be cleaned. When they get clogged, however, they must be replaced.

The programmed idle speed is usually a base value, which would prevent your engine from stalling even if there is 0 tension in the cable (eg. if the cable snaps, as you don't want to lose steering/brakes/airbags etc.). By keeping the throttle cable taught (but not too tense), you slightly raise the throttle position for when the accelerator is not depressed.

Before we go into this though, I would appreciate if you checked the cable so we can continue troubleshooting.
 
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As far as the shaking is concerned, it seems that your car is bouncing off the anti-stall mechanism. This commonly happens when the accelerator cable stretches and becomes slack over time, resulting in a lower-than-ideal idle throttle level.
i don't understand how loose throttle cable would affect idle rpm, coz as far as i know idle speed in decided by ecm, even if throttle cable is perfectly tight it wont affect idle speed as throttle position stays at zero whether throttle cable is perfect or it is loose.
Forget about the slack, even if the accelerator cable is broken, it wont reduce the idle rpm. A loose throttle cable will cause slow response when you apply the accelerator pedal, it is due to its play. That's all.


*Since when this problem started?
*Whats the odometer reading of you car now?
*Have you ever overhauled the clutch?
*How about your fuel mileage? Is it good as before?

*Hows the Coolant level?
*What was the level of the petrol on your tank when you were having problem of emitting white smoke, Is that a newly filled petrol? If not, then roughly how many days of old petrol it is?


Regards.,
 
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Forget about the slack, even if the accelerator cable is broken, it wont reduce the idle rpm. A loose throttle cable will cause slow response when you apply the accelerator pedal, it is due to its play. That's all.


*Since when this problem started?
*Whats the odometer reading of you car now?
*Have you ever overhauled the clutch?
*How about your fuel mileage? Is it good as before?

*Hows the Coolant level?
*What was the level of the petrol on your tank when you were having problem of emitting white smoke, Is that a newly filled petrol? If not, then roughly how many days of old petrol it is?


Regards.,
this is my 2nd hand car, with 40000 reading of odometer.
clutch is original and i think it is perfect.
fuel mileage is good, it is 15 in city and 18 on highway approx.
coolant is also good, recently flushed and refilled.

level of petrol might be a issue [embarass] , coz being a cng car i fill only 100-300 rs petrol at a time, i fill xtrapremium because my car knocks on petrol and xtrapremium helps to reduce knocking, i try to consume that petrol within 2-3 months because i know it stales over time. however maximum petrol that remains in tank is 7-8 litres and 5 litres on average.

mechanic told me to get throttle body cleaned, i will get it cleaned and post further.
as far as smoke is concerned. sometimes it smokes and sometimes it wont, but only on petrol but there is no smoke or knocking at all on cng.

my mechanic told me that- it is due to piston rings and need an overhaul, as petrol is in liquid form it dissolves engine oil and burns it, cng is in gaseous form won't burn it. but i think this is BASELESS, because the basic purpose of inventing MPFI car was to eliminate problems associated with liquid fuel, petrol becomes gas as soon as sprayed by injectors, if it remains in liquid form it will never reach cylinders by valves(as it is sprayed above valves) where petrol and air mixes. he also told that previous owner might have clocked odometer back.
Am i right in my thinking? should i go for overhaul even if car is perfect in cng? i am too confused?[frustration]

now the problem of idle rpm has worsened, whenever i switch on ac, ac hoses shakes due to too low rpm, i have to keep my foot on accelerator to prevent it, sometimes it stalls on ac too. i will get throttle body cleaned and see its results and post further.
 
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this is my 2nd hand car, with 40000 reading of odometer.
clutch is original and i think it is perfect.
fuel mileage is good, it is 15 in city and 18 on highway approx.
coolant is also good, recently flushed and refilled.

level of petrol might be a issue [embarass] , coz being a cng car i fill only 100-300 rs petrol at a time, i fill xtrapremium because my car knocks on petrol and xtrapremium helps to reduce knocking, i try to consume that petrol within 2-3 months because i know it stales over time. however maximum petrol that remains in tank is 7-8 litres and 5 litres on average.

mechanic told me to get throttle body cleaned, i will get it cleaned and post further.
as far as smoke is concerned. sometimes it smokes and sometimes it wont, but only on petrol but there is no smoke or knocking at all on cng.
Generally, the reason for the white smoke is a sign of water content inside the engine. That is why I asked you about the coolant and the petrol level. Since you said the coolant is fine, I suspect the culprit is the petrol level inside the tank.
When there is only about 5 liters of petrol, about 30 liters or volume is filled with air. Depending upon the humidity in the atmosphere the water content in the air varies. This vapor form of water can get condensed inside the tank to form water.
Replacing the fuel filter and cleaning the fuel tank can solve this issue. May cost approx Rs1000/- If you don't wanna put extra expenses by cleaning the tank then you can just go ahead with just the fuel filter replacement.

If some amount of engine oil is getting burnt, then the color of the smoke wont be white it will be blue. You can do some google searches to read and know more about the color of smoke.

my mechanic told me that- it is due to piston rings and need an overhaul, as petrol is in liquid form it dissolves engine oil and burns it, cng is in gaseous form won't burn it. but i think this is BASELESS, because the basic purpose of inventing MPFI car was to eliminate problems associated with liquid fuel, petrol becomes gas as soon as sprayed by injectors, if it remains in liquid form it will never reach cylinders by valves(as it is sprayed above valves) where petrol and air mixes. he also told that previous owner might have clocked odometer back.
Am i right in my thinking? should i go for overhaul even if car is perfect in cng? i am too confused?[frustration]
How did he find out its the piston ring, did he do engine compression test?
*Does your engine consumes engine oil?
*How often the engine oil level gets low and requires a topup?
AFAIK, since you don't have any drop in your fuel mileage, the chances for piston ring failure is almost nil. Either your mechanic is not enough knowledgeable or he is trying to exploit you. As he said before, at first just do the throttle body cleaning and in addition to that get your fuel filter replaced and see is there any change. Only after that think about the engine overhaul. Do also have a checkup with Maruti Authorized service center before getting it overhauled.

now the problem of idle rpm has worsened, whenever i switch on ac, ac hoses shakes due to too low rpm, i have to keep my foot on accelerator to prevent it, sometimes it stalls on ac too. i will get throttle body cleaned and see its results and post further.
A faulty IAC valve can be the reason, so do get it checked. Its the duty of this valve to open the bypass and let more air into the engine when the AC is switched ON.
 
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Great work Kichu,you just amazed me with your technical knowledge.

Can you please explain more about IAC valve.
Hi Vishu,

Thanks for your kinds words :)

IAC actuator/valve stands for Idle Air Control valve. It maintains a consistent engine idle speed. The valve helps counter anything the driver may do to put extra load on the engine, such as switching ON the AC.

Generally, failure of an IAC valve is due to the excessive carbon buildup in the intake manifold.

A failed IAC valve with its valve is in closed position will show the exact symptoms what our Adiesh is experiencing.
*When the engine is idle, it may stall.
*Engine may shut off, if AC is turned on.

Now when a faulty IAC valve in its open condition will results in
*Engine Idles at higher rpm no matter whether the engine is cold or hot.
*The higher idle rpm will get in to its normal idle rpm when the AC is switched ON.

An IAC valve will cost you about Rs.3000/-

Regards.,
 

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