[viXit]

Gentlemen, I need help with my safari storme 2013 VX 4x2.

Whenever I am braking a little hard, I hear a sound coming from the front passenger footwell. It's a slushy sound almost like muddy water moving through a pipe. Or the sound of sand/tiny stones falling on a metal surface. The braking is fine but I am very skeptical about this issue. What could it be?

Another question, the clutch travel of my car, as said by two other BHPians who drove my car, has something odd with it. They say the release is too high. As in the whole clutch action finishes in the first 20 to 30 % of the pedal travel. The clutch was changed once at around 50k IIRC, it was not invoiced in the tata motors app SO I can't tell for sure

[condor]

Crossed 96k today, a little short of the 8 year mark.

Happened to meet fellow TBHP-ian Varun560061 today. He noticed the hesitancy in the starting. It doesnt happen everytime, but once in a way. Will be checking out the glow-plugs soon.

Btw, after a recent stop by a cop for my numberplates - I had just xx as the last part of the number, I had got a fresh set of plates. Varun helped me fix the plates. Not IND plates, but just regular embossed ones.

[viXit]

Car is at 81k now,

Had another question,

We were transporting some farming supplies from the town to the village.
Had around 200 Kilos of supplies plus lots of luggage and two passengers. As soon as I started off, I noticed that the car felt way smoother and there were no vibrations felt.


Me thinks the weight acted as a damping agent. Does this mean my body mounts are worn? Since it's a Body on frame, am I right in assuming that my body is held onto the frame by some form of vibration absorbing mounts?? I remember seeing something on boodmo

Originally Posted by condor

Crossed 96k today, a little short of the 8 year mark.

Happened to meet fellow TBHP-ian Varun560061 today. He noticed the hesitancy in the starting. It doesnt happen everytime, but once in a way. Will be checking out the glow-plugs soon.

Is it true that the longer the car is in ACC without turning on, the more the glow plugs heat up and makes starting up easy??

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

13.58 kmpl !!

how are you guys doing this?!?
I'm struggling to touch ten.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by viXit

how are you guys doing this?!?
I'm struggling to touch ten.

We were the ones who bought the 2 tonne full size 140 BHP tata SUV a few years ago, when fuel efficiency was definitely at the end of our priorities list. Ironic that it may be, atrocious diesel prices today have made us focus a wee bit more on what we actually get from a liter of diesel.

While fuel efficiency is dependent upon the driving style, from my experience, I can tell you that it varies from car to car. For an example, the difference in fuel efficiency in my ciaz 1.3 MJD when driven like a saint vs driven like a maniac is just about 2.5-3 kmpl lesser. In Safari's 2.2 DICOR/VARICOR diesel though, that difference can be much higher - 4.5 to 5 kmpl difference!

I used to drive my storme varicor 400 very spiritedly, between 2750-3250 RPM at all gears except 1st, and I had always gotten 10 kmpl. If I were a little gentle and did not exceed 2500 rpm / 120 kmph on highways, I got 12 kmpl.

Since Feb 1st, I had to use Storme as my daily driver as I sold my Ciaz. My usage is a minimum 100 km per day, and with raising fuel prices + having used to that amazingly frugal maruti (fiat) diesel, I was worried that my fuel expenses would get doubled. That was something i did not want.

My usage is 40 : 30 : 30 - Rural : City : Highway
80% single occupancy
20% 4 -5 people on board
PSI - 33 PSI on all wheels

So, I experimented with different driving styles (all gentle though), one with 1600-2100 rpm driving most of the times with 100% AC on (Got 12.9 kmpl for a tankful), another 1500 - 2000 rpm with 100 % AC on (Got 13.58 kmpl for a tankful), next with 1600 - 2100 rpm with AC off & windows open (Got 12.7 kmpl for a tankful, guess air drag reduced FE).

Last tankful was when I found out my ideal driving style with the storme - relaxed, stress-free and very fuel efficient. This is how the 6 speed MT, Varicor 400 fared in my last tankful - 14 kmpl !!



I drive within 1250 - 1750 RPM in all gears, with the upshift happening about 1600 RPM. Most of the rural areas, 1250 RPM to 1500 RPM in 5th gear is very comfortable for doing 50-65 kmph. On highways, I do 1750 rpm when alone (80 kmph) and 2000 RPM (in 6th) if accompanied by family (100 kmph).

The engine doesnt lug before 1000 rpm, so 1250 is a good place to be. There is instant response in acceleration from 1250 onwards.

This tankful, i have already completed 530 km (in 3 days phew!) and the fuel needle still shows nearly 45% tank full. I might exceed 700 km before low fuel warning lights up. That is going to my lifetime achievement as for as gentle driving goes. I haven't exceeded 100 kmph for 30 days straight lol. That is the polar opposite of my previous driving style, pushing the storme at speeds most people wouldn't believe a storme can be taken to. I have started liking this relaxed driving style too, hours of driving everyday but still keeps my mind stress free. Just check out the bad drivers/riders threads to see how many morons I come across on a daily basis. It definitely helps to drive sedately.

I am expecting higher 14s or even 15 kmpl this tankful Will update the figure here.

534 km in just about 55% of the tank


A few tips :

1. Mindful driving - not accelerating furiously, anticipating vehicles ahead slowing down and taking the foot off the gas pedal instead of powering the car close to the traffic and braking then.

2. Proper air pressure. 33-34 PSI works well depending upon number of occupants in the car

3. Fuel quality - I always refill in the same bunk, it has been my default choice for decades and the fuel quality has always been better than other bunks in our locality.

4. Usage of rear AC definitely impacts fuel efficiency. I use it only if rear occupants are there. The front AC at blower level 1 is more than sufficient for me. Moreover there is an Eco mode in storme AC (the green light glows) which I believe puts lesser stress on the engine than the cold mode ( blue glow )

5. 1500 - 2000 rpm is the sweet spot for better mileage with the Dicor 320

If you drive in B2B traffic (I live in a tier II city and hence B2B traffic is rare) or if you always drive with 4+ people/load on board, the fuel efficiency definitely wont exceed 11.5-12 kmpl. Moreover, my Dicor 320 wasnt as relaxed as my Varicor 400 at the same speeds, due to the absence of 6th gear and 80nm reduced torque. I feel Varicor 400 is surely 0.5 kmpl to 1 kmpl more fuel efficient than the Dicor 320 under same conditions.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I am expecting higher 14s or even 15 kmpl this tankful Will update the figure here.

Well, the update is here.

I refilled the tank at 744km, with the low fuel warning yet to come.

Let me make the pictures do the talking



An astonishing 15.37 kmpl in the last tankful 40:40:20 Highway : Rural : City

An average from all 33 days of the Storme V400 being my daily driver : 13.65 kmpl

Best FE : 15.37 kmpl
Worst FE : 12.74 kmpl



That is from 3600 km of usage





I have been using the 2.2 liter diesel for over 9 years now, in 2 forms - the 140 PS Dicor and 156 PS Varicor. Of all these 9 years and a combined 1,70,000 km, this has been the best fuel efficiency I have attained. Secret : Drive like a gentle man and not like a hooligan. To be noted is that I have never gotten over 12 kmpl in the past and 10 kmpl was pretty normal. But I also used to cruise at almost twice the speeds that I do now.

The 2.2 delivers excellent fuel efficiency if you are gentle with it. 15.4 kmpl, damn! That's seriously impressive for the size of the car.

And to realise this 156 PS beast is actually more economical per km to run, than the "badass" SUV in its turbo petrol Avatar, feels great.



Signing off for now

[jacobsam]

Originally Posted by viXit

Car is at 81k now,

how are you guys doing this?!?
I'm struggling to touch ten.
Attachment 2128011

Although I belong to tier 3 city and the Storme is primarily used for highway runs, the usual mileage for us varies between 11 to 12.5 km/l depending upon the way it is driven. Although sedative driving has best fetched us a mileage of 12.75 km/l with RPM ranging at 1900-2000 and speed at 100 which I felt is lower by 1 km/l at least.

In continuation, I would like to have advices from the owners regarding injectors. I felt the sound of Storme has changed for the past 4 odd years specially when switching on the AC. Got it checked on my few visits to Mumbai and various TASS always said that the injectors are chocked.

On my last visit to the TASS at Nerul, Mumbai a year back again, as soon as the mechanic was taking the trial, he said 'it looks like you don't have a air filter in'. And then when he drove it and climbed the RPM to 3500 mark and suddenly dropped the throttle, Storme felt completely chocked and normalized after a few seconds. He said that it seams injectors need servicing. Then on a visit to Indore TASS, their mechanic drove it again and he said that everything is ok and there is no problem with the ride at all.
Is there a way to check the condition of the injectors without opening it.

MOD NOTE - u = you.

Please type in full, no short forms / abbreviations or SMS language to be used. Thanks.

[condor]

Originally Posted by viXit

Is it true that the longer the car is in ACC without turning on, the more the glow plugs heat up and makes starting up easy??

The concept of heating before going for engine start is definitely there in the non-common-rail engines, like the prev gen/ Turbo diesels. The glow-plut itself looks more involved in the ignition cycle than just heating. A bad glow-plug causes the engine to be a little more rough, and lesser FE too.

I am in the middle of a trip, and have not noticed any problem. Plan to wait for the check engine light to come up again and then get a scan done. Engine has been smooth, and starts are normal.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by jacobsam

On my last visit to the TASS at Nerul, Mumbai a year back again, as soon as the mechanic was taking the trial, he said 'it looks like you don't have a air filter in'. And then when he drove it and climbed the RPM to 3500 mark and suddenly dropped the throttle, Storme felt completely chocked and normalized after a few seconds. He said that it seams injectors need servicing. Then on a visit to Indore TASS, their mechanic drove it again and he said that everything is ok and there is no problem with the ride at all.
Is there a way to check the condition of the injectors without opening it.

During the morning cold start, ask someone else to start the vehicle and observe if there is any smoke for the next few minutes , ideally it should not have any if ambient temperatures is not too cold.

Observe if there is higher than usual sound when you accelerate normally after the engine has warmed up, as if the engine is still cold, the knock sound, also observe for smoke under normal acceleration as well as the slight smoke will continue at idle even after the engine is warned up.

These symptoms may continue even if the injector gets refurbished locally at times and a full replacement is the only choice. I do have to tell you that unless the service center tests each injector for dribble and return it's difficult to pin point as to which one is faulty, usually if the vehicle is old the process is to replace all 4.

[condor]

Back after a trip to Sringeri-Koppa. About 860km, Odo now at 96990. FE was good at about 13.x. Relaxed drive, with quite a few stops for tea etc. Roads are good most of the places except Chikmagalur - Aldur Cross. Road widening immediately outside Chikmagalur.

A pic from the trip:

[subraiyr]

Hi folks
Finished a quick run to Chikmagalur and back. Odo at 93.4k now. The truck performed fairly well and FE ended at about 12.5km per litre.

One thing which bothered me was a bit of vibration in the steering as the truck crossed 120kmph. At 130 it felt fine but the 120 mark was where the vibrations were stronger

Any thoughts on what the issue could be ? Also found a friendly neighbourhood mechanic who did a top job on regular servicing. Annual service cost about 7k with all fluid changes and filters. The air filter hose developed cracks pre service and had to be changed. Strangely this part was not readily available and I had to wait for over 10 days for supply to come through

[condor]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

One thing which bothered me was a bit of vibration in the steering as the truck crossed 120kmph. At 130 it felt fine but the 120 mark was where the vibrations were stronger

Do get an alignment - balancing done.

What's the condition of the tyres ?

Yes, TASS doesnt keep stock of may items. Last month I wanted to replace some parts and same story at two different centers.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by condor

Do get an alignment - balancing done.

What's the condition of the tyres ?

Tyres were changed at about 60k. The treads are fine and there seems to be at least another 20k of life in them as per the tyre doc at Madhu's.

Will check once again for alignment and balancing next week

[viXit]

Originally Posted by condor

Do get an alignment - balancing done.

What's the condition of the tyres ?

Yes, TASS doesnt keep stock of may items. Last month I wanted to replace some parts and same story at two different centers.

Could you share what these parts were, if they're common pain points , other owners can inspect their vehicles too.

[condor]

Originally Posted by viXit

Could you share what these parts were, if they're common pain points , other owners can inspect their vehicles too.

Sorry, should have mentioned.

Glow plugs. We had noticed a little hesitancy in starting, and had thought these were not at optimum. I also had a trip coming up a week after that. But since the parts were not available, I went ahead with the trip.

Keeping an eye on roughness and FE. City FE has been fine, though outstation FE was about 0.5 kmpl below my expectation.

Btw, my Storme has now done 97.5k

[PrasannaDhana]

I found a strange aspect with the Storme's MID.

The trip meters reset back to zero automatically when you cross 2000 km. I usually use one trip meter for monthly usage log and another trip meter for tankful to tankful log.

Last time it happened, I thought it was a random incident. But today, my monthly log was in trip meter B, and it reset itself to 0 once the 2000 km mark was completed.

I am not sure if it's a setting specific to Trip B or even Trip A will also max out at 2000 km.

PS : Planning to remove rear jump seats. Bloody little things squeak at times over bad roads.