[jaysmokesleaves]

Originally Posted by sen2009

I have noticed of late that the fan remains on after switching off the engine far longer.

The fan in my Safari has been staying on for a while-sometimes more than 20 secs- after I shut the engine since the day I bought it. I never thought of it as a problem.


BATTERY QUERY:
Guys - Whats the life of the OEM Safari battery. Mine is 3.5 yrs old. Other than some whiteish residue on the terminals, no problems yet, but I intend to do a few long trips this year and dont want to have any battery issues.

Also,
1. what is the recommended replacement battery. Should I stick to Amaron(OEM) or are there better options?
2. and what is the cost of a Safari battery?
3. What causes white residue on the +ve battery terminal ?
4. What is the life of a Safari battery ?

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE QUERY;

Since my Safari is 3.2 yrs old, I dont want to wait till I get stranded on the road due to a busted hose.
As part of a PM plan, I was considering to replace all the hoses in the engine bay and elsewhere in the vehicle.
I think its wise, but would like responses on which hoses should be replaced and which can/should be left out.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Mine is 3.5 yrs old. Other than some whiteish residue on the terminals, no problems yet, but I intend to do a few long trips this year...
...

1. Whitish residue is Sulphate or oxides of lead. Clean it with a soda solution and tooth brush. After that apply Vaseline gel on the terminals.

2. Battery strength test- switch on headlights and try to start the truck. If the lights do not dim fully and engine fires- your battery is good. If the lights dim completely, the life could be limited.

3. Check the level of fluid inside battery (I guess it is not completely sealed) and also measure the sp. gravity (using hydrometer- available at most battery shops or chemistry lab/scientific shops) of the acid in it. Top up with battery grade "distilled water", available for 15/- a liter, if below top mark. Sp gr. should be around ~1.3 on a healthy battery in all cells.

May be you can also check the alternator voltage at idling across battery terminals. It should be around 13 volts or so. In emergency, even if the battery fails to crank the engine you can still push start safari to reach to the nearest shop- no issues. May be invest in a Jump start cable (I recently got one from ebay.in for 500/-).

All the best for your trip.

Cheers,
-BJ

[dadu]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I do not think so.

I suspect either there are twin fans, or the single fan runs at variable speed.

From the noise increase when engine hot, I suspect there is a second fan somewhere, or maybe the primary fan has 2 speed settings.

Your suspect about twin fans is right.

The radiator used by safari 2.2 is a CROSS FLOW radiator with the flow across the tank horizontally through the tubes.

There are two fans with the motor rating of 12V, 240W, one fan runs at 2600 (+100) rpm and the other at 3000(+100) rpm with the operating temperature range between 25 deg C to 100 deg C.

[Prowler]

@jaysmokesleaves

1. what is the recommended replacement battery. Should I stick to Amaron(OEM) or are there better options?
2. and what is the cost of a Safari battery?
3. What causes white residue on the +ve battery terminal ?
4. What is the life of a Safari battery ?

1. Better to stick to the Amaron battery as your OEM battery is still going strong.

3. Oxidation. Follow the advice of bj96.
4. There are no hard and fast rules about the life of a car battery. It all depends on the usage pattern. Deep discharge hurts the battery - too many starting with too little running, running high powered accessories with the engine switched off - all affect the life of a battery. 4 years is average life if you are careful. I have seen a younger friend change his battery in less than 2.5 year.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

The fan in my Safari has been staying on for a while-sometimes more than 20 secs- after I shut the engine since the day I bought it. I never thought of it as a problem.

Not a problem, depending upon the coolant temperature it might shut down or run for a few seocnds after you take out the key.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

BATTERY QUERY:
Guys - Whats the life of the OEM Safari battery. Mine is 3.5 yrs old. Other than some whiteish residue on the terminals, no problems yet, but I intend to do a few long trips this year and dont want to have any battery issues.

Also,
1. what is the recommended replacement battery. Should I stick to Amaron(OEM) or are there better options?
2. and what is the cost of a Safari battery?
3. What causes white residue on the +ve battery terminal ?
4. What is the life of a Safari battery ?

Stick to Amaron, the residue can be cleaned at every service, infact I make them clean by removing the clamp itself. Can be topped up with battery water, better to take it to a battery shop he will check the acid with the floater in each cell and top it up. Usually battery life depends upon usage of the accessories and can live between 4-5 years.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE QUERY;

Since my Safari is 3.2 yrs old, I dont want to wait till I get stranded on the road due to a busted hose.
As part of a PM plan, I was considering to replace all the hoses in the engine bay and elsewhere in the vehicle.
I think its wise, but would like responses on which hoses should be replaced and which can/should be left out.

In broad sunlight, check the hoses yourself for cracks and wear, if the rubber is crumbling and there are cuts etc, get them replaced. My suggestion towards this is " Dont fix it if it a'int broke".

[condor]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Also,
1. what is the recommended replacement battery. Should I stick to Amaron(OEM) or are there better options?
4. What is the life of a Safari battery ?

@Jay, from past eperience, I would say that the battery will not go belly-up over night. Unless you have had starting problems (takes too long at cranking time, or you have had to jumpstart due to a dead battery), you should not really worry.

My Sumo battery died slowly after multiple long-term dis-use. (The term Long-term is relative ). I had to leave the Sumo un-used & un-started for 4-5 times, for gaps of anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks. But even after each of those gaps, the Sumo always started at first crank. It went on for some more months before finally giving up.

You dont need to stick to Amaron, though it is a safe choice. Amaron also gives you a good wty period, even if part of it is pro-rated. Tata Green not recommended. SF & Exide are not what they used to be. I am using Bosch, but the wty period on the Bosch is limited.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by dadu

Its only a Single fan with one speed operation. Never heard the fan to run at variable speed.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I do not think so.
When the safari was new, we were driving from service center back to Noida.
On the way the temp needle quickly reached red mark.

I suspect either there are twin fans, or the single fan runs at variable speed.

From the noise increase when engine hot, I suspect there is a second fan somewhere, or maybe the primary fan has 2 speed settings.

I doubt if one would hear the fan working when you are driving.

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

The fan in my Safari has been staying on for a while-sometimes more than 20 secs- after I shut the engine since the day I bought it. I never thought of it as a problem.

Also,
1. what is the recommended replacement battery. Should I stick to Amaron(OEM)?
2. and what is the cost of a Safari battery?

Bought a new Amaron Hi-Way battery for 4500Rs (got almost 1000RS for old one). This was bought from the Amaron Trivandrum dealer.

Pix of old and new battery. Old one had 18 months warranty and the Hi-Way has 2 year.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...-warranty.html

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by jkdas

I doubt if one would hear the fan working when you are driving.

Actually dadu has confirmed, that as I suspected, the Safari 2.2 has twin fans.

[rideon]

Guys,
Need help on an issue with my Safari. For the last 2 weeks there is a very audible tire "Roar" when at speeds over 70kmph. Have checked the tire pressure and alignment and balance, but there are no issues. There is also a noticeable resistance in the vehicle since the roar appeared. I was told about checking the wheel bearings. Have yet to check them.
Any other suggestions?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by rideon

Guys,
Need help on an issue with my Safari. For the last 2 weeks there is a very audible tire "Roar" when at speeds over 70kmph. Have checked the tire pressure and alignment and balance, but there are no issues. There is also a noticeable resistance in the vehicle since the roar appeared. I was told about checking the wheel bearings. Have yet to check them.
Any other suggestions?

Its the wheel bearings. How many kms has your vehicle done? Usually bearing problems can come after water fording if the seals are old.

[rideon]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Its the wheel bearings. How many kms has your vehicle done? Usually bearing problems can come after water fording if the seals are old.

Its done 31000 kms. Water fording is probable. There were occasions where I had to put the vehicle in water that was upto the door sills.

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by rideon

Its done 31000 kms. Water fording is probable. There were occasions where I had to put the vehicle in water that was upto the door sills.

One way to eliminate wheel bearings is to 'coast' at high speeds. Drive normally upto 70kph or whatever speeds the noise is audible, and then depress clutch, do not press accelerator. If it is bearing noise, it should be audible when the engine is disengaged...

are you sure it is not wind noise ?

Does rotating the tyres reduce/ eliminate the noise.. if yes, could be badly worn or misaligned tyres..again leading to bearings. Uneven tyre wear can also indicate bearing trouble.

cheers!

[rideon]

Originally Posted by smsrini

One way to eliminate wheel bearings is to 'coast' at high speeds. Drive normally upto 70kph or whatever speeds the noise is audible, and then depress clutch, do not press accelerator. If it is bearing noise, it should be audible when the engine is disengaged...

are you sure it is not wind noise ?

Does rotating the tyres reduce/ eliminate the noise.. if yes, could be badly worn or misaligned tyres..again leading to bearings. Uneven tyre wear can also indicate bearing trouble.

cheers!

That is the first thing I did to eliminate suspicions about wind and tire noise. but then, just a question. How would depressing the clutch (or putting it in Neutral) differentiate between tire noise and bearing noise? My understanding says that with clutch depressed, it would be difficult to ascertain tire noise vs. bearing noise.
The tires have been rotated but to no effect. Will check them very closely for uneven wear/misalignment though.

[smsrini]

Originally Posted by rideon

That is the first thing I did to eliminate suspicions about wind and tire noise. but then, just a question. How would depressing the clutch (or putting it in Neutral) differentiate between tire noise and bearing noise? My understanding says that with clutch depressed, it would be difficult to ascertain tire noise vs. bearing noise.
The tires have been rotated but to no effect. Will check them very closely for uneven wear/misalignment though.

to my knowledge, tyre noise is more like a hissing sound, where as the wheel bearing going kaput will sound like a 'chik-chik'..

and if wheel bearing is kaput, you should be able to identify which side the sound is coming from ( unlikely both wheel bearings will go together )

[bj96]

Originally Posted by smsrini

... tyre noise is more like a hissing sound, where as the wheel bearing going kaput will sound like a 'chik-chik'..

Will jacking up the truck and lifting one wheel off the ground at a time and then rotating it by hand reveal bearing noise? I have not done this before myself but, guessing if it is easier to figure out bearing issue this way?

-BJ