[Captain Slow]

My Old esteem refused to start after a service with Kathra team (Carnation team).

local mech diagnosed the problem to a faulty fuel pump.

MASS quoted 8,000 for the whole fuel pump assembly including float. + Labour!
My Mech quoted 2,500 for just the fuel pump.

The market has all kinds of fuel pumps from Rs500 (Taiwan make) to 3,000.

Denso, Delphi were out of stock in most of the shops I visited and everyone had only the unbranded made in Taiwan pump.

Finally one shop had a bosh made in Germany pump for Rs950. Haggled it down to 700 and bought it.

Total cost -
Pump - 700
Labour - 500 (removal and re-fixing of fuel tank and pump)

Car it running again.

The faulty old fuel pump was made by Mitsubishi made in Japan.

[manjot1912]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

My Old esteem refused to start after a service with Kathra team (Carnation team).

local mech diagnosed the problem to a faulty fuel pump.

. . . . . .

Car it running again.

The faulty old fuel pump was made by Mitsubishi made in Japan.

A similar incident happened with my Esteem 3-4 years ago. MASS said it to be a faulty fuel pump and charged me 9k for it.

But within a week the problem re-surfaced and after getting it checked again, the fault actually was in the fuel pump relay. That cost me just 250/-. Since I had misplaced some parts of the old fuel pump, I could not get the old pump checked again.

So, did MASS check the fuel pump relay of your car?

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by manjot1912

A similar incident happened with my Esteem 3-4 years ago. MASS said it to be a faulty fuel pump and charged me 9k for it.

But within a week the problem re-surfaced and after getting it checked again, the fault actually was in the fuel pump relay. That cost me just 250/-. Since I had misplaced some parts of the old fuel pump, I could not get the old pump checked again.

So, did MASS check the fuel pump relay of your car?

Hi,

MASS didn't check anything, They directly recommended the fuel pump change with a estimate of 8,000+ tax for the parts + Labour charges.

The cost was too much for a old car so I went searching for other alternatives. The relay was swapped from another car by the local mech and nothing happened.
Thus concluded that the fuel pump was faulty. But When I checked the fuel pump it still makes a bzzzz sound when connected to 12V.

[manjot1912]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

Hi,

MASS didn't check anything, They directly recommended the fuel pump change with a estimate of 8,000+ tax for the parts + Labour charges.

The cost was too much for a old car so I went searching for other alternatives. The relay was swapped from another car by the local mech and nothing happened.
Thus concluded that the fuel pump was faulty. But When I checked the fuel pump it still makes a bzzzz sound when connected to 12V.

Well, I dont know what the bzzz sound actually means, but let's hope that the problem in your car is resolved and doesn't ever leave you stranded on the road.

Cheers!!

[abhipuru16]

Yes, ask them to use petrol for cleaning.
And Captain Slow that is the not the complete fuel pump assembly, its only the motor that you've bought, Maruti sells the complete assembly. If it were me, and I had plans to retain the car, I'd have bought the complete assembly for piece of mind so that the right fuel pressure is maintained as Esteem does not have a Fuel Pressure Switch to determine the right fuel pressure.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by abhipuru16

Yes, ask them to use petrol for cleaning.
And Captain Slow that is the not the complete fuel pump assembly, its only the motor that you've bought, Maruti sells the complete assembly. If it were me, and I had plans to retain the car, I'd have bought the complete assembly for piece of mind so that the right fuel pressure is maintained as Esteem does not have a Fuel Pressure Switch to determine the right fuel pressure.

yes, I know this and we only replaced the fuel pump motor.
I do not think this will cause any problems as the pump itself is from Bosh.
Regarding the fuel pressure, I have driven the car hard and taken it all the way to 120-130 KMPH, Everything seems fine.
Any excess unused fuel that comes into the carburetor goes back to the tank via the drain pipe.
Anyhow next time the fuel pump fails I might as well replace the whole thing for 8,000

[Karumbaiah]

Originally Posted by KPS

Hi,

Three things come to mind which indicate that the suspension work needs to be done

1. The car is sitting down due to a sagging suspension.
2. The tyre uneven wear and tear is very important indicator if the suspension weak
3. Wheel alignment will be very difficult to sustain if the suspension is weak

Trips to Coorg could have taken a toll on the suspension over the years.

Cheers

KPS

Yes Sir, you are right. Frequent trips to Coorg caused this. I dont see any issue with Tyre alignment or Tyre wear and tear, but i do notice some noise when i drive on uneven roads.
Will get suspension rechecked along with road hinges.

regards,
Karumbaiah

[techn0l0gist]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

uel pump fails I might as well replace the whole thing for 8,000

I've been running a similar aftermarket bosch pump that you've bought , its held for the last 30k kms so far, and I guess it should work fine for much longer ! From what I hear the 600 rupee taiwan ones work equally well , I just bought the bosch one since it sounded like a better choice

[Altocumulus]

I just picked up a 2007 Esteem Vxi, run a little over 60k kms. The engine sounds pretty good and the suspension also feels good. Clocked 120 km/hr in 3rd gear quite smoothly ( will never do that again though). No rusting on the body yet. Planning to get Automech FFE fitted very soon.

How long will the engine last before I need to overhaul the engine, considering that I will use it with the light foot? I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

I just picked up a 2007 Esteem Vxi, run a little over 60k kms. How long will the engine last before I need to overhaul the engine, considering that I will use it with the light foot? I plan to keep the car for at least 5 years.

The Esteem engine is near bulletproof. If maintained well, it can last well over 150,000 kms without necessitating an overhaul. Back in the late 90's this engine was one of the best in the MUL stable.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by gpa

The Esteem engine is near bulletproof. If maintained well, it can last well over 150,000 kms without necessitating an overhaul. Back in the late 90's this engine was one of the best in the MUL stable.

Thanks gpa. Sure hope that the car was kept well. It feels good while driving her at least.

Below are a few snaps of her

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

Thanks gpa. Sure hope that the car was kept well. It feels good while driving her at least.

Below are a few snaps of her

Nice snaps. Good looking car. We have the same colour but an LXi model.

Engine life should be pretty good. Have a cousin who drove an Esteem for over a decade and his maintenance schedule was horrible. The engine finally seized up. However, there are others who are driving similar vintage cars and with good maintenance have easily clocked 200,000+ km on their engines with no overhauls, so treat your car well and it will easily last you 5 years more, if not a decade.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Nice snaps. Good looking car. We have the same colour but an LXi model.

Engine life should be pretty good. Have a cousin who drove an Esteem for over a decade and his maintenance schedule was horrible. The engine finally seized up. However, there are others who are driving similar vintage cars and with good maintenance have easily clocked 200,000+ km on their engines with no overhauls, so treat your car well and it will easily last you 5 years more, if not a decade.

I do try to keep my cars well and maintain a 5k - 6k oil change, etc. The reason am skeptical is because I got it a bit cheap I guess. The previous owner is some hot shot with LIC and has now upgraded to a SX4. So am I just lucky or is there some issue with the car.

I have already driven it for 300 - 400 kms and (touch wood) its very smooth. I guess am a little paranoid.

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

I do try to keep my cars well and maintain a 5k - 6k oil change, etc. The reason am skeptical is because I got it a bit cheap I guess. The previous owner is some hot shot with LIC and has now upgraded to a SX4. So am I just lucky or is there some issue with the car.

I have already driven it for 300 - 400 kms and (touch wood) its very smooth. I guess am a little paranoid.

If the previous owner maintained the vehicle badly, then there is the possibility of issues cropping up in the future. The best thing to do will be to investigate with the MASS where he serviced his vehicle and have a look at the servicing history.

There are various reasons this car is cheap. They have stopped manufacturing it, it is a petrol car in a country that demands diesel cars, it is an old model in a market place full of much newer technology etc.

Paranoia is a good thing in some ways, because it leads to us over maintaining our cars (most cars recommend a 10,000 km interval for oil change) and thus prolonging its life

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

If the previous owner maintained the vehicle badly, then there is the possibility of issues cropping up in the future. The best thing to do will be to investigate with the MASS where he serviced his vehicle and have a look at the servicing history.

Firstly I got the car from True Value but opted w/o warranty. Immediately after delivery I took it to a MASS and got the car thoroughly checked. No issues diagnosed in the car. Previous service history shows the car was last serviced in MASS in 2009 Dec. After that it was done outside.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

There are various reasons this car is cheap. They have stopped manufacturing it, it is a petrol car in a country that demands diesel cars, it is an old model in a market place full of much newer technology etc.

I agree but cars of this time easily sell for 1.7L. I got it for much less with 5 brand new tires.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Paranoia is a good thing in some ways, because it leads to us over maintaining our cars (most cars recommend a 10,000 km interval for oil change) and thus prolonging its life

If you put it that way, I am definitely paranoid