[drsk]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

@ drsk:

Its a cardinal sin to buy a Tata Sierra Turbo and not post pictures of it here on this thread. Post 'em quick, before you incur the wrath of the Sierra Gods!

- Bullitt

I can't afford tha wrath of the Sierra Gods .

Below are some photos of the Sierra Turbo. Its a 1999 model. Bought it nearly 2 months ago. But was busy with some personal emergency and official work and hence could not share with the members here.

Have already checked the suspension, changed oils, fixed a radiator leak, checked the brakes, replaced clutch, changed gear lever bushes, filled up the AC gas and have driven nearly 4000 Kms (touched 155kmph on the speedo).
There is still some work to do to make it to my satisfaction. The list starts with both the power windows not working, water leakage from AC consdensation near front passenger seat, needs some minor tinkering+painting, improve the average F/E (currently am getting between 10-11kmpl even on the highways. I believe the expected range is 13-14kmpl) so on.

Was planning to get these done by Ayudha Pooja and share the photos and experience with teambhp. But, unfortunately my mechanic got busy and things got postponed.

Now, Bullitt's threat of curse am sharing the photos immediately

[sierrakamat]

congratulations that is the first CLEAN unmolested sierra that you have posted here keep her stock the FE that you are getting is spot on do not unnecessarily try to play with the pump settings and if she has touched 155 smoothly and doesnt sound like a tractor when idylling be happy.
bullit drool on.

[drsk]

Originally Posted by sierrakamat

congratulations that is the first CLEAN unmolested sierra that you have posted here keep her stock the FE that you are getting is spot on do not unnecessarily try to play with the pump settings and if she has touched 155 smoothly and doesnt sound like a tractor when idylling be happy.
bullit drool on.

@ sierrakamat: Thanks for the appreciation. That gave me lot of satisfaction and some consolation for the price I paid.

I have few doubts.
1. Is the grill original Sierra grill? This was reg. in Oct 1999. The "T" logos on the grill and the steering column do not match.
2. I derived from some of the earlier posts in this thread that Sierra had come with mroe than one GB. One had 1st gear below the Reverse and the other had 1st in the normal position. Am I right?
3. The AC control in my Sierra does not have the heater option. But, in the manual (shared by Bullit), it shows options for both colling and heating. Is something missing in my car?

[Bullitt]

@ drsk: Congrats on the great acquisition! Its a white one, really exudes character (I always wanted a white one). That is really a nice clean car. As suggested by Doc Kamat, try to keep her as stock as possible, though I would like to suggest that a set of brawny chrome alloys will definitely add to the muscle and style quotient. Besides, you are better off getting rid of those wheel-caps secured with zip-ties.

A few more things to be done:

1. Change all the belts, especially the timing belt. Most of them will be worn out by now (assuming that the previous owner has never changed them).

2. For the FE, get the injectors and fuel pump serviced from an authorized outlet. Yours should most probably be a MICO-Bosch unit.

3. In the second pic, it looks as if the foot-board has been welded to the bottom of the running board. If so, please rectify this. Else this will cause the running board to rust and disintegrate, as that is a highly water prone area.

4. Whats that thingy next to the lock on the rear hatch? Whatever it is, it's rusty; get rid of it.

5. There seems to be some rust under the rear hatch door beading, upper left corner (last picture).

6. Since you are missing the driver's ORVM, I would suggest you go for a pair of (internally adjustable) Sumo Victa ORVMs.

7. These days, all the newer vehicles use cable-driven power windows. The Sierra has mechanical ones. If the power window motors or scissor mechanisms are shot, it will be very hard to find replacements. Then you can either go for an aftermarket (cable-driven) kit (if you can find one), or simply convert them to manual. The latter is easier.

Originally Posted by condor

@Bullitt, but he has not purchased that Sierra !

And you were saying...??

Well, to be honest, he sent me an email requesting for a soft copy of the scanned owner's manual. Thats how the cat got out of the bag.

Originally Posted by sierrakamat

congratulations that is the first CLEAN unmolested sierra that you have posted here keep her stock the FE that you are getting is spot on do not unnecessarily try to play with the pump settings and if she has touched 155 smoothly and doesnt sound like a tractor when idylling be happy.
bullit drool on.

Hey Doc, you know Sierras make me go weak in the knees man. A Sierra is a Sierra, like no other. It's a man thing... (And now I gotta wipe the drool off my keyboard...)

Jokes apart, the snaps give me a sense of deja vu. I believe I had seen this car advertised in some online classifieds, though I am not 100% sure.

As a side note, I have noticed that Bangy seems to have a nice collection of Sierra Turbos, while its hard to come across one in Mumbai/Pune. I wonder why...

@ drsk:

To answer your questions:

1. No. The grill comes from the 207. Its not an uncommon mod on Sierras. The original grill and logo can be seen in the pics I have put up of my Sierra. Mine is Sep '99 registered vehicle.

2. You are right. There are 3 prominent patterns. One was with 1st gear below reverse.

The "normal" 1st gear version had 2 variants, one with "dog-leg" reverse (reverse to the extreme left of 1st), and other with "normal" reverse gear below the 5th gear.

These again had variants in which some required you to "push down" the lever to engage reverse, while in some you had to "pull up" the lever to engage reverse.

I believe your Sierra has the same GB as mine, with the "dog-leg" reverse gear.

3. The manual belongs to a later version of the Sierra Turbo (post 2000 model), which came with the heating option. My Sierra doesn't have the heater either.

- Bullitt

[drsk]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

@ drsk: Congrats on the great acquisition! Its a white one, really exudes character (I always wanted a white one). That is really a nice clean car. As suggested by Doc Kamat, try to keep her as stock as possible, though I would like to suggest that a set of brawny chrome alloys will definitely add to the muscle and style quotient. Besides, you are better off getting rid of those wheel-caps secured with zip-ties.

Thanks again. I am not a guy for modifications and will keep it as stock as possible. Alloys is probable one thing which I would add, but that would be based on how much my Sierra drains my bank balance.

Originally Posted by Bullitt

A few more things to be done:

1. Change all the belts, especially the timing belt. Most of them will be worn out by now (assuming that the previous owner has never changed them).
Had checked with a mechanic. He din't mention about the need for change. Will explicitly ask him about these the next visit.

2. For the FE, get the injectors and fuel pump serviced from an authorized outlet. Yours should most probably be a MICO-Bosch unit.
I am not 100% confident about TASS. Will check if the unit is from MICO-Bosch.

3. In the second pic, it looks as if the foot-board has been welded to the bottom of the running board. If so, please rectify this. Else this will cause the running board to rust and disintegrate, as that is a highly water prone area.
Din't know that was not correct. Thanks, will get that corrected.

4. Whats that thingy next to the lock on the rear hatch? Whatever it is, it's rusty; get rid of it.
Its already gone. It was for an external radio antenna.

5. There seems to be some rust under the rear hatch door beading, upper left corner (last picture).
Yes. There are few places with rust. That's why i am going with tinkering and painting. Hope it doesn't shoot a big hole in my pocket.

6. Since you are missing the driver's ORVM, I would suggest you go for a pair of (internally adjustable) Sumo Victa ORVMs.
Already replaced with a normalt ORVM (similar to the passenger side). I don't want to drill hole and add internally adjustable. IFF am doing so, might consider the power mirrors from Safari

7. These days, all the newer vehicles use cable-driven power windows. The Sierra has mechanical ones. If the power window motors or scissor mechanisms are shot, it will be very hard to find replacements. Then you can either go for an aftermarket (cable-driven) kit (if you can find one), or simply convert them to manual. The latter is easier.
As mentioned earlier, would love to keep the originality to the maximum extent possible. Let's see how the things pan out.

Originally Posted by Bullitt

@ drsk:

To answer your questions:

1. No. The grill comes from the 207. Its not an uncommon mod on Sierras. The original grill and logo can be seen in the pics I have put up of my Sierra. Mine is Sep '99 registered vehicle.
Hmmm ... I had thought that Tata used the new grill when the transitioned from TELCO to Tata Motors. But, the mismatch in logos created that doubt and now its confirmed by you.

2. You are right. There are 3 prominent patterns. One was with 1st gear below reverse.

The "normal" 1st gear version had 2 variants, one with "dog-leg" reverse (reverse to the extreme left of 1st), and other with "normal" reverse gear below the 5th gear.

These again had variants in which some required you to "push down" the lever to engage reverse, while in some you had to "pull up" the lever to engage reverse.

I believe your Sierra has the same GB as mine, with the "dog-leg" reverse gear.

Yes. Mine too is the "dog-leg" reverse gear. Just have to push the lever little harder to the left to slot in the reverse.

3. The manual belongs to a later version of the Sierra Turbo (post 2000 model), which came with the heating option. My Sierra doesn't have the heater either.
Ah! Should have tried to notice in that GA registered Sierra when I did a TD.
- Bullitt

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by drsk

I am not 100% confident about TASS. Will check if the unit is from MICO-Bosch.

Avoid TASS. They will ultimately give the pump and injectors to the BOSCH/LUCAS ASC for servicing, then add a hefty premium on those charges and bill you for it.

Go to your local mechanic, preferably a diesel specialist, and ask him to remove the pump and injectors. Take them to the nearest MICO/LUCAS ASC and ask them to service it. Once done pay them.

Alternatively, if you trust the local mech, ask him to get it done and hand you the ASC's bill for the pump servicing. Once the servicing is done, ask the mech to fit it back. Job done. The mech will only charge a small fee for removing/refitting the pump and injectors, over and above the ASC's service bill.

Servicing a MICO-BOSCH fuel pump costs approx. 5K, provided no parts are replaced.

To find out the make of the FIP, take a look at the picture. Ignore the shaded part, that is the power steering oil reservoir.



The fuel pump is encircled and marked by the arrow. You will find the name embossed on the side.

EDIT: The timing belt is a crucial part. If it breaks, all hell will break loose. Do get it checked ASAP.

- Bullitt

[kaustubh_vaze]

@ Bullitt - Your engine bay looks neat and clean. Did you give your car to the laundry? Is your power steering problem solved? Its been a long time since we met. I will give you a call end of October. (I am travelling currently)
@drsk - Clean white Sierra.
Regards,
Kaustubh

[condor]

drsk Below are some photos of the Sierra Turbo. Its a 1999 model. Bought it nearly 2 months ago.

CONGRATS !!!
Drooool !!! You are one lucky guy, @drsk !!

Bullitt Well, to be honest, he sent me an email requesting for a soft copy of the scanned owner's manual. Thats how the cat got out of the bag.

Ah ! And I was thinking I goofed by posting he has not yet got one. @drsk, you're going to pay some for this

Bullitt I would like to suggest that a set of brawny chrome alloys will definitely add to the muscle and style quotient. Besides, you are better off getting rid of those wheel-caps secured with zip-ties.
drsk : Alloys is probable one thing which I would add,

Esp since they are Scorp caps. The ties are required because they are 1" too big.

Bullitt 2. For the FE, get the injectors and fuel pump serviced from an authorized outlet. Yours should most probably be a MICO-Bosch unit.
Bullitt : Take them to the nearest MICO/LUCAS ASC and ask them to service it.

One Bosch unit is at Vijaya diesels, almost opp Urvashi theatre. Siddaiah road, not Lalbagh Road.

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by kaustubh_vaze

@ Bullitt - Your engine bay looks neat and clean. Did you give your car to the laundry?

Ahh, how I wish it were mine! I ain't obliged the laundry guy yet. This particular engine (and the rest of the car hanging on to it) belongs to TBHPian siddvi.

Is your power steering problem solved?

The PS gearbox finally gave up on me last month, putting itself out of misery. The beast spent a month lying around in the local garage, waiting for a replacement. After a month of trial and error, we finally got a brand new Rane PS gearbox using some TML contacts and plonked it in.

Now it's just one word: butter.

Even my 2 year old can probably turn the wheel, if he tries hard enough.

Its been a long time since we met. I will give you a call end of October. (I am travelling currently)

Regards,
Kaustubh

Anytime buddy, anytime.

@ sierrakamat: Remember the AC issue we talked about? It was a loose/broken compressor wire. My local mechanic fixed it FOC. But the problem of the loose blower fuse under the dash remains. Planning to re-wire the car soon.

You had once lamented that in these days of electronically controlled microprocessor based engines, it is hard to find those "old school" mechanics who could patiently work with archaic fuel pumps. Well, guess what, my local mechanic has the skills of those "old school" boys.

It all started when I mentioned that the engine was very noisy. He said it is because the idling is too high. He also wanted to check if the fast idler mechanism for the AC was working fine. So he picked up his screw-driver and wrench and had a go at the fuel pump. After some patient adjustments, the idling was set to 800 RPM. Suddenly, the engine was puttering away silently, and that tractor-like ruckus almost died.

However, the vacuum actuator for the fast idler switch has become weak with age, though it still works. It had also developed significant play and had been secured with wire; to fix that he removed the wire and inserted a new washer. It still needs a tap on the accelerator pedal for the vacuum switch to fall into place. He said we can fix that in the next visit.

@ condor: Does your Victa have the same vacuum actuator mechanism for increasing the idle RPM when the AC is turned on? If so, I might simply buy a new Victa vacuum switch and plonk it in to replace the old one.

- Bullitt

[drsk]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

Avoid TASS.
...
Go to your local mechanic, preferably a diesel specialist, and ask him to remove the pump and injectors. Take them to the nearest MICO/LUCAS ASC and ask them to service it. Once done pay them.
...
Servicing a MICO-BOSCH fuel pump costs approx. 5K, provided no parts are replaced.
...
The fuel pump is encircled and marked by the arrow. You will find the name embossed on the side.

EDIT: The timing belt is a crucial part. If it breaks, all hell will break loose. Do get it checked ASAP.

- Bullitt

Yes. My fuel pump is MICO.
Next week I plan to send my beast to the hospital for cosmetic surgery to get rid of its bruises. At that time I will get the timing belt re-checked and also the fuel pump. There is also work on the power windows and AC.

Originally Posted by condor

CONGRATS !!!
Drooool !!! You are one lucky guy, @drsk !!

Thanks.

Originally Posted by condor

Ah ! And I was thinking I goofed by posting he has not yet got one. @drsk, you're going to pay some for this

The intention was not to goof any one. It was pretty late in the night searching for some info on the Sierra and wanted to crash into the bed soon.

But, yes, if Bullit had not threatened me with the curse of Sierra Gods, I "might" have not posted the pics this soon .

Originally Posted by condor

Esp since they are Scorp caps. The ties are required because they are 1" too big.

Alloys! Hmmm ... That would be approx 25-30k. I would do it last.

Originally Posted by condor

One Bosch unit is at Vijaya diesels, almost opp Urvashi theatre. Siddaiah road, not Lalbagh Road.

Thanks for the pointer. The mechanic is in Adugodi pretty close to Bosch office. I guess there would be one in the vicinity. If not, this would certainly help.

Originally Posted by Bullitt

...
@ condor: Does your Victa have the same vacuum actuator mechanism for increasing the idle RPM when the AC is turned on? If so, I might simply buy a new Victa vacuum switch and plonk it in to replace the old one.

- Bullitt

My vacuum actuator for the AC is currently disconnected. If it needs replacement, this info would help me too.

[sierrakamat]

the vacuum actuator is a five minute job and they are available aplenty at mumbai.congrats bullit for finding your mech who has done the pump setting manually (your car was actually sounding like a tractor i just didnt have the heart to tell you so) .now that things are in place the baby should move and yet give you the all important fe.
now try to find a old school electrician and keep both him and the mech happy dont forget them on diwali and your life will be much easier...

[sierrakamat]

By the way a sierra 1994 model all parts in pristine shape with 16 inch safari tyres sunroof(for the added leakage) is available for sale in my neighborhood if any of you buffs singularly(to use) or collectively(for spares) want to go for it it will be worth it.by the way the fellow in the pic is not me

[Saptarshi B]

Originally Posted by sierrakamat

By the way a sierra 1994 model all parts in pristine shape with 16 inch safari tyres sunroof(for the added leakage) is available for sale in my neighborhood if any of you buffs singularly(to use) or collectively(for spares) want to go for it it will be worth it.by the way the fellow in the pic is not me

And it finally went for 65k ? Bullit, Kaustubh, guess we missed out on this one. By the time I met doc kamat last weekend and he told me about this Sierra, it was already sold.

Am in Pune this weekend. So if you guys (Bullit, Kaustubh) want any parts from here give me a shout.

[kaustubh_vaze]

Originally Posted by sierrakamat

the vacuum actuator is a five minute job and they are available aplenty at mumbai.congrats bullit for finding your mech who has done the pump setting manually (your car was actually sounding like a tractor i just didnt have the heart to tell you so) .now that things are in place the baby should move and yet give you the all important fe.
now try to find a old school electrician and keep both him and the mech happy dont forget them on diwali and your life will be much easier...

WOW....65K for the beauty? good going!!!
@Saptarshi - Dont need any parts right now. I need to get the whole car done.
Just trying to find money to get it done!
Doctor saheb - If I get the money, would you be able to do my car up in January? I would definitely need it by end of January. Budget same as Saptarshi's!!!
Additionally, need new front seats from an Amby or Tavera!!
Let me know if you are willing to take it up.

Regards,
Kaustubh

[condor]

Originally Posted by Bullitt

@ condor: Does your Victa have the same vacuum actuator mechanism for increasing the idle RPM when the AC is turned on?

@Bullitt, sorry - had not been able to respond to your query due to an un-foreseen situation. Here's the pic. Pls check.