Entries from June 2007 ↓

Preamble
Nowadays, there’d be hardly any car without some sort of a Music System in it. While most entry level ones come without any, leaving their choice to the buyers, on the other hand the higher end ones come factory fitted with fairly respectable Systems. So getting one retro-fitted in the present generation Mpfi/Crdi cars needs special care, because of the Engine management Computer or the ‘ECU’ on board. In the following Para’s, one should be able to see why…

Because of the ‘ECU’ on board, the MPFi Cars’ Wiring Harness has the human spinal cord like ‘sensitivity’. So, it’s advisable NOT to cut/splice/tape/twist-joint it anywhere, for installing any electrical accessory. In fact this is invariably stated so in the Car’s Warranty Policy, given in the Owner’s Hand Book.

Consequently, practically all such Cars have an OE/Dealer Option of Music Systems specially produced in India for them by renowned players including 12-months warranty and assured after sales service, such as Kenwood/Sony/Blaupunkt etc. These are ‘model specific’ by way of ‘mating’ wiring harness couplers, which slip in straightaway away w/o having to tamper with the OE/WH, unlike to olden days where one could stand on the wayside Car Accessories mkt and see it ‘butchered’ with your own eyes w/o any detrimental effects though, coz there were no MPFi/EMS-Comps on board then.

So it would make sense to choose any one of these (other than speakers perhaps) from one’s Dealer AND have it installed by him, so that one’s Warranty is not affected. Take a formal receipt of it for later use, the possibility of it cannot be ruled out, in case one shifts town/Dealer and has some problems with the Car’s MPFi system later.

However, one should go in for the best possible ‘matching’ speaker systems coz they will make all the difference in the end. Towards this, one will have to do one’s own research as the choice available is pretty vast.

Likewise, if not more, for the present day fad of Central Locking, vis-a-vis MPFi Cars. Take the Dealers’ advice on this too. But before one succumbs to it and is out of pocket by 5k or so, ask to be shown any such installation in progress from start to finish at his workshop. The chances are that inspite of being assured that the system is ‘model specific’, one will recoil with horror the way door panels/chassis members/OE/WH are crudely hacked hammers and tongs to get it in place.

I have seen it happen, to the extent that the poor owner of a Rs. 6L plus ‘C’ gr car couldn’t even drive to the nearest Petrol pump. He stalled on the way and got locked in - thanks to the ‘dedicated’ Central Locking System! If not immediately, the possibility of such things happening at a later date is more than bright.

It’s been established internationally that a ‘visible’ deterrent such as a Steering/pedal Lock is far more effective and reliable - more so when a good one costs only <1k 1. However, one can go in for the more fancy ‘imported’ one - ‘Mul-T-Lock’ - which is purely a mech device that gets installed near the Gear Lever and locks it in IV gear. It costs @ 3k and most Dealers’ Accessories Counters have them.

Preamble
It’s that time of the year when most car owners go away on holidays abroad for extended periods and are rightly concerned about the well being of their cars while they’re away.

In the following para’s, therefore, I’ve tried to put in some do’s and don’t if one has to shut down one’s car for extended periods.

(A) Short Term - one to two months

1. Consume fuel in the Tank upto ‘E’ level and then fill up 10-lrs of ‘Speed’ type detergent pre-mixed petrol from a reliable Pump, or equivalent diesel for that matter for a diesel car. Run the Car for at least 20-25 kms prior to shutting it down.

2. Inflate all the 5 Wheels to (+) 20% of recommended tyre pressure, using a reliable Gauge.

3. Find a secure, covered and well-ventilated place to park it in. If not possible, then securely put on a good quality car-cover over it, after completing the following.

4. Do not switch off the engine till the radiator fan comes on at least twice. DO NOT ‘RACE’ THE ENGINE’ BEFORE SW OFF. JUST TURN OFF THE KEY AFTER THE RF HAS STOPPED RUNNING FOR THE SECOND TIME.

5. DON’T engage the Hand Brake. Put it into I/Rev gear and if necessary, ‘chock’ the front rear wheels with a couple of bricks.

6. Make sure there are no perishables like food/debris in the Cabin. Sprinkle a generous amount of Naphthalene/mothballs all over/under the Seats and inside the Glove Compartment. Roll-up all the Windows completely

7. Disconnect and remove the Battery for storage at another place where it can be periodically ‘trickle-charged’, say, over night once a week. Or else, be prepared to have a permanently dead battery on your hands upon return.

8. Disconnect Electrical Power Supply to the chosen parking area, if any.

(B) Long Term - more than two months

Procedure essentially as above, but with following major ADDITIONS :

1. With the Engine Cold, before first start, take out ~ 0.5 to 0.75 lrs of Coolant/mixture from the Overflow bottle/radiator and replace with equal amount of fresh/pure coolant. This to increase its concentration to ~ 50% during long-term storage to prevent rust formation in the Cooling System.

2. Upon return to the Secure Parking area, after sw off the engine as above, remove all the Spark plugs, squirt at least two tbs pure engine oil into each cylinder and crank the starter a few revs. Put back the SPs normally/finger tight. This is to prevent rust formation within the cylinders.

3. Hoist all the four road wheels one by one and put a sturdy metal ‘ghodi’ under each wheel at a suitable place, to raise them at least 1″ above ground. These cost ~ Rs: 150/- each and are a good investment for all times to come. This will save the tyres from permanent damage at their road contact area.

(C) Re-Start after Storage.

1. Check the Coolant/Engine Oil/Brake fluid levels and Tyre pressures. Restore all, as required. Get the 4 - Wheels on ground one by one, if jacked for long term.

2. Install a fully charged Battery/check Battery Terminals for any Sulphation. If noticed, clean them first with hot water/fine emery paper and reconnect properly.

3. Look underneath to check whether it’s dropped any fluids noticeably. If so, then after topping up/starting, take it to your Garage if ‘road worthy’.

4. Shift to neutral, engage Parking Brake fully and turn the key to ‘Ingn on’ position BUT don’t crank the Starter.

5. Upon doing so, in an Mpfi some earlier Carb Cars, you should be able to hear the Elect Fuel Pump come on for a few secs and then go off with a ‘click’. Soon after this, give it a ‘longish’ crank. If your Battery is healthy and the fuel lines aren’t clogged, the Car should fire w/o any problem.

6. For a Carb Car, follow the ‘Cold Start’ instns given in your Owners Handbook.

7. Once it fires in first/second attempt, let it run on it’s own without revving it up atleast for a couple on minutes, to let it stabilise and above all, ensure that sufficient engine oil has reached all the nooks and corners in the engine.

8. Hereafter, you can drive off gently for the first couple of Kms, depending on your Tyre pressures etc as above.

9. In case your Battery has flattened out - DON’T attempt to push start any Mpfi Car as it won’t start that way and in the process, you can damage its Catcon. Call your Garage to come with a healthy Battery and ‘jump-start’ Cables to do the needful.

LPG is acknowledged the world over as a superior fuel for Automobiles compared to Gasoline/CNG. Consequently, over 10 million Cars are running satisfactorily on LPG around the world as of today - from the lowliest of Cabs to the British Queen’s Rolls-Royce!

A ‘Street-Legal’ LPG Kit for an Mpfi Car will cost you ~ Rs: 35k and ~ 25k for a Carb type. An equivalent CNG Kit may cost ~ Rs: 5k more, coz of the more expensive Cylinder. So one must do one’s cost/benefit analysis first - on the basis of, say, a pay back period of one year. Running your Car on ‘Domestic’ LPG Cylinders is not only illegal but also extremely dangerous.

As a thumb rule, one stands to save about 45% of petrol bill costs with LPG and 65% with CNG. At the same time, one stands to lose about 10% of the engine power also, due to gaseous nature of these fuels and this can cause problems with AC running during peak of summers on cars smaller than 1100cc, ironically when you need it most.

CNG/LPG Kits come in two basic ‘varieties’ - the ‘RTO Approved’ ones and others that’re not.

The former are obviously more expensive but make your conversion ’street-legal’, enabling you to draw your supplies from the respective Road-side Retail Outlets. Retrofitters of such Kits are obliged to give you a Certificate stating their RTO Approval particulars as well as those of your Car - such as its Regn and engine/chassis #s.

Such a Certificate will enable you to seek endorsement on your RC from the concerned RTO for ‘dual-fuel’ - a responsibility you must put on the Retrofitter before you pay him up fully. However, prior to that, you will have to apply to your Insurance Co. by paying the additional premium towards the cost of the kit for your existing Policy to be so endorsed. Only then you will be fully/legally ‘operational’.

Please also ensure that your Kit is complete with the ‘Electronic/Automatic Ignition Timing Controller’ - w/o which you’ll not get the best engine performance either in Gas or Petrol Modes. Most Buyers overlook this finer aspect and the Kit-suppliers make more money by holding back on it. This is required even for the pre-2000/Carburettor type of cars. Incidentally, they’re best suited for such conversions!

There are some ‘RTO Certified’ Gas kits suitable for Mpfi’s in the market now but NOT for all the makes/models on the roads these days. Such Kits are more expensive by Rs: 5-10k compared to carb types as these have to actively interface with the Car’s main ECU and that doesn’t come cheap. This is achieved by additional features such as - a) Emulator, b) ‘Lambda’ Sensor and c) Microprocessor based Ignition Timing Controller, for ‘Distributorless’ Ignition systems that most cars have today.

Such a Certificate will enable you to seek endorsement on your RC from the concerned RTO for ‘dual-fuel’ - a responsibility you must put on the Retrofitter before you pay him up fully. However, prior to that, you will have to apply to your Insurance Co. by paying the additional premium towards the cost of the kit for your existing Policy to be so endorsed. Only then you will be fully/legally ‘operational’.

Please also ensure that your Kit is complete with the ‘Electronic/Automatic Ignition Timing Controller’ - w/o which you’ll not get the best engine performance either in Gas or Petrol Modes. Most Buyers overlook this finer aspect and the Kit-suppliers make more money by holding back on it. This is required even for the pre-2000/Carburettor type of cars. Incidentally, they’re best suited for such conversions!

There are some ‘RTO Certified’ Gas kits suitable for Mpfi’s in the market now but NOT for all the makes/models on the roads these days. Such Kits are more expensive by Rs: 5-10k compared to carb types as these have to actively interface with the Car’s main ECU and that doesn’t come cheap. This is achieved by additional features such as - a) Emulator, b) ‘Lambda’ Sensor and c) Microprocessor based Ignition Timing Controller, for ‘Distributorless’ Ignition systems that most cars have today.

While choosing a Gas Kit for an Mpfi, it’s of utmost importance that one demands to see the certified true copy of the RTO Approval that a Kit Vendor claims to have, to verify that the Kit being offered is infact suitable for his vehicle’s Make AND model. For example, a Kit suitable for Ikon-1.3 won’t be suitable for an Ikon-1.6.

In addition, one should also make sure that the ‘Bill of Materials’ as stated in the RTO-A is infact being installed in toto. But for these finer nuances, one stands to buy more trouble than intended relief and when that happens, which is generally the case with Mpfi’s, neither your Car Dealer nor the Kit Supplier will be able to help you as both will keep passing the buck to the other.

To double check, seek your Car Dealer’s advice also whether he has any Kit to recommend or install w/o affecting the Car’s warranty - even if it’s out of it.