We’re now stuck waiting for the SUV parts, which are on “back order”.
BHPian SoulDrive recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
So, I took the plunge around August-September last year and after a lot of searching, bought a 2014 VX from Delhi. This is a story for another time. I’d perhaps like to write about it someday. The steed served us well in our road trip from Delhi to Bangalore and we did a few short trips around Bangalore.
However, last November, she started to show some signs of overheating noticeably after getting a full tank of Shell Diesel. I had by then made acquaintance with Pramod from Leo Carz. I had just about made a long list made for a complete overhaul, just before this overheating issue came up.
We started out by replacing the radiator cap and monitored the card under idle and the car ran fine for 5-7 fan on-off cycles without overheating. No coolant spillage was noticed. However, the issue came up again after a few test drives.
Meanwhile, Pramod also noticed the drive belt had gone almost bald and that the engine note was a bit irregular. The drive belt was replaced. We also replaced the HLAs along with the timing belt, auto tensioner, touch idler, idler pulley and water pump. The engine note sounded better, however, it was still not perfect.
We decided to get the injectors serviced. This turned out to be quite an ordeal. Future Diesel suspected fuel adulteration, some injectors were getting locked, otherwise, they didn’t find any other issue with the injectors. Post servicing the injectors, the beast just refused to come to life. The engine was just not cranking even after multiple attempts.
After almost a month and a half with Future Diesel with all the back-and-forth injectors getting locked – serviced – refitted cycles, we decided to get the injectors checked through Nayak Diesel. Now, these guys found that the control valves and nozzles of 2 injectors were whitish due to bad filtration/fuel adulteration and needed replacement.
We decided to remove all diesel from the tank, flush the high-pressure lines, change the diesel filter and fill fresh fuel before refitting the injectors.
Once these were fixed, the car started in the first crank! Another lesson learnt!
The engine note was smooth now. I was all set for a test drive. To my dismay, I noticed the overheating issue yet again. This time, we replaced all the hoses suspecting any micro-crack that we may have not accounted for. Another test drive had the same result. We got the radiator serviced and found the same issue recurring after a test drive.
Until this point, we were hesitant to open the head as it had never been opened before and we wanted to exhaust all other options first. We opened the head and found it to be in not-so-great shape. We had a process called metal(Al) deposition done on it to bring it back in shape. Before putting it all back, Pramod noticed some of the hoses that became accessible after removing the head needed replacement. We wanted to be sure there was no other possibility for the coolant to leak.
We’re right now stuck because we aren’t able to procure these hoses despite multiple attempts, it’s being sent back as “back orders” with the manufacturers.
It’s been quite a long ordeal, but we can’t wait to have our steed back with us in good shape.
We have 2 options now.
- Procure these hoses from the scrap yard
- Get silicon hoses manufactured for the right temperature/dimensional tolerances
Both are not ideal options and come with risks. The second option has the added disadvantage that it would be insanely expensive given that manufacturers would need a minimum order quantity.
Keyword: Bought a used Safari Storme: Facing continues issues since purchase