Barir's World

 

Satria 1.5 Fuel Injection Auto - BGJ 7427
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23.02.2008 - Pinking noise from engine even on light throttle.Changed spark
                      plug and air filter.Km : 86090
                      Results : Pinking noise not as bad as before.
                                    There is still problem when accelerating from low
                                    speed.
                      Next engine oil change : 88000 km / 5.03.2008.
                      Next coolant change    : June 2008
5.04.2008   - Changed engine oil and oil filter. Km : 88530
                      Engine oil : Elf 4 Liter (Amway)
                      Sump nut : 17mm, Tyre nut : 21 mm
                      Checked brake pad - thins out,have to change asap.
                      Next engine oil change : 94530 km / 5.07.2008
12.04.2008  - Changed front brake pads. Rear wheels use brake discs.
                      Km : 88970
                      Cost of brake pads - RM 48.00
                      Tools : car jack, car stand, crow bar (leverage bar)
                                 caliper piston c-clamp, box 14mm,17mm, 21mm,
                                 strong wire-to hang caliper unit
                      Time taken : 1 1/2 hours
                      The brake pads are almost finished.Luckily I decided to
                      changed them.


                    
Intermittent problem : When first start the engine in the morning,there's a
metallic sound coming from the engine.I suspected it coming from a faulty small
pulley because of pulley bearing failure.Will tackle the job when I have the
time and money.

I will be using Shell petrol for the time being (it used to be Petronas) to do
a study whether it can cure my engine pinking problem.

17/04.2008-That metallic sound(tak..tak..tak..) is getting louder each passing
day. Finally the air con belt got torn and broke loose. The pulley that I
suspected to be the problem is called air con belt tensioner pulley.
I changed it (it came in a set with  the lock nut, adjust bolt...) and  the air  con
belt. Km reading : 89200
Conclusion :Problem solved.The pulley's bearing had exhausted its lubrication,
thus producing the metal noise.
Time taken : 2 1/2 hours
Costs :
1 set 6301 air con belt tensioner pulley                         RM 35.00
1 pc A325 air con belt                                                     RM   9.00
Tools :
Car jack and stand
Spanar/wrench, ratchet 12mm
                                      14mm - a/c tensioner pulley lock nut
                                      19mm - crankshaft lock bolt
                                        8mm - crankshaft position sensor (cps) bolt
Gloves


1. Jack the car.
2. Take out shield.

3. Take out a/c belt tensioner pulley.





4. Ease out crankshaft position sensor (8mm bolt), so you can slide out the belt.

L -R:  power steering belt, air con belt, alternator belt, new tensioner pulley

9.05.2008 - Car  : Wira 1.5 Fuel Injection, Auto
                    Km :
                    Problem : Radiator fan mator makes a whining noise when
                    spinning.When the fan blade was turned by hand, it did not
                    spin freely.There's a slight resistance acting on it.
Action :
Removal and tools used :
1 . Top hose radiator - big jaw plier
2 . Radiator top up container - 2 bolts-12mm spanar
3 . Fan motor shroud - 4 bolts-10mm
4 . Fan motor wiring connectot - unclip by pressing and pull
5 . Take out fan motor from shroud - nut 8mm(holding fan blade in place)
     , 3 screws
After putting back all parts,double and triple check to ensure everything is
tight and secure, top up radiator,get rid of air from coolant system,run
engine and top up radiator again. And also check that the fan motor is
spinning like it is supposed to.
Time taken : 2 hours  Costs : rm130.00

9.05.2008 - Findings after using Shell fuel :
1 . Pinking is greatly reduced.
2 . Performance can be felt especially during acceleration.The engine felt
     responsive.
I can't truly say that Shell fuel is better than other brands,maybe it is
suitable for my car,but I definitely felt the difference (after using it for more
than a month). My main objective in trying it is to see if the pinking can be
reduced. Well it sure did !

24.08.2008 (Sunday-5pm) - WLM 7427, Wira 1.5 FI brokedown in
                                              TTDI
Problem : Engine overheats and top radiator hose broke loose.
Actions  :
1 . Brought along 2 bottles of water, ducktape, swissknife.
2 . A bystander had put back the hose and reconnect the air con's radiator
     fan wiring. That's why the engine was overheated. Who is responsible for
     the disconnection of the wiring in the first place ? It occured to me that
     maybe one of Mus's staff had forgotten to reconnect the wiring after a
     body knock and paint job.
3 . I filled the radiator with water and told Zamri to head straight back home.
4 . When we reached home, I let the engine running to thoroughly check the
      radiator system. Upon further checking, I noticed that the main radiator's
      fan wiring had also been disconnected. I connected it and check if the fan
      rotates. Yes. it did.
5 . Tomorrow, I will change the coolant and the top radiator hose just to be on
     the safe side.
Tools and parts used :
1 . Plier and open jaw plier - to compress hose circlip.
2 . WD40 - spray a bit on the radiator and thermostat housing's pipe to ease
     installation of hose.
3 . T-spanar size 12 - to take out spare reservoir.
4 . 1 Liter of Toyota coolant, 2 1/2 Liters of Drinking Water and top radiator
     hose (rm14.00)
Time Taken : 1 hour
Conclusion : Double check your car's wiring after a body knock and paint job,
                      especially the radiator fan's wiring.

28.08.2008 Thursday 10pm - A Friend's car problem with ignition-cannot
start and no lights at dashboard

Owner : Wan Saiful
Place   : Bandar Sri Damansara

1 . After done some shopping, turned ignition, nothing happened. No lights at
     dashboard panel. Pressed alarm also did not trigger anything.
2 . Called me for help.On my way with my wife when he called in to say that
     he can start the engine.
3 . Nevertheless I went to his house to investigate further.
4 . With the engine still running, I hook up a battery checker to his car's
     battery.Alternator looked to be in good condition.With the engine off,meter
     showed no faulty signs.
5 . When wriggling the battery's negative terminal, suddenly the car cannot be
      started again.Turned ignition key, nothing happened, not even the starter
      can be heard. There was no lights at the dashboard panel also.
6 . My wife saw a spark at the negative terminal. Took a closer look at the
     terminal- yep, it was loose. No wonder there was no juice.
7 . Knocked in a small nail inside the negative terminal to secure it properly.
8.  Resolved.

Conclusions :
1 . Check the basics first (simple stuff first).
2 . Don't overlook the obvious.
3 . Diagnostic, diagnostic, diagnostic ... then only changed.
4 . Start with the main power first (the battery).




                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

• Recommended service interval for engine oil and oil filter should be
  3 months or 6000 kilometer whichever comes first. For coolant, every
  year. Optimum mix or concentration for coolant:water is 30:70 or
  50:50 . Use drinking water instead of tap water because tap water
  contents impurities such as chemicals and rust .
• Check your car tires' pressure every week.
• For automatic gearbox, change its gear oil every 50,000 km and don't
  forget to change the auto gearbox filter also.
• Check the engine oil level every week and top up if necessary. Don't
  fill until it's above the maximum level stamped on the dipstick,otherwise
  you will over pressure your engine and cause leaking at weak spots
  such as the oil seals. But if you go on a long trip, make sure you check
  the level after you reach your destination. 
  
• Don't use cheap replacement bulbs for your head lights,signal and other
  indicators. The cheap bulbs cost RM 2 and the expensive ones will cost
  around RM 4 to RM 5 but they will last longer and will not burned out
  easily. I experienced using cheap signal bulbs that burned out after only
  about 3 months.
• Don't clean the carburetor, fuel injection or throttle body unless you
  have to or as a last resort. These mechanisms consits of sensitive and
  small parts which if not careful, will cause more problems when you
  try to clean them.
• You don't have to add engine oil treatment or fuel additive because
  today's engine oil and fuel are of high quality and they have their own
  cleaning additives mixed inside.   
  
• Brake pads - inspect them after 80000 km.
• Cats sometimes like to climb into the engine from underneath and
  dozed off. Quite a few were unable to get away when the car's owner
  started the engine. They were killed by the rotating fan and died a
  gruesome death (its head was cut off). So next time,before you get into
  the car, check for signs of them.
  
• I dreamed of having my own hydraulic car jack. There is one type that
  I fancy a lot. It's quite expensive, around RM 20k (Italy) and around
  RM 14k (China). Maybe when I won a contest or something.
  Contact person : Rudy, 014-665 2907
  
  
  
  
• Don't trust a petrol station employee to check your engine oil level. Most
  of the time they will overfill it or duped you into thinking that they had
  put in the engine oil while in reality they were just pretending to do it.
  It is safer that you checked your engine oil and coolant in the morning
  before you went off on a trip.