Now, That's a Man: Pre-Worshipped Maruti Suzuki SX4 ZDi (Rebuild & Ownership Review)

[Auto_Psycho]

What are the symptoms of broken rocker arms??
Why would it break by itself in the first place??


It would have remained hidden if not for this diy.

Symptoms of broken rocker arms are clicking, ticking, or clunking noises from the engine, low pickup, excessive engine vibration, missing, and in worst case scenario, Engine won't start..

Rocker Arms may broke due to various reasons..
For example: Seized valve, seized HLA, crack in rocker arm due to age,high temperature etc
I don't know what happened here...

Later, I found the "needles" from the bearings of rocker arms in the oil stainer while cleaning.

 

[mayankdixit]

Later, I found the "needles" from the bearings of rocker arms in the oil stainer while cleaning.

This means rocker bearing just shattered
God knows how much scoring and damages it may have done (to a running engine )while on its passage downwards to the oil sump.


Just realised on seeing the pics that sx4 diesel has SOHC engine with a "timing chain". One less thing for you to worry about.

 

[Auto_Psycho]

This means rocker bearing just shattered
God knows how much scoring and damages it may have done (to a running engine )while on its passage downwards to the oil sump.

Luckily it won't scratch or damage anything during its journey towards oil sump.

Just realised on seeing the pics that sx4 diesel has SOHC engine with a "timing chain". One less thing for you to worry about.

No, it is not a SOHC Engine, its a DOHC Engine.. Please refer the pic below..

 

[mayankdixit]

No, it is not a SOHC Engine, its a DOHC Engine.. Please refer the pic below..

You are correct.
This pic of yours got me confused.
I now realise its from the other side only that you can see 2 camshaft pulleys.

Luckily it won't scratch or damage anything during its journey towards oil sump.

How so??

 

[Auto_Psycho]

You are correct.
This pic of yours got me confused.
I now realise its from the other side only that you can see 2 camshaft pulleys.
View attachment 296024

How so??

I checked every moving part for unusual damage, but everything looks good and doesn't have any kind of unwanted damage.

 

[Auto_Psycho]

Cleaning the Mess!
Before moving any further, let me tell you why I do this. (Doing this huge work by myself.)

The main reason is that I don't trust service centres or local workshops for this job.
(I am not saying that all garages/service centres are bad, but as per my experience, the majority of the garages don't do things in the proper way.)
While doing work like this, every minute thing we do counts. Every minute mistake we make affects the overall life of the engine drastically.
(I am not saying that I am an expert in this field or I am better than experienced technicians .)
But I am pretty sure that the majority of the service centres and workshops (not blaming everyone) don't do things properly. They always do things in a hurry and make a lot of mistakes that can kill a completely rebuilded engine quickly.)
Latest Example

This was the engine of my friend's swift diesel. Recently, the engine was overhauled in a FNG. But after the overhaul, the engine oil started to leak severely from the oil pan and timing cover.
He visited the FNG multiple times to clear this issue, but the issue was not resolved. The garage guys tried their best to seal the leak, but nothing resolved the issue.

Reason: While overhauling, the garage guys used a screwdriver to pry open the oil pan, and it damaged the oil pan a little and scratched the aluminum mating surface of the engine.
The leak from the timing cover is due to the reusing of worn out timing cover gasket.
(I don't know why they are taking risk on these kinds of things.)

This is not a random incident, many of us may have faced similar issues, even from Authorized Service Centers.
I don't want anything like that to happen in my Sx4.
So that was the main reason I decided to do the overhaul by myself.
Another reason is that i really want to rebuild a car by myself. It has been a big dream for me for a very long time.
(I am a huge fan of 'OVERHAULIN' Tv Series & the youtube channel 'Hagerty' )
All of these things gave me enough boost to do this task by myself..
Okay, so that's enough talking. Let's jump back into the thread..

The Battlefield!
Cleaning was the most difficult part of this job.
You need a lot of time and patience to properly clean these things. It took almost two weeks for me to complete the whole cleaning process.

FPT Logo! (Fiat Powertrain Technologies)

EGR Nozzle clogged completly with carbon

Condition of Piston

After tonnes of hardwork..

Pistons are in good conditon

So,the cleaning process is now completed.
It's time to order the parts needed for rebuilding the engine and gearbox.
Here is the list:

• Valves
• Valve Seal
• Rocker Arms
• Hydraulic Lash Adjusters
• Clutch Assembly
• Clutch Release Bearing
• Oil Pump
• Valve Cover Gasket
• Dipstick Rubber Seal
• Oil Cooler
• Air Filter Box Rubber Hose
• Flywheel
• Head Gasket
• Maruti Genuine Sealant (ThreeBond 1215)
• Thermostat Assmebly
• Oil Seperator
• 1st and 2nd Synchronizer Gear
• Crankshaft Oil Seal (Flywheel Side)
• Gearbox Oil Seals
• All Rubber Hoses and Coolant Pipes
• Timing Kit
• Piston Kit
• Glowplug
• Throttle Body Cleaner
• Clutch Cover Bolts
• Main Bearing
• Connecting Rod Bearing
• Connecting Rod
• Engine Oil (5w30 Fully Synthetic)
• Transmission Oil (75w90)
• Front Brake Pad
• Serpentine Belt
• Water Pump
• Oil Filter
• Fuel Filter
• Injector Copper Washer
• Oil Pump/Timing Cover Gasket
• Vaccum Pump Gasket
• Brake Fluid
• Strut Kit
• Stabilizer Link
• Gear Knob (Ciaz)
• Gear Lever Assembly
• Gear Lever Boot

 

[mayankdixit]

let me tell you why I do this. (Doing this huge work by myself.)
The main reason is that I don't trust service centres or local workshops for this job.
(I am not saying that all garages/service centres are bad, but as per my experience, the majority of the garages don't do things in the proper way.)
While doing work like this, every minute thing we do counts. Every minute mistake we make affects the overall life of the engine drastically.
(I am not saying that I am an expert in this field or I am better than experienced technicians.But I am pretty sure that the majority of the service centres and workshops (not blaming everyone) don't do things properly. They always do things in a hurry and make a lot of mistakes that can kill a completely rebuilded engine quickly.)

Totally agree with you. Thats why I started working on my bike, scooters and cars, myself.
I found out I could do better than most of those so called mechanics. Not because I was better actually than them, but because I loved and cared for my rides and they never cared for my rides. It was obvious when they worked very roughly upon my car in the service centre.
They never even show basics work ethics like using my cars bonnet as a tool tray. Switching on the car for some work ,diverted to some other car and keeping my car idling , forgetting it for like 30 min with damn care attitude, etc etc. And this is just the start. Real hell starts when they work upon the engine and start opening things!!

 

[Auto_Psycho]

Ordering Parts and Clearing other Issues
The majority of the parts were ordered from Popular Auto Dealers Kollam.

However, they informed me that they don't have half of the parts listed in stock, so I will have to wait a few weeks for everything to be delivered.
After ordering parts from Popular, I went to Cars Automobiles

(one of the well-known automobile spare parts shops in Kollam) and purchased the remaining spares.

Valves- EVL(OEM)-1900

Valve Seal (MGP) -350

Main & Connecting Rod Bearings (BM/Bimite (OEM))

Timing Kit- INA (OEM)- 1900

Piston Kit- Goetze (OEM)- 12000 (Includes STD Size Cylinder Liners, Pistons,Pins, Circlip and Piston Rings)

Piston Rings

Cylinder Liners

Pistons and Pins

Glow Plugs: 600 per plug

After the purchase, I gave the cylinder head to a reputed machine shop for a complete overhaul (Replacing valve, valve guide, valve seal, and valve seat) and also gave the cylinder block to replace the cylinder liners.

After the work

Now, the next task is to fix the turbocharger. The oil leak from the turbocharger is mainly due to worn-out rings inside the core. We can solve this issue by either repairing the core using a repair kit or replacing the core completely.
The condition of my turbo's core is not that bad. Apart from the leak, it doesn't have any kind of excess play in the impeller. So I decided to go for repair rather than replacing the core.
(If your impeller has a lot of free play, replacing core is the better option)

Repairing the turbo of the SX4 costs Rs. 4,000 approx.
Replacing the core costs Rs. 8,000 approx.

Turbo Repair Kit

I decided not to do the repair by myself because I am not prepared for that experiment right now.
So I gave my turbo to a shop called 'Quilon Turbo' where they do all kinds of turbo repair works.
(Search 'Quilon Turbo' on youtube and you guys can see his works.)

But before giving it to the shop, I really want to see the condition inside the turbo. So I disassembled the turbo and here are the pics.

Carbon deposits

Variable nozzles are not moving freely

After cleaning

Turbo after repaired..(from the shop)

After resolving the issue with the turbo, I decided to go for fuel tank cleaning.
But to my surprise, the fuel tank looks like brand new from inside! (Sorry, forgot to take pics.)

After Cleaning

The only dirt I found while cleaning this fuel tank was inside the fuel pump assembly..

For a reference, here is the pic of my beat's fuel tank while cleaning

Condition of Diesel

 

[mayankdixit]

This is the first time I am seeing pics of inside the tank. Very laborious and vey thorough job !!
Thanks for sharing with us.


p.s Most of the parts you bought and posted are clearly Non-OEM. Are you OK with that?

 

[Auto_Psycho]

This is the first time I am seeing pics of inside the tank. Very laborious and vey thorough job !!
Thanks for sharing with us.


p.s Most of the parts you bought and posted are clearly Non-OEM. Are you OK with that?

No brother, everything i purchased was OEM (Orginal Equipment Manufacturer).
It doesn't matter if the packing was MGP or not, the manufacturer and the quality was not changing..

Let me clear your doubt...
If you purchase the timing kit of this vehicle as Maruti Genuine Part (MGP), it doesn't mean that the part was manufactured by Maruti.
The Orginal Equipment Manufacturer of this vehicle's Timing Kit was INA. It doesn't matter if its MGP's packing or INA's packing, the product inside remains same.
Examples:

This applies to almost every part of the vehicle..
More Examples:
See the GOE marking in MGP piston ring & Goetze piston rings?

MGP Clutch Disc:
OEM was Valeo

Rubber Hoses:
OEM was Lakshmi (some local manufacturer)

Maruti was just labelling parts manufactured by other manufacturers as Maruti Genuine Parts.
(Not only maruti, almost every car manufacturers are following this method)
So, it doesn't matter what kind of packing the product comes with (even if it's MGP's packing or not), unless the Original Equipment Manufacturer is not changing, you are using the original spare part!

 

[Auto_Psycho]

Minor Suspension Work
There is a little bit of rattling noise coming from the front suspension system, and the steering feels a little wobbly sometimes. And of course, the steering has that famous 'Sticking' issue (a very common issue in most Maruti cars) and we are going to fix that too..

Disconnecting EPS Wiring harnesses

Front suspension frame removed!

Front suspension Frame.
i really like this type of setup! Everything was easy to replace. No need to crawl under the car!

Weak stablizer link (reason behind the wobbly steering wheel)

Wornout stabilizer bushes

While disconnecting the steering, I forgot the fact that this car has airbags and steering-mounted audio controls. I saw this warning sticker that says "refer to manual before removing steering," but I didn't give enough attention to that at that time.

After removing the suspension and trying to dismantle things, all of a sudden, I remembered that this car has ABS, and there must be a clockspring, and that sticker was the warning for the clockspring.
For anyone who doesn't know what a clockspring is; Clockspring aka Contact coil is a spiral-wound special rotary electrical connector which allows a vehicle's steering wheel to turn while still making an electrical connection between the steering wheel airbag and/or the vehicle's horn and other devices and the vehicle's electrical systems
The problem here is that the clockspring can only turn a limited number of times. If we exceed that amount, the coil inside the clockspring will break, and it will cut the connection to the horn, airbag, and steering-mounted audio controls.

Luckily, I didn't rotate the steering wheel too much. But now I had to align the clockspring to the centre before installing the steering rack back.

Aligning the Clockspring
Airbag removed

Removing steering wheel

Normally, clocksprings have 'Turns' marked on them. Like this..

But some clocksprings don't have turns marked on them, instead it has a glass window to find the center. Like this..

Here, we don't have any turns marked or glass window to find center.

The only markings it has are these two arrows.
So to align the clockspring now, we have to find the turns first. To find that, slowly rotate the clockspring from end to end and count the turns. Here I get a total of 5 turns.
So 2.5 turns is the center!

The clockspring was aligned properly and the job was completed successfully.
(Now lock the steering wheel and do not unlock it until we reconnect the steering rack.)

Now let's continue the suspesnion work
Disassembling Steering Rack

Rack removed

Rack Bush

After everything cleaned

Rackbush is okay, but not great in condition.It needs a replacement. But the problem is that this steering rack bush is not available anywhere.We need to make a custom nylon bush for this steering rack. That's the only option. So I decided to postpone this for now..
(Replacing the steering rack assembly costs 35k!!!)

OEM of this steering rack was SHOWA

Removing Lower Arms (Lower arms are okay in condition but needs repair/replacement soon)

Little bit of patch work near the middle engine mount. Needs proper cleaning and painting to prevent rust.

After cleaning, sanding and painting

Old vs New Stabilizer bush

To solve the "sticky steering wheel" issue, we need to use the fine valve grinding paste and grind this plastic gear a little.
The sticky steering wheel is a common issue in many Maruti cars, and the reason behind this issue was this plastic gear. Due to age and usage, the plastic teeth of the gear may deform a little, and due to this, the gear won't move smoothly. By grinding the gear, we are smoothing the teeth, and the issue will clear completely.
(Sorry I couldn't take pics of the process, but here are the steps for reference.)

After, grinding and lubing

We don't need a vice to repair steering rack in this vehicle!

Everything completed

Replacing Strut Mount

OEM of Strut was Gabriel

Some worn-out parts for reference
Engine Bearings

Oil Pump

See those deep scratches in the pump body? It was from driving with a low engine oil level.
Those scratches on the pump body may affect the oil pressure heavily. If we reuse this pump, it may kill the newly rebuilt engine pretty soon.

Rubber & Metal Hoses

Result of using tap water/not changing coolant for long time

 

[mayankdixit]

Nice work! Enjoying your pics.


looks like chisel is used here to hammer it open instead of proper socket. Hope you replaced that.

 

[Auto_Psycho]

Nice work! Enjoying your pics.

Thankyou

looks like chisel is used here to hammer it open instead of proper socket. Hope you replaced that. View attachment 296271
View attachment 296271

That is an artwork done by the previous technician.
I don't know why these people are allergic to using proper tools!
That cap was not in stock anywhere, so skip that for now. I will definitely replace it when I replace the rack bush.

 

[Auto_Psycho]

Servicing the Starter
Starter motor doesn't have any type of issues, but while doing jobs like this, we must check each and every part to ensure trouble-free operation.
Starter Motor (OEM is Valeo)

Removing solenoid

Carbon dust inside motor

Carbon brushes are in OK conditon

Planetary Gears (This is a Gear Reduction type starter and it consumes less power than direct drive starter motors)

Armature

Cleaning commutator

After cleaning everything

Applying grease to gears

Assembling everything back

Work completed

 

[Auto_Psycho]

Finally, everything arrived!

Head gaskets come in 3 types (A, B, and C). When we resurface the head/block, it reduces the thickness of the block/head and this may affect the compression ratio a little. To maintain that compression ratio, we use a gasket with a higher thickness (B has more thickness than A, and C has more thickness than B). Here I am using type C.

All rubber hoses

Items purchased online
Clutch cover bolt, Genuine Silicone Sealant (OEM is ThreeBond 1215), Boot Lamp Assembly.
Always use the recommended high quality RTV sealant for this type of work. Never use the cheap ones available on the market.
The quality of this RTV sealant is excellent and I really loved it!! The quality of the seal is exactly like the factory.

OEM's Packing

Engine Oil 5w30 Fully Synthetic

Ciaz Gear Knob

Transmission Oil- 75w 90 (2.53L)