[Che]

Hi guys. Long time no see. Thought I’d poke my head back in as I need some advice.

As much as I love my Sierra I think it’s time to upgrade. The Sierra has been a killer little bus for the longest time, but I’m getting a bit soft in my middle age and yearning for something with a lick more refinement... by refinement I mean a hardtop, AC, stereo I can hear, reasonably comfortable seats, lock and leave security, and a little less exhaust noise intrusion. But I want to stick with the small, light, 4X4 format – considering my wish list a Jimny ticks all the boxes.

Just wondering if anyone has regretted switching from a Sierra to a Jimny? Am I talking jive even considering swapping?

I understand a Sierra is a more modifiable platform but hardcore wheeling isn’t really my bag – a bulbar, towbar, 1.6 conversion, two inch lift, 215s and my needs are more than met.

I guess I want to know if there’s any issues I should look out for when buying a Jimny? I’ll be looking at post-2005 models as I prefer the newer interior layout. Is an auto worth considering or should I stick with a manual? If I should go for an auto will that affect my ability to perform a 1.6/1.8 conversion down the road? Any common rust issues? And how is the aftermarket support compared to a Sierra?


Any info you can lend my way would be much appreciated.

[greenzook89]

I've had both. (2 Jimnys amd 3 Sierras) imo the Jimny is far more comfy. I would personally always go for a manual. As far as aftermarket support you can get a quite a few bits from jimnybits etc. I wheel with Skippy a fair bit and he has the lift/gearing to run 30s quite comfortably which makes for a quite capable rig.

[Gwagensteve]

Autos are fine, just don't use the sponginess of the auto to "correct" gearing, run a huge cooler and a temp gauge. Knowing what's going on from a load (heat) point of view is critical. You wouldn't run big tyres, no gearing correction and slip the clutch all over the place with a manual- you shouldn't do it with an auto either.

Otherwise your plan sounds fine.

[dougies_tx5turbo]

Che wrote:

I’ll be looking at post-2005 models as I prefer the newer interior layout.

I was in the same boat as you when I was looking for a new Suzuki. The problem is with the vvt is gearing starts getting expensive and unreliable. The only reason I went vvt is the dash and the unique blue colour.
If your just after a normal colour I would go non vvt and do a dash swap and get the brand new jimmy shape front seats because apparently they are supposed to be a lot more comfortable but I can't confirm. You will be better off with this set up in the long run if you are looking at doing serious mods, but if you are looking at basics vvt's are fine just be careful as they are proned to have a weak gear box. With the auto there is no after market support for that gear box and repairs start getting really expensive. Happy hunting. Just the normal things to look out for when buying a car and the jimmy wobble but hey that's a bargaining point.

[Che]

The plan is to buy a high KM Jimny and convert to non VVT M16A - SuziShop on Ebay has a complete conversion kit so the plan would be to take advantage of that when the time is right. Non VVT on the premise of K.I.S.S. I should ask - with the Jimny's being quite new cars - are there any legal issues I should be aware of with engine swaps with these vehicles? Any legalities I should be aware of?

And Jimny wobble - is that a resolvable issue? If I have to buy over east I don't want to be driving a wobbly Jimny all the way across the Nullarbor!

[zukenutter]

Hi Che,
I had three Sierras including a LWB before upgrading to my Jimnys and the Jimny is much more liveable. The only thing I miss about the Sierra is it's cool body shape.

Check the cavity where the factory Jack resides for rust, particularly from underneath. Also check behind the plastic sills from underneath and the seams in the front end around the headlight/bonnet release area.

As mentioned, the VVT models are a pain to gear properly unless you're going over 30" tyres although the VVT gives extra pep over the non VVT. 215s won't need gearing with VVT particularly for your non extreme purposes.

I'd suggest staying with VVT, 1.5 VVT swift engines are plentiful and cheap, they'll perform better than a non VVT 1.6 too. I've not heard of anybody having VVT mech troubles and from how I understand it the VVT is fairly uncomplicated.

Wobble is easy enough to fix but will be more likely with high kms.

[dougies_tx5turbo]

Search the wobble and have a good read up about it as you will need to get familiar with this if you buy a jimmy.
If you don't have a wobble at the start you may get one so best to know what your dealing with.
With the engine it all depends on if your state checks engine numbers regularly, you can't tell the difference in the engines unless you check numbers but it is best to mod plate to be on the safe side. And vvt and non vvt engines can't be swapped with each other unless you swap engine wiring.

[zukenutter]

Oh yeah, auto or manual won't effect engine swap.

[Che]

Great! Thanks for the info. I'll pencil in a Swift motor as a likely candidate

I should really ask as i've never driven a Jimny (only ever a passenger) - is the M13A vastly superior (in terms of performance) to an EFI G13? Would you consider the extra 200cc of a G15A conversion worth the exercise?

[zukenutter]

Do you mean M15a?
M13a is good but Jimny is heavier than Sierra and in my opinion should have been factory 1.5

[MrRocky]

I found the jimny a little more cramped for my 6'4" frame than a sierra and was utterly disappointed with the m13 performance.
We instead settled on a 2.4ltr 3dr vitara we fitted with a 50mm lift and 30.7" muddies.
Traction control was more than ample enough to take us further than most unlocked cars and the 2.4 is a screamer of an engine with far more beans than any 1.6
We owned the car from new and clocked up over 110,000kms without a single issue only upgrading because we had a bub

[Che]

Yeah, food for thought. I had a sit down in one of the Jims in the local car yard and it didn't seem too cramped. It seemed pretty familiar actually - ie - still the same pocket rocket dimensions that I have grown to love about Sierras. I'd reckon they'd be just as fun as a Sierra too (well, I hope they are) - just a little less farm tractor-y.


Another thing - I'm reading bits of info that Jimny's are now galvanised, but can't find any info on when this process was introduced. Does anyone know?

[Jezza86]

I could be wrong but I wouldnt expect suxuki to galvanise anything and Increase production costs/ unit without a good reason. And I cant say I know of a good reason for them to do it?

[zukenutter]

I vaguely remember some chat a while ago about all modern cars having some sort of gal or rust preventative treatment on the bodies. Sorry but I haven't got the foggiest of ideas where that chat was. Best I can say is chat about Electronic Rust Prevention Systems.

Whatever the case, they still rust.

[monley]

Che wrote:

Just wondering if anyone has regretted switching from a Sierra to a Jimny? Am I talking jive even considering swapping?

I regretted going from a jimny to sierra

One other thing to look out for is diff /transfer case whine. A lot of the 2nd hand jims I test drove had some form of whine and I thought it was a appectable amount until I test drove a new one

[zukenutter]

I think it may actually be the transfer, but I think it's fairly normal once they've done a few kms. Every chain driven Jimny transfer I've had has developed a whine but never caused a problem for me. Hopefully I haven't just jinxed myself.

That's a bugger that you regretted the swap to Sierra monley. What makes you say that?

[monley]

zukenutter wrote:

I think it may actually be the transfer, but I think it's fairly normal once they've done a few kms. Every chain driven Jimny transfer I've had has developed a whine but never caused a problem for me. Hopefully I haven't just jinxed myself.

That's a bugger that you regretted the swap to Sierra monley. What makes you say that?

The same reasons why che is wants a jimny. I couldn't stand living with a swb sierra for daily duties and every time I did have a swb as a daily I just wanted to be back in a jimny. Even now when i see a jimny next to me at the lights I think to my self I'd rather be building a jimny up instead of the ute I've got ATM

[zukenutter]

I've had romantic thoughts of a Sierra build and then I slap myself in the face. Have driven my nephew's sierra a few times in the last couple of years which just reinforces my desire to not go back.
I loved my Sierras but there are just too many advantages to owning a Jimny in comparison.

[Che]

Thanks for the info guys. Much appreciated.


Just one more Q - do we have any ideas when the the next-gen Jimny/Sierra is slated for release? The Sierra had a run of about 15-20 years, the Jimny is entering that age bracket... i'm guessing a generational overhaul must be on the cards sometime soon?

[zukenutter]

I read somewhere recently that it's got another few years yet and that the concept that was suggested as the new Jimny will actually be a rebirth of the Vitara

This

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/2015-suzuki-vitara-revealed-29333#.VAFSuEtIfZQ

[pete_79]

Che wrote:

Thanks for the info guys. Much appreciated.


Just one more Q - do we have any ideas when the the next-gen Jimny/Sierra is slated for release? The Sierra had a run of about 15-20 years, the Jimny is entering that age bracket... i'm guessing a generational overhaul must be on the cards sometime soon?

With the new import laws requiring stability control I expected this year to be the last year with Jimnys available in Australia. Now that they've released a new model with ESC, it looks like we'll get to see out the run of the Jimnys.

My guess is there's only a couple more years until we see the end of the live axle models altogether. Maybe with the realise of the new Vitara that Zukenutter has noted we might get a few more years before they stop the Jimny. But I expect when they're finished they'll be replaced with a whole new vehicle, with all independent suspension and some shitty all wheel drive system.



Oh, and we've had our Jimny from new and our transfer case started being a little noisy once we actually used it a few times, started to hear it after 10,000k's and we'd only done normal off road driving, nothing serious.
I wouldn't be too concerned unless it sounds terminal, a bit of noise is normal.

[Che]

So just how big a problem is the gearbox and transfer case in a Jimny? From what i'm reading they're the most common problems outside of the steering wobble issue. But when people use terms like glass gearbox and noisy as buggery transfer case to describe their Jimny it's making me second guess a change.

Is a Jimny mechanically inferior to a Sierra or are these just problems of modifiers pushing their luck too far? If I can't expect the same reliability from a Jimny I might just eat a teaspoon of cement and lump life with the Sierra.

[monley]

Che wrote:

So just how big a problem is the gearbox and transfer case in a Jimny? From what i'm reading they're the most common problems outside of the steering wobble issue. But when people use terms like glass gearbox and noisy as buggery transfer case to describe their Jimny it's making me second guess a change.

Is a Jimny mechanically inferior to a Sierra or are these just problems of modifiers pushing their luck too far? If I can't expect the same reliability from a Jimny I might just eat a teaspoon of cement and lump life with the Sierra.

This

[Dan85]

Go for the jimny mate they arent as delicate as some people make out. If your getting an auto go the transcooler and temp gauge as steve said. Of course if your going 30inch rubber with lockers you might encounter issues but for the mods you have planned im sure you will be happy.

[zukenutter]

monley wrote:

Che wrote:

modifiers pushing their luck too far
This

Plus I think Jimnys have been attracting a large "new to 4x4" crowd who; a) don't know how to wheel, and b) have little to no mechanical sympathy.

That said, the VVT manual gearbox has failed early for a few people. My current Jimny gearbox failed at 40,000 while the car was my wife's daily and had only ever been driven on road.
The non VVT jimny box is good. I run this in mine with a matching model non push button transfer.

[Che]

What are the basic differences between a VVT and non-VVT box?

[monley]

Ratio
4th gear in the vvt box is 1:1 and 5th gear in the non-vvt box is 1:1 of the top of my head

[pete_79]

Che wrote:

What are the basic differences between a VVT and non-VVT box?

About 400rpm at 100km/h from what I gather.


Based on nothing other then my opinion, I prefer the VVT all round.
The only thing I wish mine didn't have is airbags, I want to fab my own front bar so bad....

[zukenutter]

To keep it simple, a VVT gearbox ratios compared to non VVT are roughly 20% lower.

[Che]

One last Q

What are the noise levels in the cabin like Jimny vs Sierra? I'm guessing a Jim hardtop would be like driving around with earmuffs compared to a soft top Sierra with a high-flow exhaust... right? Does the Jimny have better/more sound deadening, or pretty much same-same?