Factory diesel Jimnys (DDiS) - all info about them

I was glad to write this as I believe it might be useful to someone!

All this was general information, but I also plan to write specific information about spare parts which are different from the petrol edition, and where to find aftermarket replacements for those different parts.

I am still in the process of researching and confirming about differing parts. It would be a significant help if someone would give me a VIN of an ordinary "tintop" petrol Jimny built in Japan between 2006 and 2011 (VIN starts with JSAxxxxx), so that I could compare its parts numbers with my Jimny's parts numbers in Suzuki's official part database. It would be ideal if the vehicle would be from year 2006 or 2007. If someone want to give me a VIN, you can send it through a private message.

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Just a few more general information about diesel Jimnys:

Like I said, the 63 kW K9K 266 diesel engine has plenty of torque for the car. Here are the numbers:
1.3 petrol M13A VVT engine (63 kW) has 110 Nm of torque at 4100 RPM;
1.5 diesel K9K 700 engine (48 kW, old version) has 160 Nm of torque at 2000 RPM;
1.5 diesel K9K 266 engine (63 kW, new version) has 200 Nm of torque at 1750 RPM!


The "air intake bulge" on the front hood, which used to be a visual characteristic of DDiS Jimnys, has no function at all. No air can pass through it, as it is blocked by a solid plastic cap in its outer entrance. The cap can only be removed if you hammer it out.
The only technical reason why Suzuki used it, is because the K9K engine block is too high for Jimny's hood, so instead of redesigning the entire hood, they just invented a clever and smart looking way of gaining a few more centimeters of height on the center of the hood, so that the engine block could fit below the hood.

On the other hand, the "air intake" bulge on a DDiS Jimny does bring a certain visual flavor when driving the car. It gives the driver (and the front passenger) something of a subconscious reference point while driving (like having a three-spoke star sign on hood a Mercedes car) and it also gives you a feeling of driving a big nasty 4x4 (it complements nicely with the mean diesel engine sounds which I described earlier).

Another worthy thing to mention is that the "air intake" bulges on DDiS Jimnys are different than the "air intake" bulges of the latest petrol Jimny redesigns (2012 onward).

The bulges on DDiS Jimnys are separate pieces which are glued onto the hood (so the hood was originally cut out in the center in the factory, and they glued the bulge onto the center of the hood). On the other hand, the bulges on the newest petrol Jimnys are one part with a hood - they are pressed out from the hood at the factory, just like any other curve on the bodywork.
The DDiS bulges are shorter and narrower, but thicker (higher) and therefore more pronounced (especially because there is a clearly visible edge around the bulge). The new petrol bulges are wider and longer, but much thinner (lower) and less pronounced because there is no edge around the bulge.

My DDiS Jimny recently developed an extremely annoying issue with coolant distribution system. Through my research, I discovered that it is a common issue with DDiS Jimnys which have 63 kW K9K 266 engine.


The problem:
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The issue is simple in nature - one plastic three-way hose manifold in the coolant distribution system gets eaten out by the coolant over time (bad quality plastics), and starts leaking coolant. The leaking is minor at first, but after a few thousand kilometers it gets so severe that it requires replacing the manifold.

Suzuki part number of the original manifold is 17878-84A5.

My investigation shows that this manifold is used only in DDiS Jimnys with 63 kW K9K 266 engine (technical model name of the car: SN415VD Type 6 and 7). Earlier DDiS Jimnys with 48 kW K9K 700 engine (technical model name of the car SN415VD Type 5) have a completely different coolant distribution system.


However, there are two major issues with replacing this manifold:

1. Manifold is of special shape and design as well as pipe diameters, so it is pointless to try to find a similar one in car junk yards (believe me, I tried).
2. If you order the original replacement manifold from a Suzuki dealer, you will wait a long time, as it is not a standard stock item, not even in major Suzuki warehouses in Europe. Also, the replacement will have the same quality issue and will probably need another replacement after approx 100-150 thousand km.
3. Manifold is located behind the engine towards the passenger cabin, and it is very hard to reach. Essentially, you have to disassemble half of the engine to reach it and be able to manouver around it.

The solution:
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Considering all that was said above, I decided to make a DIY replacement manifold, with the help of a friend who is a professional installer of central heating systems.
Therefore, we made a DIY manifold out of copper pipes connected by tin solders. The same pipe connections are used to transfer hot water between radiators in central heating systems in homes and offices. This solution should have eternal longevity.

The only downside in this solution is that the manifold is larger in total size than the original one, as the copper pipe elements could not be shortened that much. But since half of the engine had to be disassembled anyway to access the manifold location, installing this larger one should not be so much more difficult.


I have provided all photographs which show the location of the manifold in the engine bay, the original manifold taken out (notice that two of its pipe connections are broken - in fact they were so worn that they crumbled during disassembly), and photo of the DIY manifold next to the original one.

I hope that this gets useful to someone.


P.S.: Here is a thread on a German Jimny forum, where a German guy had the same issue:
www.suzuki-jimny.info/showthread.php?237...eutschland-legal-%29

Was somebody smoking weed when they decided on a Renault engine :sick:

Dave cc wrote: Was somebody smoking weed when they decided on a Renault engine :sick:

Probably got a good deal. There are millions about, Nissan use them, so do Mercedes & Dacia (which is Renault anyway). The reason you think they are no good is because a few thousand have failed with turbo or fuel system issues, but as a percentage of the total running, it is nothing.



Bosanek, a good fix, but watch that the solder doesn't fail at low temperatures, these modern lead free ones are worse than the old types.

Dave cc wrote: Was somebody smoking weed when they decided on a Renault engine :sick:

Why do you say that?
It's actually a very well built engine that revs pretty good and with good performance.
It's a far better engine than the ancient 1.7TD Isuzu.

TomDK wrote: It's a far better engine than the ancient 1.7TD Isuzu.

Now that I disagree with, you won't get 250,000+ miles out of a K9K with only a quick thinning down of the valve shims to get the compression back like you used to with an Isuzu (NA it has to be said, I don't think there is a turbo ever made that would last that long)