A couple of issues (Gen 3)

I got my first Jimny a few months ago and quickly realised it wasn't quite as good as I was led to believe. Before I ask for advice I just want to clarify that any replies should be dumbed down, as I'm no mechanic!

1. When viewed from the front it's lop sided, though it wasn't when I bought it. It is lower on the drivers side and I think it's more towards the front than the rear. Would new springs/shocks be the first thing to look at? I don't want to spend money unnecessarily of course.

2. I have a quite loud clunking noise coming from the rear. It's particularly noticeable when going over bumps or potholes in the road. Any slight change in level can make it happen. It can also occur between gear changes, as the the throttle is released and then reengaged. I don't know if it's something to do with the drive shaft or maybe bushings somewhere.

3. About 150 miles after I bought it, then engine light came on. A code reader pointed towards the exhaust (lambda?) sensor. This looked pretty new already but it was replaced anyway. It didn't do many miles before the light came on again. There's no noticeable issues when driving it. When soapy water is sprayed over the exhaust manifold there is a tiny spot where air bubbles can be seen. I'm wondering if this is the issue.

Any advice would be really appreciated. I already have the front kingpin bearings and swivel seals to replace but would really like to keep on top of maintaining it, as I've wanted a Jimny for years and love it!

Thanks in advance

1) they all lean. It depends on how bad it is.
Even my Gen4 leans. I find it best to look away to the side of it when approaching from behind.

2) You are going to have to look for it. Something is loose, broken or has excessive play. Get underneath and inspect everything, and if it isn't obvious, start levering at bushes with a pry bar.

3) Could just be poor quality sensors- what was the error code?

A "quite loud" clunking noise from suspension is serious. Don't go anywhere until you know what the problem is.

On the bright side, should be easy to spot...

Re your lambda sensor, they can fail prematurely for a number of reasons, but shouldn’t fail after 150 miles.

You might want to check out this article, it gives all of the likely causes of sensor failure.

pmmonline.co.uk/technical/lambda-sensor-failure-diagnosis/

If it is contamination then that points to another problem in the engine.

A clunk when going over a bump is often a cracked coil spring or failed damper, both easy to spot by your mechanic. It could also be a suspension bush, but it would be handy to know how old and how many miles the vehicle has done.

Robin

All Jimnys want to lean to the drivers front corner because that's the heaviest bit of the car (steering box, column + battery). Standard cars use a softer spring on the passenger rear corner to counter it. If you go down the route of replacing the springs with standard height ones you need to make sure you got the correct rear springs, as most retailers aren't aware that they are different side to side.
If you fit a lift kit then they use a longer spring on the drivers side front corner instead.

Forde wrote:

I got my first Jimny a few months ago and quickly realised it wasn't quite as good as I was led to believe. Before I ask for advice I just want to clarify that any replies should be dumbed down, as I'm no mechanic!



3. About 150 miles after I bought it, then engine light came on. A code reader pointed towards the exhaust (lambda?) sensor. This looked pretty new already but it was replaced anyway. It didn't do many miles before the light came on again. There's no noticeable issues when driving it. When soapy water is sprayed over the exhaust manifold there is a tiny spot where air bubbles can be seen. I'm wondering if this is the issue.

Any advice would be really appreciated. I already have the front kingpin bearings and swivel seals to replace but would really like to keep on top of maintaining it, as I've wanted a Jimny for years and love it!

Thanks in advance

When the lambda has been changed without it helping it just might be that the signal it send is an actual fault. The Catalytic converters on the Jimny tend to fail, most often the front one in the manifold disintegrates and, the dust and pieces falls down the pipe and congest the second one making it overheat and melt. (worst case description)
I have replaced both mine with just one generic cheap below inline and, removed the one in the manifold.
Still pass MOT but throws a fault from time to time that I reset with a bluetooth device in the OBD port.

 

A clunk from the suspension and now leaning, would suggest to me that you've broken a coil spring - happens more often than you'd think. Have a good look around, ideally with each wheel in turn jacked up off the ground for maximum droop.

Thanks all for the replies. A bit of info to digest there. I'll get a look underneath when I get it in the garage next week.