Differences between LHD and RHD Jimnys

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Introduction

Description of the terms

• LHD = "Left Hand Drive" - the steering wheel and the control pedals are located in the left side of the cabin. The vehicle is supposed to be driven on the right side of the road.
• RHD = "Right Hand Drive" - the steering wheel and the control pedals are located in the right side of the cabin. The vehicle is supposed to be driven on the left side of the road.

General info

Jimnys exist in two configurations regarding the position of the steering wheel - RHD and LHD. This depends on the country in which they are sold.

There are some additional technical differences between those two editions. If you have a LHD Jimny and you intend to buy parts from a RHD market for it (or vice versa), then you need to be aware of those differences. Otherwise, you might buy an incompatible part.

The purpose of this article is to point out all the known technical differences between LHD and RHD Jimnys.

As far as it is known, diesel (DDiS) Jimnys exist only in LHD edition. Also, DDiS Jimnys have many parts specific to them. Therefore, if you have a DDiS Jimny, before checking here if a part is the same between LHD and RHD, you should first check that it is NOT DDiS specific! See the wiki article "Diesel (DDiS) Jimny specifics".

Technical differences

Introduction

The subchapters below indicate vehicle's subsystems which were investigated for differences.

Of course, not every single little part is mentioned, because the vast majority of the parts are the same. If nothing is stated for a particular part of such a subsystem, then it is most probably the same in LHD and RHD editions.

If a certain subsystem is not mentioned at all (for example: transmission), then it is assumed that all of its parts are the same.

If you want to be 100% certain about everything, then investigate on your own!

Suspension

• Front lateral ("panhard") rod is different.
  • It is straight in RHD Jimnys, while it is bent in LHD Jimnys.
• The rear lateral rod is the same.
• All lateral rod bushes are the same.
• A side note:
  • The fact that the LHD edition of the front lateral rod is bent can even create confusion if you have an LHD Jimny and see the pictures of a straight lateral rod on the Internet (from a RHD Jimny), leading you to believe that yours is bent due to an impact or off-roading forces!

• Front axle housing is different.
  • Not sure why.
  • Rear axle housing is the same though.
• A side note:
  • Rear axle housing differs for non-ABS and ABS models (irrespective of LHD or RHD).

• Both (left and right) steering knuckles are different.
  • No idea why, especially because the steering rods and tie rod ends are the same (see more below about them).
• A side note:
  • For a certain vehicle (irrespective of LHD or RHD), the left and the right steering knuckle are not the same (they are not interchangeable from side to side).

• Both (left and right) rear coil springs are different.
  • Rear shock absorbers are the same though.
• Front coil springs and shock absorbers are the same.

Steering system

• The steering shaft is different, as well as its cover.
• The steering box is different, as well as a tube which connects to its top, and as well as the short "pitman" arm which connects to its bottom.

• Both steering rods are surprisingly the same, as well as all tie rod ends.
  • The only difference regarding the steering rods is that the rods are actually mounted inversely in LHD compared to RHD (logical).

• The power steering oil pump is the same, as well as its mounting bracket.
• Power steering oil tank is the same, but its mounting bracket is not.
• Most of the hoses which conduct power steering oil are different.

Engine bay

• The positioning of some elements is different in the engine bay, primarily because the steering shaft (which goes through the bay) is on the other side.
  • Therefore, some items are relocated elsewhere to make room for it.
    • This means that many small bits and pieces (piping, wiring, etc.) might be different.

Things which have been determined (most likely) to be different so far:

• Clutch cable (the long cable which connects the clutch pedal in the cabin to the clutch in the gear box).

Ventilation and air conditioning

• Some bits and pieces of the ventilation and air conditioning system are different because of different engine bay layouts and dashboard layouts.
• There are too many pieces to investigate precisely.
• The important thing is that the air conditioning compressor is the same (depending on manufacturing year of course).

Glass wipers

• Both front wiper arms are slightly different (differently angled curves on the arms).
  • Both front wiper arms can still be interchanged from an LHD Jimny to an RHD Jimny and vice versa (personally tried by forum user Bosanek).
    • However, the wiping area on the glass will not be optimal with the wiper arms from a different "hand drive" Jimny.
    • Also, and in some combinations, the tip of the wiper might reach out of the glass area onto the window frame (easily remedied by shorting / cutting the wiper).
• The rear wiper arm should be the same.
• The front and rear wiper motors should be the same (not verified).

Interior items

• The dashboard is different (obviously!).
  • However, the various dashboard switches, buttons and knobs themselves should be the same (but in different locations on the dashboard).
• The instrument panel is most probably different, at least because of different measurement units (km/h vs mph).

• The control pedals (throttle, brake, clutch) are different.
• Believe it or not, the steering wheel is the same.

Lamps and electrics

• Front head lamps are different because of different beam patterns.
  • In RHD vehicles, the dip beam is angled to the left to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic, while on LHD vehicles the dip beam is angled to the right for the same reason.
  • In the past, stickers where available to fit to headlamps when going from an LHD to RHD country (and vice versa) to correct this, but it is not known if these are still available for purchase.
• Rear upper left (vertical) lamp is different.
  • In LHD vehicles, the lamp contains two holes from the rear - the upper one for the reverse light bulb and the lower one for the brake bulb.
  • In RHD vehicles, the lamp contains only one (upper) hole from the rear - for the reverse light bulb.
    • The lower hole is sealed off, but it could probably be cut open and properly sized to accept the brake light bulb, if you are skilled to make precise cuts in plastic.

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Page last edited on 25/07/2019 by user Bosanek