Common problems - overview

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Introduction

Here is a quick overview of common problems which a Jimny owner might encounter. Some of them have their own dedicated wiki articles.

Death wobble

Short explanation

• The name of this phenomenon is quite fitting to its manifestation. You'll understand if you experience it.
• This is the nastiest experience to encounter, and sometimes the most difficult issue to resolve (on the other hand, sometimes it is trivial to resolve).

Solutions

• Read the wiki article "Death wobble" for the full explanation and for the step-by-step guide on diagnosing it and resolving it.

Vacuum system for front wheel hubs

Short explanation

• The front wheel hub heads / caps connect the road wheel assembly to the transmission (to the constant velocity joint).
• Most vehicles with part-time 4WD transmission (like the Jimny) have (un)lockable front wheel hub caps, which can (dis)connect the road wheel hub assembly to/from the transmission (the CV joint).
• When the wheel hub assembly is disconnected from the transmission, the driving force in the transmission does not get applied to that wheel.
• This saves fuel and mechanical wear in the front transmission section when vehicle is operating in 2WD (RWD) transmission mode.

Wheel hub heads / caps are usually just shortened in naming to "hubs", but a "hub" is actually an entire wheel hub assembly - the casing which contains the wheel bearing with its seals, the steering knuckle surround casing, the kingpin bearings and (in the case of the Jimny) the pipes and passages which transport the air / vacuum to/from wheel hub heads.

• There are three typical operating designs of (un)lockable wheel hub heads - with a manual hand switch, with an automatic spring mechanism, or vacuum operated.
• Jimnys use vacuum operated front wheel hub caps.

• Jimnys, which have or have had a hard life, have a higher tendency to develop a vacuum leak in their vacuum system for front wheel hub caps.
• When the system is "leaking vacuum" the (dis)engagement of front wheel hub caps is erratic or impossible, and that directly affects the operation of 4WD transmission.
• If you are unlucky enough, this can render your vehicle motionless in slippery or off-road conditions.

Solutions

• Read the "Vacuum system - checking and testing" for a step-by-step guide on diagnosing the cause of the fault / leak in your vacuum system.

King pin bearing wear out

Short explanation

• The front wheel hub assembly rotates left-right (when steering) on a pair of king pin bearings, which connect the front wheel hub assembly to the front axle casing.
• Each wheel hub assembly is held on by two king pin bearings, a bottom one and a top one.
• Due to Jimny's relatively poorly designed steering knuckle assembly, there is a tendency for water, mud, dust and grit to enter the steering knuckles and then get into the king pin bearings.
• This can rapidly accelerate the wear on the king pin bearings, especially the bottom one.
• Worn out king pin bearings can cause several issues, and the nastiest one is the "Death wobble".

Solutions

• Some heavy-duty water proof and nuclear proof grease in and on the king pin bearings can aid to deter the pollutants, but there is no absolute defense.
• Read the wiki article "King pin bearing change" for a step-by-step guide on how to replace the king pin bearings.

Rust under the plastic side body cladding

Short explanation

• Older Jimnys, or especially those who have or have had a hard life, tend to develop rust on their bodywork which is hidden behind plastic body claddings / moldings.
• That means the bottom of the doors and especially the wheel arches.
• That is no surprise because those claddings naturally contain moisture for much longer than it would have been without them.
• The problem is that this is usually invisible until very late stages of decomposition, because it is hidden by those plastic claddings.

Solutions

• If you want to assure the longevity of your vehicle, it might be a good idea to strip down those plastic claddings and then clean and additionally rustproof the metal panels behind them.

Rust in the boot (trunk) floor and below rear seats

Short explanation

• Jimnys which have or have had a hard life tend to develop rust in the boot (trunk) floor area and sometimes below the rear seats.

Solutions

• In UK, there are aftermarket-made pressed-out steel sheets of the same shape as the trunk floor and the rear seat floor, which enable a quick replacement of the rusted area by cutting it out completely and then welding on the entire new floor section.

Gearbox failures

Short explanation

• Some petrol Jimnys made in mid-to-late 2000s have a gearbox model "R72" which is known for its relative tendency to fail prematurely.
• The main cause of failure is in some bearings inside the gearbox.

Solutions

• Read the wiki article "Gearbox R72 rebuild" for the full explanation and a step-by-step repair procedure.
• If the gearbox is repaired properly with better bearings, the repair should be quite a long lasting one.

Constant velocity joint wear out

Short explanation

• Constant velocity joint connects the transmission halfshaft in the front axle to the road wheel assembly.
• Thus, the joint transfers driving force from the differential to the wheel.
• The joint enables the transmission of the same driving force under any angle in its operating range (the angle changes when the wheel steers left-right).

• The failure of a CV joint is not a common problem on Jimnys per se, but it is mentioned here for several reasons.
• Reason 1: It is easy to damage a CV joint by using Jimny's 4WD transmission improperly on a surface which is not slippery (enough). This is not vehicle's design fault, but typical "user error".
• Reason 2: It can be very expensive to repair, because Suzuki sells only the entire "CV joint + halfshaft" assembly, which costs in excess of 1000 EUR / USD / GBP / kidneys on its own!
• Reason 3: The choice of aftermarket CV joint replacements for newer Jimny revisions (cca year 2006+) is very poor - only one or two aftermarket manufacturers!

• In newer Jimnys with push-button 4WD transmission controls, the 4WD mode can sometimes be accidentally (inadvertently) engaged in the middle of on-road driving or (even worse) when parking (when operating nearby controls on the dash board, or just when cuddling, kissing, wrangling or fighting in the vehicle).
• There is a high risk of damage to the CV joint or some other transmission elements if the inadvertent engagement of 4WD mode is not immediately noticed and remedied.

Solutions

• Read the wiki article "CV joint replacement" for the step-by-step guide on replacing a CV joint.
• Read the wiki article "DO's and DON'T's with Jimnys" to learn how to evade the need to read the previous article in the first place.