Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Category: FAQ
• Published on Saturday, 04 December 2010 16:21
• Written by Martin lines
• Hits: 13554

This section hopefully answers all those quick questions you have about your Jimny.

General Questions

Is my Jimny Spanish or Japanese?

If its a soft-top then its Spanish, if the indicators are on the left then its Spanish, if the V.I.N number starts VSE then its Spanish.

So should I be worried about whether its Spanish or Japanese? There are rumours that the build quality of the Spanish ones is worse. Certainly the Spanish built ones took time to catch up with the Japanese ones in terms of specification, for example the Japanese ones changed to the M13A engine in 2001 whilst some Spanish ones turn up with the G13B engine as late as 2004.

Buying A Jimny

Things to look out for when buying a Jimny:

Walking around:

• Open the rear door, lift up the boot carpet and look into the "tool" recess. Some people have experienced rust in this area, particularly on soft-top models. Later models are galvanised so rust is not a problem but its hard to work out when this improvement occured.
• If you get the chance jack up each wheel and give it a wobble. There should be no wobble, Jimnys seem to wear out the bearings quickly causing wobble.
• Take a look underneath for "oil" leaks, particulary on the rear of each wheel, the tranfer box and the swivel balls on the front axle.

Test Drive

• Make sure you are happy with the steering. These are not sports cars and have a prehistoric steering design but the steering should be free from shake, significant wander and when you release the steering wheel when turning it should straighten up on its own.
• Drive between 30-40 MPH, smoothly accelerating and de-celerating between these speeds, particularly on roads with a few small potholes. There should be no shake or "Death Wobble" (This is where the shake is so violent you think you are going to die!)
• Brake from speed both gently (any wobble in the steering could be warped disks) and harshly (if it dives to one side then a caliper/piston is stuck)
• Some whirring noise from the transfer box (between the front seats) is normal but listen for louder rattles and whines, the chain can wear and its expensive to replace.
• "Accidently" release the clutch violently when pulling away fast in 1st gear (you know, boy racer spin the wheels style). A loud machine gun noise is a Transfer Box chain so worn its slipping.
• Turn the engine completely off and on a few times, if the current owner has reset the engine fault codes to hide them then the codes will re-appear if the problem still exists after 3 start/stop cycles.
• Put it into 4WD when stationary, the 4WD light on the dashboard should light and stay lit (no flashing). If is an electronic Transfer Box Jimny then the Transfer Box button lights should light and not flash.
• Gently drive forward in 4WD Low Ratio. Try a gentle steer from left to right. The steering should be stiff and juddery, if it is not then the 4WD is not working. BE CAREFUL DOING THIS, VERY LOW SPEED AND GENTLE ONLY AS YOU CAN BREAK THE CAR WITH THIS TEST.

 

Driving A Jimny

My Jimny shakes and judders in Four Wheel Drive!

Are your driving it in Four Wheel Drive (4WD) on normal roads? The Jimny 4WD system is a very basic Part Time 4WD System this means it can ONLY be used on very slippery surfaces. Standard road surface are not slippery enough even when wet.

My Jimny shakes violently and my passengers scream in terror!

You have "Death Wobble", welcome to the world of Jimny's. There are so many possible causes of this from worn Kingpin Bearings through to worn Panhard Bushes. Its hard to point to a single common cause, take a look around this website and forum for other peoples experiences and tackle it in a slow and methodical fashion

My Jimny refuses to rev highly, is sluggish and stalls when idling.

This is often a partially blocked catalytic converter. Later models have two O2 sensors which are checked by the ECU for "differences" and the engine warning light will come on indicating a catalytic converter problem. Earlier models only have one sensor so the ECU may not detect catalytic converter problems.

My Jimny cuts out when the engine is hot.

Depending on the engine you will have either a Camshaft Sensor, Crankshaft Sensor or both. These have a reputation of failing when they get hot. The engine mis-fires and the tachometer bounces around and then the engine stops. After a few minutes it will restart and carry on ok. The engine warning light does not necessarily come on during the problem. The quick test for the problem is to locate the sensors and pour cold water on them, if the engine restarts immediately then you have found the problem.

Which Engine do I have

So which engine do you have?

The easist way to tell quickly is from the V.I.N number....

• FJB33 = G13BB
• FJB43 = M13AA
• FJB53 = K9K Diesel (not in UK!)

The G13BB is the older Single Overhead CAM (SOHC) engine from the SJ series

The M13AA is the newer Double Overhead CAM (DOHC) engine

The K9K is the Renault based Diesel engine available in some markets (not UK)

My Wheels and Tyres

 

 

FAQ content 3

What Does The Chassis/V.I.N Number mean?

Your chassis number will be of the form.....

JSAFJB43V000000

The first three digits are the country of manufacturer - JSA=Japan, VSE=Spain

Not 100% sure of the exact breakdown of the next except:

FJB33 = G13BB Engines

FJB43 = M13AA Engine

FJB53 = K9K Diesel Engine

The next digit appears to represent the body style

V = VAN

C = Canvas (Soft-Top)

The digits are then the vehicle serial number itself.

What does the Model code mean?

On the V.I.N plate under the bonnet you will find a Model Code consisting of 9 characters (some models only).

e.g. MRK5C4B22

The first character is the body type: M = VAN

The second is the model series: R = SN413 (Jimny)

The third is seating capacity and body type: K = 4 seat VAN

The fourth and fifth indicate the engine and transmission combination: 5C = SN413V, 4WD, MT

The sixth is the grade: 4 = JLX

The seventh is the type (ie. model improvement over time): B = TYPE 2

The eighth and ninth indicate the specification code: 22 = E22

The list below shows the possible options I know of:

1st

• M = VAN

2nd

• R = SN SERIES

4th/5th

• 2A = SN415, 2WD, MT
• 5A = SN413, 2WD, MT
• 5C = SN413, 4WD, MT
• 5D = SN413, 4WD, AT
• 5E = SN413, 4WD, MT, VVT Engine
• 5F = SN413, 4WD, AT, VVT Engine

6th

• 2 = JX
• 4 = JLX
• 8 = Freestyle With Airbag
• A = JX With Airbag
• B = JX With Airbag, With ABS
• C = JLX With Airbag
• D = JLX With Airbag, With ABS
• E = JX, With Airbag, With Immobiliser
• F = JLX, With Airbag, With Immobiliser
• G = Special
• G = Freestyle, With Airbag, With ABS
• H = MODE, With Airbag, With ABS
• K = MODE 2 With Airbag, With ABS

7th

• B = Type 2
• C = Type 3
• D = Type 4
• E = Type 5
• F = Type 6

8th,9th

• 02 = E2
• 06 = E6

etc. etc.

My Jimny Smiles at Me

So your Jimny steering shakes you to bits, the brakes dive you into the ditch, the handbrake is non existent, the ECU and 4WD lights flash like a 70's disco, the inside smells of damp and mould and the transmission whirrs like an angry hornets nest and you still think it smiles at you? Sorry, you have been bitten by the Jimny bug, there is no cure.

I look at every Kerb, Roundabout, Hill, Ditch and Field and think "I could drive over that"

Sorry, you have been bitten by the Jimny bug, there is no cure.

end faq