Factory diesel Jimnys (DDiS) - all info about them

Decklandpt,
you appear to have investigated a lot of people's problems with DDiS Jimnys. What country are you from?

My investigations about DDiS issues indicate that older DDiS Jimnys, with K9K 700 engine (1.5 dci 48 kW / 65 HP, with turbo but without intercooler) are indeed particularly troublesome. Especially notorious is the fuel pump failure, which produces metal particles which then destroy many other critical engine components, rendering the engine "FUBAR" (f+++++ up beyond repair).

However, my investigations also indicate that newer DDiS Jimnys, with K9K 266 engine (1.5 dci 63 kW / 86 HP, with turbo and with intercooler) have a lot less issues. I have not yet discovered any "repeatable" problem with them out there on various forums.

Did your investigations indicate any reliability improvements in newer K9K 266 DDiS Jimnys compared to older K9K 700 ones (like the one which you had)?

My DDiS Jimny is with K9K 266 engine, I bought it with 130 000 km mileage and currently it is around 150 000 km. Only engine problems were three dead glow plugs and a worn out alternator (electrical generator) pulley, but those are normal wearing parts. My turbine does leak a bit of oil on its connections, but those are more oil vapors than liquid.

For the time being, I am rather satisfied with my DDiS Jimny. I do agree that maintaining it is a dual hassle because you have to be in two worlds - Renault and Suzuki - but I haven't had a lot of Renault issues yet.
My Jimny consumes about 6,3l of diesel per 100 km on mostly "open" roads (country and motorway) with Goodyear Wrangler AT/SA all-terrain tyres, but I usually drive with a big Thule Ocean 200 roof box on the roof, which increases that fuel consumption by approx 0,3-0,5l.

Pt = portugal.

Whe first looking for a garage after being turned down by my first choices, i ran into the portuguese renault forum wich had renault specialist as its official mechanic. Between him, the forum and the internet i was quickly introduced to that engines problems.

As far as i can tell the problems with the 65hp versions where largely sorted by the time the 85hp came out.
At first, the main reason for the engine breakin was the plating between the con rods and the crank. They were poorly designd and tended to spin between the rod and crank .This along withe the very optimistic intervals for oil changes led to premature wear on said plating, wich eventualy failed and caused all kinds od famage to the crank,rods,pistons and cilinders resulting in seied engines or broken blocks. This was subsequently adressed by implementing shorter intervals for the oil changes and a different design of the plating, that became locked into place,no longer spining between the crank and the rod. Even so preventive replacement of those plates every 100k kms is not a bad idea since its not labour intensive and the parts only cost around 100euros. Oil every 10000 kilometeres is also a good idea, top of the line synthetic 5w40.
Fuel pump is no longer a issue with the 85hp version but the injectors are still sensitive. Dont neglect the fuel filter and avoid using the last quarter of the tank.
The only problem thar remains is the crappy egr that tends to stick and allow hot exhaust to constantly pass thru. Either give it a clean every 20k kms or blank it.If it fails it will cook the turbo seals and oil will start to leak.Results in failure of the turbine axle lubrication and shot turbo.A broken turbo can kill the engine.
Aside from that, its not a probematic version of that engine. Just keep an eye out for exhaust smoke.
Still,some cased do pop up on modern 105hp and above,mostly onscenic an qashqai.

of course, this is all a matter of luck and good maintenance..on the portuguese forum there's a 65hp one with near 200000 kms and no issues.
as far as yours goes, you should be ok as long as you take good care of it. black smoke will indicate a problem in the injection, prolly clogged injectors or something, brownish smoke will be a dirty egr, white or blueish will be a bigger problem, anything from a cracked head or blown head gasket to turbo problems.
i your place i would just check the platings on the crank/con rods, change oil frequently, check the fuel filter and take good care of the egr. in any case, don´t beat on it too much off road. not made for that.
that's some good mileage. on my 65hp the minimum i managed was 6,2 with a lot of effort, the usual as 7,2 to 7,5 with mt tyres.
but it's my personal opinion that if you mean to use it as a pure offroader a petro version is a better choice. much simpler to mend, the engine is bullet proof and the mileage is only slightly worse.

also, about that oil on the turbine, you should check something. if the oil is coming from before the turbine, somewhere between the air filter and the turbine, you that's ok, it's just oil vapour or a bit of oil coming up because the oil breather sometimes clogs up.You can always install an oil catch can. they go for around 20€ off ebay, low tech stuff, it's just a bypass between the oil breather and the admission tube that will catch and condense oil vapour that would otherwise go into the turbo and combustion chamber and would dirty your engine, and make a bit of carbon build up on the valves and stuff. it's not a big deal, but for the price it doesnt hurt to keep things clean.
on the other hand, if that oil is coming from after the turbine, than that means the oil is coming from the turbine itself, prolly from a worn out or cooked seal. that needs attention as soon as possible, or at least, as soon as you see white-ish or blue-ish smoke coming from the exhaust or if you smell burned oil. that tends to grow worse and eventually will result in turbine damage

Decklandpt,
thank you very much for all this information and advices.

The car is currently at the maintenance in a local Renault service center, and I will discuss these matters with them today.

The car is at the service center because the water pump seized after 32 000 km of service and damaged the timing belt. Luckily I noticed the issue quickly at a red traffic light and turned off the engine immediately. Even more luckily, this did not happen to me in a middle of a remote forest in which I had been just a few hours ago.

EDIT:
About those smoke colors - should I look for exhaust smoke colors when the engine is cool or when it is hot? Should I look when RPM is idle or when it is throttled in place?

during acceleration mostly.
there is a constant plume of blue smoke during idle, that means it's burning oil, but it's probably something like worn piston rings, compression test will determine that. just like any other car. the other case is a very badly failing turbo, again,loads of oil burning, but you'll notice that before idle.
white smoke with the engine hot during idle will be something to do with refrigeration (water going in the chanmbers) or a busted head gasket.

during acceleration... if you start climbing a street in 2nd or 3rd and really give it the beans, it's normal to have some smoke. however, a lot or brownish, dirty white smoke is probably a clogged egr. if it's not too bad it can be cleaned, if not you need a new one. 100e for the egr sensor and another 100 for the egr body if damaged
during acceleration, above 2000rpm white smoke or blueish smoke is the turbo burning oil
if you have intermitent loss of power followed by a bust of power and black smoke, that's unburned fuel. good idea to check the injectors and fuel filter