Decided to buy a newer Jimny, just one problem

I bought a Jimny 2005, 78k on the clock, everything seems to operate smoothly, quiet transmission, very little vibration, no knocks or grinds. Just one problem, 50 percent of the time I select first from stationary, it doesn't engage, rather makes a grinding, spinning sound when I let the clutch out, I can depress the clutch and try again and it will often engage but sometimes takes 2 or 3 attempts. Selecting second then first doesn't increase the success rate. Though if your already moving it slips in quite easily first time. There are no problems with other gears.

The guy I bought it off said it was a rubber grommet or ring that you can see moving around if your under the car looking up when the gear stick is moved around from inside the car.

Anyone have any ideas? I heard that synthetic transmission oil can help, hoping this isn't a gearbox removal job, or replacement. Other than that it feels good to drive and its black

I got the same issue. also 2005 jimny with R72 gearbox. The Gearbox has been this way since i bought the car at 75000km now it has done 100000km and it has not gotten worse. Had the oil change at a Suzuki garage when i bought it, and changed the clutch recently. still just the same.
A friend of mine with a 2004 Jimny found that the clutch pedal assy was soft from probably a bad clutch cable with too much resistance in it. He changed the cable and braced and stiffened up the broken/cracked clutch pedal assembly and says it got much better. Could it be that the clutch is not completely released due to these problems?

Have you tried to check the clutch hydraulics, a malfunctioning slave or master cylinder can cause exactly the fault you described as it can cause the clutch to only partially disengage.

I had a similar fault with my Mx5, resolved with a £25 clutch master rebuild kit, also rebuilt the slave for the same cost. Not sure if suzuki offers rebuild kits, new cylinders tend to be £50-100.

Jimny clutch is cable operated!

Caelite wrote: Have you tried to check the clutch hydraulics, a malfunctioning slave or master cylinder can cause exactly the fault you described as it can cause the clutch to only partially disengage.

I had a similar fault with my Mx5, resolved with a £25 clutch master rebuild kit, also rebuilt the slave for the same cost. Not sure if suzuki offers rebuild kits, new cylinders tend to be £50-100.

Jimnys doesn't have a hydraulic clutch, just a cable/wire. But with a bad cable with added friction or bad mechanism it will act up in the same way.

Tightening the clutch cable might help as well.

Thanks for all the replies, so I'm going to start with the clutch cable and see how it goes. I did notice today that if I bring the revs up a bit before engaging clutch and first gear it engages without a problem, it's ticking over below 1000 rpm, about 500 rpm, I'm wondering if I increase the tick over speed to 1000 rpm that might help.

Forgot to mention it's a new clutch,, 3 months old.

Since writing this I discovered you can't adjust the idle speed, and it's near enough correct, between 600 and 800 rpm is apparently the correct idle speed