Jimny engine life, whats your estimate fellas?

[mickb]

My 2010 zook just turned oiver 302,000 km today. About 3 years ago it lost the harmonic balancer, saw smoke as I was cruising down the highway and managed to get the engine off before it died. Since then it emits a little smoke when starting up and lost some power/compression overall but hasnt missed a beat for the last 70,000km. I assume its not going to last like a cruiser engine and will keep it going as long as possible then swapping in another suzuki engine some day. With todays price of living I find myself regressing to my fathers generation where they did up bombs and kept things going

[yoshie]

Little engine working pretty hard. I had my '92 Sierra rebuilt at 180,000. Sold it at 230.

[bigpete]

I wouldn't get my left nut into one of those tiny frigging things lol. Suzuki stockmen are bad enough !

[Jorlcrin]

We flogged a 1981 Sierra(Jimny) ute to death here through the 1980's/1990's, and then passed it on to my uncle, where he worked it on his farm for another 5-6 years.
Given how lightly built the SJ410 was built, it was amazing how well it lasted.
No idea how many kms, but at least 200k.
The leaf springs werent all that great, but it was un-stoppable in mud.

We also had a 1988 Vitara, and it was a great little runabout.
Part-time 4WD, and a 1.6L engine.
Mum rolled it on ruts in the main road; wheeltrack wasnt was wide as the standard car, and so it danced around as you drove along.
A few corrugations thrown in, and Mum rolled it while on her way into town.
Wrote the car off, but at least Mum survived okay.

Later model Vitaras had the wider track(as the Jimny seems to), and I still think they'd have been a great little rig.

One shooting mate arrived in a 2019 Jimny here 5 years back; this gent is over 6ft tall, and fits into his Jimny without grief.
His had a bullbar fitted, which makes them look like a small Jeep Renegade.
I'd love to have one of the later 2-door Jimnys as a small, quiet shooting runabout.

[mickb]

yeah im 6'3 and weigh about 108kg , while I apparently look funny in it , I dont find it cramped for space.It is a good little hunting rig

[bigpete]

yeah im 6'3 and weigh about 108kg , while I apparently look funny in it , I dont find it cramped for space.It is a good little hunting rig

I was about the same when I had to use a stockman as a herbicide unit at work. I've developed quite a loathing for anything Suzuki after spending 8 hours a day trying to maintain 7km/hr using the foot throttle,in cramped non air conditioned conditions,5 days a week,3 months a year.

[bigrich]

life span of a suzuki ? about as long as the rubber band holds out .......

really any petrol powered engine that's done around 300 thousand k is going to start turning into a money pit . most diesels around 500 000 . some like nissan TD42 a lot more

[mchughcb]

I see new Jimmy XL demo manual going for $39k drive away.

[Oldbloke]

I see new Jimmy XL demo manual going for $39k drive away.

Sh1t.
Could buy a ute for that

[mickb]

I see new Jimmy XL demo manual going for $39k drive away.

Sh1t.
Could buy a ute for that

Yeah they killed the concept in my opinion. Mine was only $18K new in 2011. They doubled the price for metro-knobs and took away the last cheap 4x4 in existence.

[on_one_wheel]

Their cool looking little cars, but unfortunately once the esky is packed the rest of the camping gear needs to stay home.

[mickb]

Cant compare it to a full size 4x4 but depends on type of camping, for 1-2 people you can make a go of it, drop the back seats and you get almost a cubic metre space.

I used to take my mum rock fossicking each year in the Jimny before she got too old. It was 4-5 days including 500km travel each way. I lived out of an army pack and she had camping store popups and flatpack style items( eskies, fold out kitchenette, gas burner, dome tent, oztrail swag, folding tables, popup shower cubicle etc ) minimalist but still comfortable enough for a woman in her 60's. We also took out 40L fuel( a tanks worth or 550km range) geology tools, and lugged back around 100kg rocks each time.

Camped next to mates troopy one time.


Return Journey

[bigpete]

Reminds me of taking 4 people camping for a week in my old 40 series

[mickb]

yeah mate, I recall when I was a kid piling into grandads landrover, which included grandma and the three of us, us sleeping on the rovers bench seats on the way to the campsite. I dont think I'd even seen a sleeping bag in those days, it was a peice of rolled up foam and the three of us under a blanket under a tarp. Desk chairs, ice box, sangers and swimming gear and a few other things.