Suzuki’s small-sized 4x4

Overall difficulty rating

Equipment required

› jack › axle stands (or ramp) › oil tray › 8-17mm sockets/ spanners › 16mm spark plug socket › oil filter wrench/strap › pliers › screwdrivers › wheel brace › pry bars › magnetic pick-up tool › battery tester › antifreeze hydrometer › brake fluid tester › hammers › soft and wire brushes › spray grease › penetrating fluid › petroleum jelly › brake cleaner › tyre pump/gauge › torch › torque wrench › rags for cleaning › paper towel › disposable gloves › clean jug › M8 bolts.

Suzuki has long had a reputation for manufacturing a small and capable 4x4 vehicle, and officially the Jimny first appeared in the Seventies, although everyone knew it simply as the SJ. The third-generation from 1998 is what we’re looking at here, which is powered by a 1328cc twin-cam petrol engine (known as the M13A) and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. There are mechanical diffs at the front and rear (later models have more complicated electronically-controlled diffs) with a transfer box in the centre.

There doesn’t appear to be anything particularly difficult to service on a Jimny, but we decided to consult independent specialist K2 Autos to discover the in-depth detail of what commonly goes wrong with these vehicles. Corrosion is one of the biggest problems, which we’ve highlighted over several steps in this service guide. K2 Autos has found this can often get missed at the MOT test if it’s not close to a suspension mounting point.

Set aside at least half a day to cover all of the servicing work we have shown, which was photographed at K2 Autos.

Underbonnet layout

Addy says

► Addy at K2 Autos has found that if a jump-start pack has been wrongly