2019 Suzuki Jimny/Jimny Sierra JB74W

Well well well, look what we have here.

Plenty of mods to make it into what I want, and I’ll try to give as good a guide to these as I can. I’ve broken the mods up into individual sections with justifications/how-tos and more info where I can.

Using it

If you want to understand some camping stuff, I’m slowly building out a (sort of) Jimny focussed but also very generic camping thing to help people new to the hobby learn a bit more and see what options they might have.

Haven’t done too many trips so far, but I did sneak down the southwest of WA for a bit of a beach getaway. I’ve tried to catalogue my camping gear here, just so you’ve got an idea of what has worked for me.

Some 4wding through various parts at the back of Perth indicated that maybe something was needed to keep the dog comfortable in the back (hence I got sliding windows).

Winter time saw some action down in the forest tracks of the southwest

It’s also done some things like the Holland Track: did it easily, and super enjoyable time with the car!

Also lots of time just stooging around the Perth tracks, either solo or with friends.

Semi-local tracks like the Captain Fawcett track also get a bit of a look in here and there when time allows.

Cleaning, servicing and fixing it

I mostly haven’t had to do too much servicing to the car, but I’ve started collecting notes on servicing the car.

Cleaning stuff

I’ll slowly be adding to this, but for now:

Service and workshop stuff

Servicing a Jimny: all you need to know about changing oils, coolant, brake pads and lots of other random things.

Bolt torque settings for the Jimny

Diagnostics

The first major fix I’ve done to it was the brakes; they didn’t really need it, but it’s good to write up content on how you change brake pads, brake discs and brake shoes on the JB74.

I’ve also pulled together some suggestions around tool kits and things to consider for different journeys

If you need touch up paints I have compiled the JB74 paint codes.

Common issues with JB74s

Currently I’m compiling up a bunch of the common JB74 issues. Most are not major or are just things to be aware of. There’s not really anywhere on the internet where these are consolidated so I figured I’d pull it together, but it will obviously be biased by my experience.

Modifying it

I’ve gone through and compiled some of the most commonly asked modifications for JB74 Jimnys and my thoughts on what’s best/things to consider: hopefully that helps your Jimnying!

Want to know what you need to consider to keep your Jimny legal in Australia after modification? This article covers as many aspects of legality of Jimny mods as I can think of. That article is aimed towards being a reference for all the fun and weirdness around legality. Note that potentially even stock Jimnys could be viewed as technically illegal in some Australian jurisdictions (not uncommon for a lot of cars) as there’s lots and lots and lots to consider. Since it gets asked about in terms of the payload of the Jimny, I also have some thoughts on the Jimny’s GVM (gross vehicle mass: maximum weight your car and everything in/on it can be) and how to choose wisely.

Specifically you want to know a bit more about suspension stuff? I have pulled together a Jimny-focussed suspension glossary. It gets nerdy, but if you really want to dig into this stuff then hopefully it’s a useful resource.

The evolution of my car

Load carrying beast, January 2023
October 2022
As at January 2021
First day of registration and unmodified, August 2019

Accessories

There’s no full list of all of the accessories available in all markets, so I’ve done my best to compile everything out of brochures or from random accessories I’ve seen in various FB groups. This is a non-comprehensive guide to the Suzuki genuine accessories for the gen4 Jimnys.

Exterior

Suspension upgrade

Protection and recovery

Electrical

Luggage carrying and storage

Other external

Interior

Something random: Jimny history through the ages, a mostly Australian perspective on the model’s history.

Because I like documenting things with sources and putting it somewhere that it can’t be easily deleted: a deep dive and official sources on the 30 kg roof load limit for a JB74.

Details about the JB74’s SRS arrangement: airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, and making sure you don’t interfere with a fairly important component of its safety.