Outer Limits 4x4 Board

is there anything bad about the auto in the jimny??

are they problematic (no pun), or have reliability issues??

do they have a lock-up torque converter??

any issues with them??

my vit is auto, has 280,000 k's on it and runs beautifully (the auto), the car has age issues. i'm told the jimny auto is teeny tiny, is this likely to reduce longevity.

will.

Add a decent trans cooler and use synthetic oil and it should be fine.

the jimny auto is shorter than a sierra 5sp........

I have a mother of a cooler for mine but it hasn't wheeled yet.....
Also have a temp gauge to monitor oil temp.......it actually doesn't hold a lot of oil and that is why it has temp related issues when asked to work hard......

I have to say it has been very reliebale in the garage the last 18mths's...

a friend of mine also has a jimny auto that has easily lasted the past 2 and a quarter years... sadly it has only done 350kms in that time though.

he also has a monster cooler on it.

as james said - it's a small box, so cooling it will be especially important.

however, i think it will mucho cheaper to get another vit auto in your car because a) they are cheap, b) they are common and c) it will bolt straight in.

p.s. jimny auto requires computer - so installing it will also invovle wiring.

The three speed (trimatic) auto in the Vitara is very very low tech but is dirt cheap to rebuild and you should never be able to kill one behind a 1.6..... holden put them behind 253's.

The four speed Vitara auto is a aisan warner AW-4 variant which is also very strong - it is the basis of all pretty much all toyota autos (including lexus v8) and also 4.0 jeeps.

I would not use a jimny auto in anything but a sierra. (or a jimny) the reason that Greg's friend went with the jimny was that it was almost a bolt in for his car and any other four speed option would have taken lots of messing about with tailshaft adapters/mounts etc.

PS new replacement Jimny Auto's are $8500 (yes, $8.5k) from suzuki.

They are also linkage shifted rather than cable as per your vitara, and there is no adapter for a vitara transfer case, so you would either have to build a 2WD vit or run a sierra transfer

Steve.

Apologies for a slight sideways highjack (is this even possible ) but is the Vit 4-speed autobox the same as my Grand Vit 4 speed autobox? I assume the 4-speed Vit has the same J20A engine.

8 wrote:Apologies for a slight sideways highjack (is this even possible ) but is the Vit 4-speed autobox the same as my Grand Vit 4 speed autobox? I assume the 4-speed Vit has the same J20A engine.

Basically the same, just a few variations.

The 4 speed has been fitted behind the 1.6 G16A(come across the odd one) & B, 1.8 J18A, 2.0 J20A, 2.0 H20A, 2.0 RF, 2.0 RHZ, 2.5 H25A & 2.7 H27A

i feel my intent has been misguided.

i'm not wanting to replace my vit auto with a jimny unit.

i am however considering upgrading (?) to a jimny with an auto, and wanting any info on jimny auto longevity issues.

am i better off with a manual which is more readily available?

my vit is the first auto i've had in 15 years of driving, so manuals are not an issue, however, the auto has made me lazy, and i like it (the auto). my vit is a breeze on sand, idles over soft ground (mud) easily where friends have sunk. (hilux's). traffic is more relaxing, stop start etc, idling along slowly.

anyhow, about the jimny auto's, will a cooler be all that is required to ensure long life from the tranny (with servicing)??

will.

get onto www.jimny.se and pose the question. Plenty of blokes on there prefer the auto's over the manuals for the terrain that they drive. Each to their own though I suppose.

I personally haven't heard any real drama's with the auto. I have a manual and like any box it will suffer with a harsh driver. The only problem I've found is the clutch. I think they are ceramic and they can heat up very easily. That's probably where the auto would be more reliable.

Make sure the car is geared right for the tyre size you are running. Use low range properly - don't load the auto up in high range, run a large aftermarket cooler, a temp gauge and synthetic fluid and it should last really well.

About the only thing that kills autos (apart from silly abuse like neutral drops and rowing from 1st to reverse at high revs, which will break them) is heat. With a gauge you can keep an eye on this and you will be fine. The cooler and the synth fluid will stop it getting hot and the fluid won't break down and burn if you do cook it.

You basically can't run an auto too cool in Australia's climate (it can be an issue in arctic conditions)

Set up like this, the auto should well outlast the motor.

Jimny autos do look worryingly small though out of the car. Greg's friend will be running around 90:1 (180:1 throug the converter) and 35's through his, so time will tell but he does have a very very big cooler and a temp gauge. In a jimny, I'm sure they are fine.