Living With a Third-Gen JDM Suzuki Jimny: What We’ve Learned So Far

We bought our JDM 1998 Suzuki Jimny Wide in June of 2025; however, we hadn’t had much time to work on it until November. Since then, we’ve done a host of work on it for both maintenance and modification. What have we learned so far? Parts are harder to obtain for this Jimny compared to some of the other JDM vehicles we own.

The third-gen Jimny is a vehicle we’ve wanted for a very long time, and we were finally able to make that dream come true in 2025. We’re no strangers to owning JDM 4x4s, having had two Mitsubishi Delicas and two Mitsubishi Pajeros (we still have a 1991 Pajero and a 1994 Delica). There are many Delicas in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, so parts are pretty easy to obtain. Pajeros are essentially the same as a Mitsubishi Montero, so parts (sans some diesel engine bits) are also not bad to get. However, since North America never got the Suzuki Jimny in any form, some parts have proved tricky to purchase.

Suzuki G13BB Engine

We knew the Jimny had the Suzuki G13BB engine. That powerplant was also found in the 1998+ Suzuki Swift and Chevrolet Metro in North America. However, since the Swift and Metro are both front-wheel drive, the engine is transversely mounted; the Jimny, being rear-wheel/four-wheel drive, is longitudinally mounted. Some things, such as the crankshaft oil seal, timing belt, and tensioner we had replaced, are the same as the USDM version. However, other things, such as the water pump, as we found out, are different.

Once we got the Jimny Wide back home after having the oil seal fixed, we started smelling burning coolant. It turns out, there was a leak. I thought it was from a heater hose, and was able to replace two sections using generic (although appropriately sized) heater hose. Unfortunately, that didn’t fix it. I then realized the coolant was weeping from a pinhole in the upper radiator hose.

Needing Parts From Japan

I consider myself a well-versed cross-referencer of auto parts and have written articles about how to find parts for JDM vehicles. I tried to find any upper radiator hose that’d work, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything in North America. So, I ventured over to Amayama.com and ordered the upper, lower, and two additional radiator hoses, as well as the correct water pump. All had to come from Japan (tariffs and all).

Look: I signed up for this. We knew there weren’t many gen-three Jimnys (1998+) in North America. This was a risk we were willing to take. Thus far, this little rig hasn’t been as easy to get parts for as our Delicas or Pajeros. For example, when the Pajero needed a windshield, the USDM Montero unit is the same and fit right up. If our Delica Space Gear (L400) needs a windshield, there are businesses in Vancouver, BC stocking them. When and if the Jimny needs a windscreen, we’ll probably have to import one, and the crating and shipping will likely be more than the glass itself.

I started looking into some other parts, such as alternators, and I think the 1999+ Suzuki Vitara (1.6-liter) unit will work with our Jimny, but again, I’m not 100% sure.

But again, this is all part of it. We signed up for this.

Finally Adding Fun Parts

Now that we addressed the oil and coolant leaks, we can finally start moving on to some fun modifications! We did add a USDM stereo and some front speakers … which are the only speakers. Granted, it’s likely wired up for four speakers, but I wasn’t ready to pull out all the plastics to install two speakers behind me so I can listen to talk radio.

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The Jimny came with a Harbor Freight winch. I promptly removed it and installed a new WARN R60-S winch. This is Warn Industries’ new 6,000 lb. winch for UTVs (or small SUVs). It features synthetic rope, keeping things lightweight up front. The Jimny Bits winch plate, installed by the previous owner, is drilled for a full-size truck winch or a powersports winch. The WARN R60-S powersports winch will have more than enough grunt to pull this little trucklet out of the muck. However, the mounting plate opening is only designed to mount a full-size truck winch’s fairlead, which has 10″ between the bolts to mount it. This meant I couldn’t use the included and much smaller UTV-sized fairlead. Instead, I got a Factor 55 Short Drum Comp Fairlead. This fits the 10″ mounting pattern, but has the narrower opening, keeping the rope spooling correctly onto the drum.

We topped the recovery setup off using my preferred winch line shackle mount, the Factor 55 UltraHook XTV, sized for UTVs. I like having the versatility of a hook, but with the performance of a closed-loop rigging setup. We run the full-size UltraHook on our Delica as well, and it’s been a great piece of kit.

Future Plans

It’s great that our Jimny had the winch mounting plate as well as sturdy front recovery points. The previous owner also included bolt-on rear recovery points; we’ll add those.

The 4×4 came with a set of new BFGoodrich KO2 All-Terrain tires (235/75R15) on Jimny Bits steel wheels, too. So, at least for now, our rolling stock isn’t getting replaced. However, I’m a bit smitten with some of the wheels from Street Track Life. However, I’m not sure we’ll go that route until we need new rubber. But man, some of those wheels are sweet—and available in the rare-in-the-USA 5×139.7 (5 on 5.5) bolt pattern.

Suspension-wise, the Jimny rides on Ultima shocks and King Springs, both from Australia, with a little 1.0″ front lift and 1.5″ rear lift. I’d love to go up another inch all around to 2″ for more clerance and so the front wheels stop rubbing at full lock. We don’t have plans to make this into a rock crawler, so a 2″ lift should be plenty. Eventually. Maybe.

There are still a few little things we’d like to do. This includes realigning the rear tailgate so it opens and closes more easily, painting the rear hubs black, and replacing the light-duty plastic roof rails with something sturdier, like a platform rack, so we can carry extra fuel on longer trips.

Despite the increased challenge of getting some parts, we’re still stoked to have the Jimny Wide around, and are looking forward to taking this little 4×4 on big adventures.