[nickbarker]

Hi All, just signed up to the forum. Got a 99 jimny auto that has been in the fam since 2001. Saved it from being scrapped and have given it quite a bit of TLC. Recently just swapped a nasty G13BB (think the head was cracked, oil pickup was blocked, bores were scored etc). out for a G16B which i fully rebuilt. Engine purrs now bit ive noticed the oil light takes a few seconds to go out. Not a huge amount of time but long enough to make you thing hmmm.

Any ideas on this? I should have replaced the oil pump in hindsight but at the time when i had a look it seemed in great condition. Might just be the cold weather and the oil being slightly viscous as it only does it after a cold night.

My other questions is that the A174 box (99-05) in it has 230k on it. It had a long list of problems when i got it that went back years. Such as it would start in 3rd when cold and not shift etc. I swapped the filter, changed oil and cleaned solenoids and its been faultless since but i cant help thinking that with the 1.6 bolted to it i may be on borrowed time... after a hot run the box seems to not perform as well. More noisy etc. strange shifts etc. Anyway the way i see it im up for some more tinkering soon...my two options seem to be-

1. do i order a full rebuild kit from the US (Cobra Transmissions do one for about 500 bucks), rebuild it and then cool the hell out of it with a couple of aux coolers. Will this give me another 250k? considering the 1.6 up front?

2. do i accept that the 1.6 is always going to destroy it and go with the aw4 out of a vitara? Is this a tricky swap, is there a kit (i love kits - easy). Will this destroy the general drive ability of the thing - i use it as a daily too. I dont want to be sitting at 100 with the needle on the redline...

Anyone out there done the AW4 conversion? is it alot of work? what needs to happen? just a new jackshaft and mount or anything else? Where do i get the mount/jackshaft or will i need to fab something up.

Thanks in advance!

[fordem]

What oil filter are you running - does it have an anti-drain back valve?

[nickbarker]

Hi Fordhem, it would be a repco branded one and i would assume it would have the anti drainback valve. Been a while since i have seen one without..if ever. It got changed after the run in period.

[Gwagensteve]

Before you spend any money at all on the existing transmission put a temp gauge on it. I'd also recommend a large cooler. Both of these things wouldn't be wasted even if you do swap in an AW-4. with some data about your current temps and a cooler you can at least understand if you're kidding yourself. I assume you've run diagnostics on the auto to confirm there aren't any obvious issues?

I can't comment on shifting etc. I haven't had to troubleshoot a jimny auto.

No, I don't believe you'll get another 500k out of a jimny auto, but you won't get 500K out of the rest of the car in any case.

There is no kit for an AW4 swap but it has been done. You'll need a mount, jackshaft will need to be shortened. Shifter will need converting from a linkage to cable, and you'll need a Vitara TCC and loom. I believe the AW-4 fits in the tunnel. You may find clearance issues between the dipstick and front driveshaft. It will be a fairly involved job.

[fordem]

nickbarker wrote:

Hi Fordhem, it would be a repco branded one and i would assume it would have the anti drainback valve. Been a while since i have seen one without..if ever. It got changed after the run in period.

First - if I were so inclined, I could stop at a local autoparts store tomorrow morning and pick up a filter without an anti-drain back valve - they are readily available, assume at your own risk - Suzuki recommends a filter with specific characteristics, most manufacturers will have something that meets those characteristics, I suggest you choose a brand, check their application guide, and get the filter recommended for the engine - please note, that is not necessarily what the guy behind the counter tells you fits your car/engine.

Second - put an oil pressure gauge on and verify the oil pressure is within spec., which for a G16 is between 46.9~61.1 psi, engine warm at 4000 rpm - if the oil pressure is low, it's more likely to be excessive bearing clearance than a pump problem, but the fact that what you're seeing happens on a cold start suggests to me that your problem is drain back.