Publications
Partners
Cars have evolved, and some recent battery problems in a 2014 Suzuki Jimny proved this point to our News24 Motoring contributor Stuart Johnston.
Since the launch of the latest version of the Suzuki Jimny, owners of earlier models have enjoyed a surge of interest in these cute little models, going all the way back to the tiny SJ model from the early 1980s, which we all called a "Suzuki Jeep".
That one was marketed here by General Motors South Africa.
Since 2008, Suzuki has been marketing four-wheeled vehicles here (they started with two-wheelers way back in the 1960s), and the Jimny was one of the first models they introduced to our market.
It was immediately a reasonable seller, popular as an urban runabout and a weekend warrior on trails and sand dunes.
READ | How cars ‘waste’ two thirds of their fuel
My neighbour runs a Subaru Forster with nice burbling exhaust, while his wife is the proud owner of a 2014 model-year Jimny, which is in fine nick.
It sports a unique funky spare wheel cover on the tailgate, always clean, polished, and garaged year-round.
This is why I was surprised to see it standing with its bonnet open as I arrived home midday from a shopping trip.
It was parked a short distance away from their garage, the engine was running at idle speed, and Chris, my neighbour, was peering under the bonnet, along with our residential-complex gardener.
Naturally, I was curious to find out what was wrong and offer any assistance I could provide.
Chris had his hand on the throttle cable, and although the idle was exceptionally smooth, as soon as he tried to open the accelerator mechanism to increase the revs, the engine would stutter and almost die. As he released the throttle, the engine returned to its regular smooth idle.
I suggested that it might be the airflow sensor mechanism at fault, but Chris informed me that he was convinced it was the battery.
ALSO READ | These are the 'hidden' components no one tells you to check when buying a used car
This confused me, as the engine was running and obviously had a spark. I told him to do a careful check, as batteries are not cheap to replace, but he was pretty adamant, so I left him to it.
When next I checked, there was no sign of the Suzuki, and I assumed that poor old Chris had had to shell out for a tow and a possibly substantial repair bill.
That's why I was amazed when he told me later the Suzuki was sorted out, he'd fitted a new battery, and it now started and ran as the makers had intended.
When I next saw him, he further explained he had push-started the Jimny, with the help of Biggie, our gardener, to enable it to start and then idle.
After no luck with getting it to rev, he removed the battery, and after testing it with a multi-meter, he noticed it was initially holding a charge of 11.6 Volts.
After considerable charging time, this had risen to 12.6 Volts, but it couldn't maintain this level of charge. So, he had obviously made the correct diagnosis.
I was happy for Chris and his wife, Lizé, but I wondered why the engine had maintained a smooth idle but died when the throttle was opened.
I reasoned that if the engine was idling, there was sufficient battery power to provide a spark for all four cylinders, and the alternator should have been able to maintain enough charge to the battery, and from there, to the spark plugs to enable full power to be realised.
Consulting my friend Adam Ford, the well-known TV personality who advises on just such matters for motorists (he has run his workshop for many years), the answer he proposed is that with the demand of modern electronics on the battery, many cars have self-diagnostic systems built in that would indeed allow the engine to idle, with no load on it.
But the system had obviously picked up that the battery was below par, and thus it would not allow the little engine to rev up.
On reflection, this is very sensible. The Suzuki system seemed to be programmed with the philosophy that if a component is not 100% right, it is wrong! By replacing the battery, even though it was still usable after a fashion, Suzuki had effectively made the right decision for Chris.
"I would hate for Lizé to be stuck somewhere in a lonely place with a car that wouldn't run," said Chris. "For that reason, I feel confident that she's in good hands when behind the wheel of her little Suzuki."
ALSO READ | 5 battery facts that could save your car from 'brain' drain
This whole saga reminds me, in a way, of the children's story about the little steam engine that nearly didn't make it up a steep hill.
The little engine took things one step at a time, going "I-think-I can, I-think-I-can", as its pistons pumped furiously and, lo and behold, it made it up the hill.
In this case, I reckon the Suzuki was going: "I don't think you should, I don't think you should." In both these stories, the outcome was a happy ending.
