Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

**searched couple forums and couldn't find answer so starting new thread..thanks in advance!**

I've had this happen 5 times now to my 1991 Delica L300 Chamonix Dual Battery. I posted a video below. In my frustation I meant "glow plugs" not "heating core thingies" in the video LOL.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Yqy93 ... e=youtu.be

Fact pattern is:

- turn key, get first click on glow plugs....but then there is no second click.

- regardless of no second click when I fully turn the key nothing happens, alternator won't fire on.

- CVI installed a backup manual glow plug switch that also doesn't work. I'm not sure if it is still working when the problem resolves itself though - I keep forgetting to test.

- The first time this happened, the moment I simply touched the alternator with a metal wrench at the same time, the alternator fired up. I could of hit a loose wire though, not clear.

- Every other time I have poked around with a metal wrench while trying to fully engage key, the alternator tap hasn't work, but usually within 10 minutes the problem resolves itself and it fires up. Bit of a mystery though.

- I have replaced the ECU with a brand new OEM one in 2014. No guarantee the ECU will work properly forever though as it is a complex circuit board. Not sure if this is a signal thing not getting the second "off" glow plug click

- the alternator is 100% original from 1991 and likely never been rewound/serviced. Maybe it is the alternator? This is the main engine component I have never serviced or replaced! I don't why I wouldn't get the second glow plug click off though - that is why maybe it is electrical?

Thanks - CVI too far away from Vancouver now so just looking for some advice I can relay to RDJ in North Vancouer

I think you mean "starter" rather than Alternator. (The thing you've been hitting with the spanner is below the injection pump, near the batteries, right? The alternator is on the exhaust side, below the turbo).

When you turned the key to "start" I could hear something large clunking, which sounds like the starter motor solenoid. That tells me the ignition switch, gearshift switch, and starter relay is operating. (If the gearshift was in drive or reverse, you wouldn't get that clunk. You might want to test that though, just for confirmation).

The problem is probably the internal contacts in the solenoid on the starter motor itself. Probably easiest to just buy a whole new starter motor, but in a pinch you can disassemble the starter and clean up the contacts. The repair probably won't last long though.

The "no second click" thing is unrelated- regardless of if the glow plugs are working or not, the starter should always crank the engine when the ignition switch is turned to Start. If the glow plugs aren't working the engine might not actually fire up, but it should always crank.

Thanks. I was having a great day yesterday. Yes I meant Starter. I was hitting the starter, not the alternator. Probably the starter then. Thanks for intel on electrical. Should be an easy fix. Hopefully I can drive van to shop :) we'll see this morning.

So it turns out this was the starter motor and have a new one installed. 26 years is a pretty good run for the first motor!

Hope that helps anyone else with future diagnoses.

Where did you get your new starter from?

so the starter was replaced but then I had the issue happen one more time. Steven at Rising Sun things it could be the "neutral safety switch". I haven't been in to get this replaced yet but if the symptoms above happen to anyone else, just keep your foot on the brake/ebrake engaged if you're not parked flat and shift in and out of neutral and park.

I did this once and it seemed to override the issue with the final connection not happening and she fired right up!

dr_airtime wrote:so the starter was replaced but then I had the issue happen one more time. Steven at Rising Sun things it could be the "neutral safety switch". I haven't been in to get this replaced yet but if the symptoms above happen to anyone else, just keep your foot on the brake/ebrake engaged if you're not parked flat and shift in and out of neutral and park.

I did this once and it seemed to override the issue with the final connection not happening and she fired right up!

Haven't seen the issue but I have the same van so yeah, thanks for the advice.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk