Pre purchase inspection results on a 91 L300 exceed (215,000 km’s)

Does your Mitsubishi L300 make a strange noise? Need wheel alignment specs?
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Migshaw
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Vehicle: 2002 L400 spacegear
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Pre purchase inspection results on a 91 L300 exceed (215,000 km’s)

Post by Migshaw »

So I’m looking at a 91 L300 and brought it into a mechanic for them to have a look.
He said the van was in good shape other than these issues...

-oil cooler would maybe need replacing
-looks like the turbo is leaking (but he’s not sure it’s turbo) the was oil on the turbo
-rear transmission mounts are loose/rusty
-rear brakes (spring kit)
-inner and outer tie rods

My question is how much would this generally run me $$$ or are some of these easy to fix myself?
Also how important are these to get fixed right away assuming they aren’t in critical condition.

Another note is that I’m not sure 100% i trust this mechanic as it was a bit of a hasty choice to go to him in a hurry.

(ABC tireland on Main st Vancouver)

Thanks
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Growlerbearnz
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Pre purchase inspection results on a 91 L300 exceed (215,000 km’s)

Post by Growlerbearnz »

My thoughts:

-The oil cooler is behind the front bumper, high up, behind the front bull bar (if fitted) and is very difficult to inspect, and rarely needs replacing unless it's leaking. Does he perhaps mean the transmission cooler, which is on the right side front, just in front of the wheel? They can leak where the rubber hoses join them, often it's as easy as tightening the hose clamps.
Watch for any oil/fluid leaks from the bumper area, but otherwise ignore it.

-OIl on turbo: The 4D56 can leak oil from many places, and for some reason it *always* ends up on the turbo. Not unusual. The usual culprits are the rocker cover, the intake pipes, and just maybe the turbo oil feed. All easily repaired, the turbo oil feed is cheaply available directly from Mitsubishi.
Clean the area thoroughly with oil and grease remover, watch to see where the oil is coming from.

-Transmission mounts loose- as in, the rubber has perished? Replacing the lower mounts (on the gearbox) is easy and they're available from Mitsubishi. The upper mounts are a little trickier because you have to adapt another mount to fit. Have a look around the Technical Reference Library (http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=95&t=18741)
Order new mounts from Mitsubishi, install.

-Rear brakes (spring kit) not sure what this means. The rear drum brakes are entirely common, no surprises inside, and can be rebuilt/replaced very easily by following the workshop manual.
A brake shop should be able to fix this very easily. you might want to order brake shoes and hydraulic cylinders from Mitsubishi to save them having to find compatible parts, but check the forum and FAQs, there's bound to be a cross-reference there somewhere.

-Inner and outer tie rods are again quite normal, there's nothing tricky about replacing them- well, nothing *unusually* tricky. Having the correct spanners and ball joint taper splitter makes doing it yourself at home a bit of a chore, but a mechanic should be able to replace them very easily. Again, best if you bring the parts to them and have them install them.

The main thing to watch out for on an L300 is rust. Check the the A-pillars and roof- especially on a sunroof model (and if it looks like they've been repainted, run away). The front floors and sills can also rust, but they're easier to repair- but the easiest repair is to buy one that's not rusty.

The engines are reliable, but they're not a sports car, and they blow a lot of oil into their intake stream when they get tired.

Check that the rear driveshaft has been recently greased, and that the universal joints aren't loose. The driveshaft is short and the U-joints take a hammering, and U-joint failure is not fun.
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
Migshaw
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:25 am
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: 2002 L400 spacegear
Location: Vancouver

Pre purchase inspection results on a 91 L300 exceed (215,000 km’s)

Post by Migshaw »

Thanks for the very informative info. Was thinking of getting a second opinion about this van from a shop that specializes in them.
Encouraging that most of this work isn’t a huge deal though.
Still might hold out to find one that is a few years newer.

Thanks again
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