Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Mitsubishi Delica L400 production commenced in 1994 -- After much anticipation, the L400 arrived on Canadian Soil in 2009!
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chrisbouchard
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Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by chrisbouchard »

So I have been having weird electrical issues the last few week and I feel like I am in no mans land as far as Delica support goes... help a brother out!

a few weeks ago i turned my lights on and my EGT gauge in my pillar started flickering... only happens when I have my lights turned on... something to do with drawing too much power or something? electrical is not my forte at all... but thats just the beginning...

my tach has cut out twice now. gauge reads zero. zip. nadda. Today it did this for half an hour then kicked back in... is this an electrical gauge?

Then tonight, after dark, get into the van and my headlights are DEAD. no highs or lows. interior dash lights turn on when i turn the lights on, I have signal lights, I have fog lights (the only way I made it out of the bush) but when i change between hi/lo my hi bean indicator on the dash doesn't come up.

Thoughts? Ideas? solutions? days are getting shorter I need some lights!


Does anyone know an electrical genius in this area? or a mechanic that might help me out?

Thank you all so much!!

Chris
EricE
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by EricE »

Alternator , all kinds of weird electrical issues come up when deli alternators are dying .
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macro
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by macro »

EricE wrote:Alternator , all kinds of weird electrical issues come up when deli alternators are dying .
x2, an auto electric shop should be able to test it for free before you go into the hassle of pulling it out.
chrisbouchard
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by chrisbouchard »

M battery gauge in my gauge pod reads just above 12v... Can this gauge hell me the quality of my alternator?

3 months ago I installed a second amp to power my rear speakers, could this accelerate the wear on the alternator?

Thanks fr your ideas.
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Big-Bird
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by Big-Bird »

You need to know what the amperage output is along with voltage output.

Most Delica Alternators are capable of producing 65-75amps at peak.
They will also produce 13-14volts nominal. If your volt meter shows only 12 volts chances are good that your alternator is giving you warning signs its about to give up.

Partsource and Canadian tire will check your charging system for free. They can tell in less than 10min's if your battery or your alternator or both are the source of your problem.

A piece of advice before you go get it tested:

Clean and tighten your battery cable connections.
Check the condition of your battery cables and clamps. (lead clamps can crack, wires can fray).

These items will prevent proper charging and will affect your entire electrical system with the gremlins you mentioned.

A new stereo amp will not wear out an alternator but it could draw more amperes than your alternator can produce. You could get a higher output alternator if your's is starting to fail....any rebuild shop can do that for your.

110 - 125 amp at 14v would be more than enough.
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chrisbouchard
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by chrisbouchard »

Thanks all, with a little help i have fixed the problem... too bad the headlamp fuse is as rare as unicorn crap up here in the north...
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macro
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by macro »

Was that the only problem?
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Big-Bird
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Re: Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by Big-Bird »

The 40amp fuse for your headlights should be available from your local Chrysler dealership..the same fuse most likely was used in several Chrysler badged Mitsubishi clones from the late 80's through the mid/late 90's. Parts that fit multiple models are referred to as legacy parts by some auto-techs.

Here's a possible short list:
Eagle Talon & Plymouth Laser(aka Mitsubishi Eclipse).
Dodge Colt
Dodge Raider (aka Mitsubishi Pajero)
Dodge Stealth (aka Mitsubishi 3000 GT)
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mclarkie
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Strange Electrical Gremlins and in grande prairie...

Post by mclarkie »

I'm bringing life back to this thread because I am having similar problems.

1996 Super Exceed 4m40

I removed and remounted the batteries in order to replace the fuel filter, this was two weeks ago.

I initially had some issues with the wipers, sometimes they would work and sometimes not.
Last night the tachometer stopped working, then would sporadically start working for a moment before stopping again. At the same time but unrelated to what the tachometer was doing, the stereo would turn off and back on again.

Lights worked fine.
When I arrived at my destination I turned the vehicle off and could not restart it. Would not turn over.
Next morning I was able to start the vehicle with difficulty turning over.

Fusible links seem to be fine.
cleaned the battery leads. I did notice that the lead on the forward most batter has a small crack in it.
The vehicle started, again with difficulty.

There's a lot of re-wiring done to this vehicle by previous owners.
Wiring running from radio fuse under the hood through the horn fuse and connected to some other wires that go into a bundle of black cable housing.
Xenon headlights have extra wiring.

What should I do to diagnose problems?

Possible problems:
Alternator
Starter
Fuses
Other?
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