Advice? New owner's concerns... for the techies at large

[Koots Falcon]

I'm into my third day of owning & driving my first Delica ('94 Starwagon automatic), and already I have a few concerns... as well as a fair bit of excitement!
Very pleased to discover this site of technically minded folks and general enthusiasts...

Does anyone have suggestions for the following issues?
1- Starting the little beast when fully cooled (and I don't mean serious cold, just a chilly Vancouver night after 24hrs rest)... not resembling the warm purring kitten I experienced when I drove it first (pre-warmed at the dealer's)!
I know this is a common issue, as I've read in other posts, but just what is considered difficult? Please bear in mind this is my first diesel vehicle experience as well, so feel free to start with the basics.
The little dashlight coil symbol only stays lit a short 2 seconds or so, and that apparently isn't enough to get it going. So I tried on and off a few times, and was more generous with the gas pedal... Got it going, but it worries me that when I get back home to the Kootenays and deeper cold nights...

2- There is a sound that is very unnerving when I brake to a stop or near-stop, only when there is significant momentum and weight of the whole carcass still going forward... especially noticeable on a steep downhill slope when coming to a stop. The sound is a heavy creaky/clunky sound somewhere in the front end. Maybe this is too vague to describe in words, but I'm putting out feelers in case it is a common problem... I definitely will take it back to the mechanic/dealer to check it out (SK in port coquitlam); hopefully they'll know!

3- I read on a post somewhere advice about driving with the o/d off in town (up to 60-70km); this was my general intuition as well, but how does it work? I thought the o/d would only kick in after 4th gear anyhow, but apparently that isn't the case?

4- Last question for now... I read a thread about installing a "pyro" -- forgive the less tech-minded such as myself, but what the... is a pyro?? It kind of freaked me though, reading that my engine could get red hot at 100km in cool weather on a flat highway, and that it might cost me a new engine because I was ignorant of the crucial "pyro"!

Maybe there's nothing to worry about; I'll just head down to the mechanic's and say to him: "please replace the glow plugs, remove that weird clunking in the front end, and throw in a block heater and quality pyro for good measure..."


Thanks for your patience

* Nathan

[delicat]

Hi Nathan and congrats on your new ride!

I'll quickly try to answer some of your questions;

1) With this weather you shouldn't need to touch the accelerator pedal. You have a '94 so it comes with the quick glowplug and it takes no time so under 2 sec is normal. What's not normal is if you need to give it fuel to get it going. It should start right away and then you could give some fuel to bring the revs up to 1500rpm and slowly bring it down to 750 (within a minute or so). That's for this current weather.

2) Definitely not normal, take it back to the dealer or to CVI in Richmond to get it accessed.

3) There's a button on the shifter arm. If you push it in you O/D will come off (should see a light on your dash), that's good for going up steep hill, slowing down or driving in the city. It's not a big deal in the city, just driving style. Lots of people only use it for hills...

4) Pyro it's an Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) gauge that measure how hot your engine is running. It's different from your "radiator" temperature gauge in your dash. It's not necessary but nice to have although some have a different opinion on this so don't worry too much, your van has made it this far without and will keep on going! It's just a nice tool to monitor how hard your van is working.

So good luck with this and take it back to SK.

Cheers,
David

[Firesong]

Kind of sounds like the front edge bolts need to be tightened.
That creaky clunk sound..
Do a quick search on front end clunk and there should
be a couple postings with pictures of what bolts
and nuts need to be tightened.

I think the other thing to have checked it to change
out the grease in the van.. ie.
Regrease all the nipples with new stuff and maybe
get the bearings repacked.

I agree though that the van should be easier to start.
In Saskatoon we are getting -7 C nights and I can
still go out and turn -> glowplugs click -> turn key
and it starts up good. Need to warm it up a little but
I don't need to pump it to get it going.

Synthetic oil is your friend.

The advice of the forum users is great! Use their knowledge.

J

[Green1]

The van should be easier to start, unfortunately it's very hard to say exactly what it needs because there are MANY things that affect this.
The basics to check would start with the glowplugs themselves, make sure they are good (if they're 15 years old, they aren't any good anymore!) and then possibly the glow plug controller or relays to make sure that voltage is getting to the plugs.
Beyond that things get in to more complex territory, any of a number of things can affect cold starting:
- incorrect idle speed setting
- clogged injectors
- fuel pump adjustment
- clogged air filter
- clogged fuel filter
- air leaking in to the system somewhere
- low compression
- incorrect valve clearances
- etc etc etc

I'm not sure what level of service your importer performed on the vehicle arriving in Canada, but make sure that the following has been done, this may or may not solve your starting issues, but it may save you a new engine...
- all belts replaced (all the 4 visible ones, but don't forget the timing belt and balancer belt which are more hidden, and more crucial!)
- all filters replaced (fuel, oil, air)
- all fluids replaced (coolant, power steering, power brakes, transmission, oil, differentials)
- cooling system checked (make sure the radiator isn't clogged! also a chemical coolant flush isn't a bad idea, and if they replaced the timing belts, replacing the water pump at the same time isn't a bad idea, possibly the thermostat too)
- glow plugs replaced (not essential, but usually a good idea)
- batteries checked (some last years, some are toast when the vehicle lands)

If your importer didn't do all of this stuff, you should book it in to either CVI or CCAutos and get it done pronto.

[EnviroImports.com]

Everything mentioned above are all great tips and advice,but I would like to elaborate a bit about the Pyrometer, EGT.
your turbo on an L400 is water cooled and oil cooled/lubricated as there are Bearings inside your turbo so keeping your engine oil in good shape is CRUCIAL for all turbo engines... But the reason a pyrometer is important is your turbo is powered by Exhaust gasses going through it and spinning a wheel that has Fins on it to catch the gas, on the other half of the turbo body you have fins that drag Air and pump into your intake manifold, to give you lots of Boost. so when your driving in stop and go traffic or on the highway your turbo gets VERY hot, and thats ok, because the oil and water in there sections pulls away lots of the heat.
HOWEVER when you are driving it and its Very hot, and then you just turn it off , well now you have a turbo with a set of steel bearing in it that are no longer spinning and the oil and water are no longer pumping and cooling the body and bearings, so you end up with oil that can be in the Thousands of degrees sitting still , cooking away your bearings. Now your turbo is designed for this sort of abuse, but over time if you CONSTANTLY cook it up and shut it down, metal will warp, distort and become brittle, The bearings , not so much the body. a Pyrometer will show you the temp of your exhaust and you will be surprised at how fast it Shoots up and also cools down. this way you dont shut it down with out it coming down in temp . On my L400 I have a Pyrometer to show me the temp & a turbo Timer so i can take out my keys walk away and my van will shut down in 1-3 or 5 min later depending on the setting and it cant drive away, but will shut down on its own and i dont have to worry about my turbo temp.
Below is a pic of my pyrometer probe into the Blanking plate i made where the always failing EGR valve used to sit... and I mounted my pyro meter in one of the gauges on my pod. I will see if i can find that pic also.

Maybe a bit long winded , but i wanted to describe the process for those who dont fully understand the reasons for a pyro or what it does ...

[Koots Falcon]

Wow... thanks to all of you who are taking the time to answer my queries and share valuable advice.
I spent a good part of the day today at the mechanic's shop at SK where I bought the vehicle, and they are being very helpful in taking the time to figure these issues out for me. If anyone is interested in hearing about the results once the problems are diagnosed and everything is fully functioning, I will gladly share those; otherwise I won't bore anyone needlessly.
All of the suggestions and advice I've received from these responses and other threads has helped a lot. It will be very useful to have the list of crucial jobs/parts to be checked off at the mechanic's.
Thanks wagoneers,

* Nathan

[delicat]

Hey Nathan, good to hear your shop is helping you out although they should have checked it out before you bought it but better than nothing! And don't hesitate to let us know how it went with SK and your van which I believe Noel confused for a L400...

[EnviroImports.com]

Yes, I guess I did, Just read 94 ...oops, but the principal is still the same for the pyro.
please let us know what the issue is with the van.

[Drumster]

Yes, I guess I did, Just read 94 ...oops, but the principal is still the same for the pyro.
please let us know what the issue is with the van.

Well, it applies to my L400 anyway. How/where did you route the wires and pyro sensor from engine compartment?
Some time ago I hooked up the thermocouple to my ex-EGR valve blanking plate as in your pic, but not sure how best to proceed from here. I still have the coiled up lead hanging by the blanking plate, not hooked up.



Where did you run cables etc?

[EnviroImports.com]

my pryo is Very similar looking to yours, but i welded the bung to the plate.
in my pic below you can see where I drilled a hole, and ran the gromet to let the wire pass through, I also ran the DRL wire through the same spot, my pyro wires connect to a yellow and red wire since they are Auto Meter, but yours should be similar if a different brand, the place i ran the hold through is where Im told that in the gas versions is used for some hoses and in the diesel is a blank panel just check on the other side of your firewall to make sure your not going to drill into anything that may have been placed there in the last 15years....
Im going to put my boost gauge line in the same hole...
but when you drill the hole, make sure you clean it up and put a dab of paint or even nail polish on it so you don't encourage any rust to start. and use a Gromet, its not only the law, its good to keep that engine noise out and any fumes out of the cabin.

[Green1]

and use a Gromet, its not only the law, its good to keep that engine noise out and any fumes out of the cabin.

it also stops the rough metal from cutting in to, and shorting out the wiring, possibly not so crucial on a temperature probe, but on some wire (eg power) it can blow fuses if you're lucky, and burn down your van if you're not!

[Drumster]

my pryo is Very similar looking to yours, but i welded the bung to the plate.
in my pic below you can see where I drilled a hole, and ran the gromet to let the wire pass through, I also ran the DRL wire through the same spot, my pyro wires connect to a yellow and red wire since they are Auto Meter, but yours should be similar if a different brand, the place i ran the hold through is where Im told that in the gas versions is used for some hoses and in the diesel is a blank panel just check on the other side of your firewall to make sure your not going to drill into anything that may have been placed there in the last 15years....
Im going to put my boost gauge line in the same hole...
but when you drill the hole, make sure you clean it up and put a dab of paint or even nail polish on it so you don't encourage any rust to start. and use a Gromet, its not only the law, its good to keep that engine noise out and any fumes out of the cabin.

This is exactly what I've needed to know; my pyro lead's been hanging there idle for way too long. Thanks so much for posting! I'll put up some pics of my results after all the smoke clears.

[Drumster]

BTW, Enviro, where did you get that round pyro gauge? It looks perfectly natural in that spot.

[EnviroImports.com]

Right off my shelf, I sell them... And thanks for the compliment ,took close to an hour to do
a nice clean install and tie it into the diming dash lights

[mararmeisto]

Noel, you realise you left yourself wide open when you said you welded you bung to a plate? Ha ha! That got my attention.

Anyway, with regard to overdrive in the city, it generally won't kick in unless you're driving faster than 60-65 km/h. And it's not so much the overdrive that's an issue, it's the torque converter: I find it makes the van "lug along" if I'm not going over 70 or 80. It's meant for fuel economy on the highway, and in the city the best way to achieve better fuel economy is a lighter foot with slower starts.

But that's just my experience...