Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hi guys,

I've got a bit of an issue with a tapping noise again when driving. I've adjusted the valve clearances which has got rid of some of the tapping, but there's still something there and it seems to be getting louder.

It's not as high pitched as the noise from the tapppets and only happens during acceleration or when going up a hill, so basically whenever the engine is under load. I've tried just revving the engine to see if I could locate the noise while rummaging under the vehicle but it doesn't make the tapping if I'm not driving.

The noise is also louder on the drivers side than on the passenger side. Passengers can usually hear it through my open window rather than through theirs.

It makes the same noise irrigardless of what gear I'm in which suggests it's possibly not a gear box issue, or at least not an issue with the selectable gears. I guess it could be a issue with a prop or input shaft, etc. I am just guessing though!

Is there a dip stick for checking transmission fluid levels? I've had a quick poke around but can't see one anywhere.

Also, are there any typical greasing points on the suspension? I've got a really annoying squeek coming from the drivers side which has come on recently after doing quite a bit of dirt road driving.

Cheers in advance for any help guys.
Dave :)

check the front cv shafts. Is it worse when cornering?

Dave ,

What happens to the tapping sound if you get up to speed, then toss it neutral and coast ? Does the tapping slow down as the van slows down ?

Might be an idea to get a mate to sit in the back with the slider open and drive around in a parking lot. have him lay on his belly , hang his head out the slider and listen to see if he can pinpoint what corner the tapping is coming from ( Dusty back road if its your mother-in-law)

Coast in a straight line, then coast while making a wide sweeping left turn. if the tapping gets louder in the turn then chances are its a CV joint, and you may be able to feel that in either the brake pedal or the steering wheel.

Does the tapping stop when you apply the brake?, check the rear brake drums, as it could be either a spring or the brake shoe retainer that has broken. Also look at the right front brake caliper and pads, as you say the sound seems more dominant on the drivers side.

And last ( and the worst) check the inner hub bearing.

Failing all that , turn up the stereo louder than the tapping.

Good luck

Just a thought - wasn't there a post here recently about some plastic flap on the front of the van that flaps in the wind causing a tapping noise - try searching for that. Turned out to be the cause of a tapping noise for a few folks - I remember someone thought it was their speedometer cable, looked for this plastic piece, removed it, and no more tapping.....
Cheers mate - Steve

EDIT
Here it is - http://www.delica.ca/forum/speedmeter-c ... -1891.html

Hi Dave,

If tapping noise is more prominent when accelerating, check your intake and manifold gasket as it might be a leak from the exhaust side of one of the cylinders. Do you smell any fumes? When you have a small leak, you can hear it when you accelerate and load the engine. That will get louder thru time as the leaky gasket hole becomes bigger.

Good day.

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the input Sorry, I've been away with work, so only just managed to reply.

The tapping is only present when accelerating or going up a hill (i.e. when the engine is under load). Once at cruising speed or coasting the noise stops completely and going around bends etc doesn't seem to make any difference to the noise level.

It's got a lot noiser lately, so I'm hoping it's just the exhaust manifold as suggested. I'll check that first as hopefully that'll be the easier thing to check (and I'm hoping it's nothing more serious than that!) and report back. If that fails I'll start picking through the other suggestions.

Thanks again for all the help guys. Time for me to get mucky under the van!

Hi guys,

Just a quick update in case anyone was wondering what happened. I hadn't managed to get to work on the van for some time due to work, but finally got it sussed over the weekend.

I stripped all the gumph out and found that the problem was (thankfully) the leaking exhaust manifold. It had actually burnt large parts of the gasket away around the two rear most exhaust ports, resulting in the manifold being loose at that end. I've replaced the gasket and the diiference is amazing. No more knocking, running smoother and it has way more power. Makes sense though as the turbo wouldn't have been spooling up properly with all those leaks.

Got it sorted just in time too as the big ends have just gone on my motorbike, so I need to rebuild that now! D'oh!

Cheers,
Dave