driving a diesel

[richhill48]

Thought I posted this before. Maybe I hit the wrong button somewhere.
My son just brought an 89 delica L300 4wd back from Canada and neither he or I have own a diesel before. I searched but couldn't find a thread that addressed this for newbies. Help?

[Mr. Flibble]

Not that much different from gas. But...

You have to wait to start - the colder it is, the longer the wait (this is not true for new diesels out now).

Once you hit a certain level of power, stomping harder on the gas pedal won't make you go any faster, it will only send more fuel out the tailpipe! This is because the turbo can no longer supply the required air to match. So, often easing up ever so slightly on the pedal won't have you going any slower, but it will have you saving $$$.

A Pyrometer (EGT Gauge) - a gauge that tells you how hot your turbo is is a REALLY good idea in these older diesels.

If you ever make the mistake of putting gas in it - don't drive it! Gasoline will damage/destroy a diesel engine.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Welcome to Delica Canada, Rich

Diesels are a little different to your average gasser. For one, you need to heat the cylinders of the engine before you start the vehicle. This is done by turning the ignition to the "on" position; you should hear a click coming from the "B" pillar, just behind the driver's seat; in roughly three seconds or more, depending on how healthy your battery/ies is/are, you will hear a second click, this means that the cylinders are now sufficiently hot and it's time to turn the key to engage the starter. A diesel engine, unlike a gasser, works by compression, not a spark. Heat is power but too much heat will destroy the engines head. When the engine is working hard, for instance on a hill, you need to keep the revs higher (but of course well below the red line) so that the coolant is circulated more often ~ this helps keep the engine temperature down. It's all about balance.

It also pays to warm the engine up until the thermostat opens. You will notice this when the temp needle starts to move and should take around four minutes. In your L300 there should be a hand throttle located on the front console left, next to the steering column which is very useful for this purpose, I usually warm the engine at 1,100 RPM. The reason for warming it up is the different engine parts expand as they get hotter. If you put stress on a cold diesel (or any engine) it creates added wear to the engine parts as they haven't expanded to their operational temperature. To put some perspective to this: The average gasoline engine operates at roughly an 8:1 compression ratio. The 4D56T Mitsubishi Astron engine (what is used in the diesel Delicas) operates at a 21:1 compression ratio. Compression is paramount.



Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Astron_engine

Hope this helps a little... smiles.

Falco.

[Big-Bird]

Welcome to the forum Rich Hill.

Where in the US is the delica located and what do and your son really want to know about Mitsubishi Diesels....there are numerous topics.

Fuel additives.
Fuel-injector pump trouble shooting.
Fuel filter changing.
Glow Plug systems ('starting your diesel' which mr fibble and Falco touched on)
Known common problems. Why won't it start, Why is it hard to start, It idles but has no power, why does it puff grey smoke, blue smoke, white smoke?
It gets dam cold here how do I keep the engine warm overnight? Yes there are options!
Engine Sensors and recommended Gauges (what do you need and what do they tell you)
Warning lights (why is my +@#*?$ flashing?)
Oil changes and general fluid maintenance.
Coolant system care.
Belts and hoses.

[richhill48]

Thanks all, I'm in Southern Oregon, but he is all over the map. He is a Hot Shot fire fighter based out of southern Idaho in the warm months and is in portland a lot in the winter. He wants to have a rig to sleep in when not on a fire, it was killing him to pay rent and only see the place one or two days every two weeks. I'll search for installing a exhaust temp gage. We are going to flush and fill the cooling system when he comes down and install a bed and curtains.
That's the thread I'm looking for Big Bird, whats the link?

[Big-Bird]

Here's a good 'how to' on EGT installation.

http://www.glowshiftdirect.com/black-7- ... gauge.aspx

The L300 have a spot on the dash for a factory gauge pod....if you don't already one that is. The EGT gauge is right at home in this unit if your son is willing to donate one of the spots. The only problem you might encounter is putting the temperature probe into the exhaust system. I personally would install the probe after the turbo but as close as possible, some schools of thought have the probe installed in the exhaust manifold before the turbo. The risk with this method is if the tip should ever break it will go through the turbo and ruin your day.

The EGT can climb to as high as 1000F under extreme load. The EGT will also give your son a good indication of how hot the exhaust system is before he shuts it off. A good rule of thumb is when the EGT's are high, anything over 400F, the engine should be allowed to idle and cool down to below 400F. This improves engine longevity and reduces coke build up in the exhaust system.

[richhill48]

Thanks again, this an amazing site. Big bird your list has given me a good start on searching out what we need to know.
Falco, how do I get a picture at the bottom of my post like your rig is?

[yojimbo]

Right so. One final point. Its a turbo diesel. If you park up after a fast (lol) run the turbo can be spinning pretty quick, up to 100k rpm. Let the motor idle for a minute ornso before you shut it down and thus cut the oil supply to the turbo off.

[konadog]

Falco, how do I get a picture at the bottom of my post like your rig is?

Go to user control panel to profile and look for the "signature" on the left, just above avatar. You can upload a picture in there.
On your original question, the main advice I'd give on driving your L-300 is to be patient. Go slow off the line and gear down and go slow up hills with revs. in the 3200 - 3500 range. If you push on the throttle and you don't go a little faster, back off a bit, you're making head-cracking heat at this point. I know lots of people here have and strongly recommend installing the egt gauges, but I don't have one. It's probably a good idea, but basically if you drive easy, rev. high and go slow up hills and keep up on maintenance (esp. the timing belt package and the cooling system) you'll have a happy, reliable delica.
Good luck out there - happy motoring!

[FalcoColumbarius]

Falco, how do I get a picture at the bottom of my post like your rig is?

Go to user control panel to profile and look for the "signature" on the left, just above avatar. You can upload a picture in there. ....
....Good luck out there - happy motoring!

Just to add to Konadog's suggestions ~ there are buttons in the menu bar for when you are composing in forums like this one. One of those buttons is the |Img| button. If you have a photo gallery already on another site you can link to it from where you are posting, in this case from your signature line. When you click on the |Img| button, this will appear in the writing field: [ img][/img]. You place the URL (web address) in between the two parentheses, click on the "Preview" button to make sure it works. One thing to remember in all these applications is that there are size restrictions for the images.

Check out these links:

• http://www.delica.ca/forum/welcome-to-d ... -9778.html
  http://www.delica.ca/forum/how-to-uploa ... s-364.html

Typically, it's a case of reading the directions, when you can find them (it took me a year to figure this out) but they are there. We have been striving to gradually hone the system into a more "user friendly" experience as we understand that some of us are digital immigrants from the land of analogue... smiles.

Falco.