I have a '93 L300 Super Exceed that I love to bits. I think I'm in my 3rd year of ownership, and when I got the van, it only had 71,000kms on the clock. Well it's closer to 95,000kms now and it's been a real joy to own and drive. It's been reliable and relatively cheap to maintain. Well it's now winter here in Ontario and very cold. This is the time when I start looking forward to the summer months and all the camping trips with my Deli.
I also tend to read more as the days are cold and short right now. I've been reading lots and searching the forum on mods that might prolong the life of the engine. Especially the problem of cracked heads on the L300 engine. Some things came up frequently. The two that seemed most popular were blocking off the EGR pipe and installing a pyro. Until I started reading about these things, I didn't know what the terms even meant. Yes I'm ignorant but willing to learn.
Having read that cracked heads are a known problem, I decided early on that I would always warm up my engine slowly, drive super chilled, and keep a close eye on all the fluids including my rad.... And while that's all well and good, it does not negate the need for some good preventative maintenance. Apparently it's not hard to get those exhaust gasses up to dangerous levels. A pyro gauge will show this and give you the opportunity to alter your driving and potentially avoid getting a cracked head sooner than later..... I'm all in. Especially since I'm mechanically challenged and would be the guy paying big bucks to have someone qualified do the job. Hello Peterborough Volkswagen!! Goodbye $$$$
So my question is, where do I find one of these pyro gauges, and has anyone posted detailed instructions on how to install? The same would be great for that EGR block off plate. The icing on the perverbial deli cake would then be any other common mods that are usually done with these vans.
I've made it this far and much of this is due to getting a decent Deli in the first place, thank you very much Craig Pollock of Bonsai Rides, Getting great parts and advice from Steven at Rising Sun, and you lot on here at delica.ca with all your input and advice!!
Like I said, my van seems to be running well these days. It certainly doesn't like to start easily when it's -25 in the morning. I've also noticed I have to top up the overflow bottle in the coolant system from time to time (although the rad is always full even when the damn bottle is empty). It doesn't seem to burn oil as I never have to add any between changes. And what the hell, it's got an ice maker.....
Here's a tip of the tumbler to you folks on here. If anyone has a pyro gauge they want to sell, complete with instructions, let me know. I think I'm ready for the next logical step in preventative maintenance:)
