just bought a Delica and..

[myriam]

..and wondering if black smoke coming out of exhaust is normal? and if spottering of the engine and shutting off itself after a few seconds is the usual diesel engineering ? and how cold is too cold for the van?

[delicat]

Well, welcome to Delica.ca for starter!

It sounds like your van is not properly set up as it shouldn't smoke much (maybe a bit on start up if it's around 0 and lower or maybe while going uphill but even then not really...). And it shouldn't die on it's own.

Where are you located, where did you buy your van from and what's the service history...

Take good initial care of your van and she'll reward you kindly!

Cheers,
David

[dfnder]

Hi Myriam,

I'm not sure if you are familiar with the procedure of starting. Do you have a L300 or L400?

For my 300 I ...

Turn the key to the point where lights turn on inside and out but not far enough to turn the engine over. You should hear a click behind you to the right, if you have music on etc you may miss it so turn everything else off, when you hear a second click you can turn the engine over as the glow plugs have done their job. If it is real cold and you wait to long to turn over the engine the glow plugs will likely 'cycle' again. The glow plugs need to warm up the engine so that the diesel will 'burn' as diesels do not have a spark plug to ignite the fuel but use pressure and heat to burn. If the engine is cold (malfunctioning glow plugs) it will have problems starting and will create a lot of smoke. I hope that this is your only issue with your new ride.

Appologies if you are familiar with diesels, Peter

[Green1]

We'd need a better description of exactly what is happening, and which model of Delica you have. At first guess I would say one of 2 things, either a) you have a cold start problem (either your method, or the mechanics) or b) you have failing pump seals (this would be characterized by a vehicle that starts well, and then stalls inexplicably a few hundred metres in to your trip)

Please post the following information about your vehicle:
- year and model (L300 or L400)
- your exact starting procedure (when you turn the key to what positions, how long you wait, etc)
- exact symptoms (when does it smoke? how much smoke? does the smoke go away/start after the engine has been running for a while?)
- engine behaviour (does it stall? when? does it run ok once going?)

The more detail you give, the better we can answer your questions.

[myriam]

thanks to all for your replies..so the van is running well it is only when i start it. if i have been going uphill and shut the engine for a while, the next time I start the engine there is a lot of smoke coming out of exhaust and then it comes back to normal.

[Mr. Flibble]

Sounds like you have a cold-start problem as mentioned above. And, if you are having an issue going up hills, I would guess your Delica is a model L300.

As Green1 mentioned, can you tell us exactly which kind of Delica you have? And what year it is? That can help us to help you diagnose the problem.

[myriam]

i'm guessing it's a L300. what is the difference? it's a 1992 delica exceed.2,500 cc
the cold start ,is it related to the glow plugs?
to answer green1; my starting procedure is: turn the key to :ON
wait for the click sound and then i start the engine right away.
then i press gas pedal to avoid shutting down of the engine to about 2000rpm for 15 seconds
then i let go and it runs better..
is that right?

[jwfchase]

There's a click when you first turn on the ignition... then anywhere from about 3-10 seconds (longer when it's quite cold) there's a SECOND click that sounds similar to the first one. THAT'S when you should turn the starter, and not before!

BTW: If you look up the page a bit at "Green1"s post, the picture of the white van in the snow is of his previous van, an L300. If you look at the picture on the left of the screen, near his member information that shows the front of his current van, that's an L400. If yours is a 1992, then it's an L300, they didn't make the L400 until 1994.