Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I had my delica l400 swb spacegear for just about two years, when due to a rushed job, I had a runaway. Puffs of black smoke had me pull over when the rpms went haywire and white smoke started coming out the hood. I had my 3 year-old and as the rams were maxing out, black smoke was pouring out my exhaust and white smoke blocking 4 lanes, I grabbed him and booked it.


It went on for about a minute, trying to break itself. I had it towed and asked what I would need to get it repaired. The guy didn't even want to look at it.


It's been sitting in my lot in Nova Scotia while I try to think of what to do with it.

My currently held beliefs in my options:

1. part it out (but I'll have to ship everything)

2. buy a 4d55 and replace the 4m40 (I have no idea if this is a good idea, but the only "local" 4m40 I can find is in BC starting at $3500 plus shipping the old core back and having the new engine shipped here)

3. buy a cheap delica and drive it back and put in the engine (I've found one with a towbar and untracked front windshield which I need)

The issues are insurance: I pay nearly $2000 a year. I read that camperizing it and switching the coverage to a camper could cut this in half. My wife hates it as the parts cost so much, the insurance is so high and she won't drive it bc of the rhd.

Questions:

1. how would a 4d55 compare? Is it easy to replace a 4m40?
2. does anyone have experience of getting cheaper insurance by camperizing?
3. not related: can we drive them into the US (its a 98 or 97)?

Thanks.

Dan,

I can't answer the questions relating to the local issues you have regarding insurance etc but as far as the 4m40 goes if it is any consolation mine has done over 265000 miles on the original engine and is still going strong so I don't see a problem with them perse. I know that they have weak ali heads and injector pump seals but they are all fixable. We had a slight over heating issue on ours due to a blown rad at 235000 miles so I replaced the head as a precaution and the head that I removed was the original with ceramic inserts (incidentaly it turns out it was fine also).

If you have a look on the UK deli forum for a user named V8Rick I am pretty sure he had done a write up on a L400 engine swap with photos. This might be it http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopi ... f8ef51bc74

HTH

DaveJ

p.s they are always worth saving! You will miss it if it goes....

Answering your easier questions first:

You can definitely drive into the US. I do it 3-4 times a year. Worst case, they pull you into secondary inspection, make sure you are not trying to sell it, laugh at you, then put you back on the road.

On to the motor: Did you diagnose the cause of the runaway? Are you 100% sure the engine is toast? Are you willing to take a risk on a chinese rebuild kit?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MITSUBISHI-4M40 ... b7&vxp=mtr


If you are looking to do an engine swap, here's my 2 cents:

DON'T do a 4D55 swap. The 4m40 barely keeps up with the L400, putting in a 4D55 would take away 30-40 hp. You won't be happy with the result.

From easiest/least improvement to hardest/most improvement, here are my recommendations:

Replace the 4M40. They occasionally show up on Ebay US, or you could reach out to some of the east coast JDM engine folks and see if they can get you one.

Swap in a Montero V6. They came in the Delica from the factory, they use the same transmission, and you can buy a whole montero as a donor, so you won't be endlessly chasing parts. Should be faster, quieter, and nicer to drive. Downsides are worse gas mileage, and you will have to do a lot of wiring. Plus it's a timing belt engine, so you'll need to do that as you swap it, and every 100,000 kms

Swap in a 4g63t. 4G63's were factory fitted, so it should be easy enough to find the parts to make them work. Once you go down this road, your power output is a matter of how much time and money you want to spend, as the DSM tuning world opens up to you. You want a 700hp Delica? This is the way to go.

Swap in a domestic V8. This is the end of the road that starts with the question "What if I put a non-mitsubishi motor in it?" Find a domestic 4x4 that has the front driveshaft output on the correct side of the transmission, and start swapping. Custom motor and trans mounts, new driveshafts, wiring (if you retain the fuel injection), more wiring (to make the speedo and tach work) and you're done. Plenty of power, lots of parts availability, etc. The Deli came with both a big 4-cylinder and an overhead cam v6, so there should be lots of room for a cam-in-block v8. If I get to a point where the Delica becomes a full-time project (rather than the daily driver/part time project it is now), I think a Ford 5.0 and a solid axle up front would be the first big projects.

For the 4G63, you actually want a wideblock 4G63 or 4G64 with the 4G64 crank. The wideblock is found in RWD applications not DEMs. The Hyundai versions are also acceptable (G4CS etc). Pair that with a 4G63T DOHC head, cams, appropriate turbo and fueling and you could easily have a very drivable 300 - 400 HP. Any more power and you won't have enough low end torque to make it fun on the street. I wouldn't use the N/A rods or pistons, but DSM performance parts are cheap.

(I have such a build in my DSM with over 300 ft*lbs of torque from 3500 through 7500 RPM.)

* note: I am fairly confident but not 100% sure you need the wideblock motor. The Mitsu motors have two different transmission bolt patterns. One is used on Galant VR4s, early EVOs and DSMs. The other is found in the Mighty Max and D50 RWD trucks.

** note 2: the right answer is probably not a 4G build unless you happen to be a DSM / EVO owner.

Normal auto shops won't normally touch the Mitsu Diesels....I wonder if they are genuinely worried about liability or they just don't want to touch it.

If you can find a Caterpillar technician in your area or a small diesel shop who works on small construction equipment the 4M40 can be found in small Caterpillar Tracked equipment (mini backhoe).

As for the runaway sounds like a head gasket failed which allowed oil into the cylinders (burned it like fuel) and coolant (burned white) followed by more fuel (lotsa black).

The only way to stop this is to cut the air supply and thats a scary prospect when the engine is on a runaway and you gotta try and pull the air cleaner box apart.

OPTIONS:
1) There are complete engines that can be shipped to you from Japan....pull yours, drop in a used unit.
2) Remove head off your unit and find out if the head is the only problem....the bottom end of the 4M40 is very tough. This can be done without removing the engine.
3) Sell it as-is
4)Install one of a wide range of V6(Mitsu) or even small block v8 Engines(lexus/toyota)Look this up on Google....a supercharged L400 from Australia.

I think your questions have been mostly answered. I'll reiterate, having had both... don't swap in the 4D55 or 56. Beyond the swap issues due to different transmissions, you will be seriously down on power and torque. My 4D56 (intercooled) Pajero SWB slowly worked its way up hills, but I can't imagine trying to push the heavier deli.

As far as montero V6 swaps, you can do that but keep in mind that the transmission behind the bigger V6 is what you have now, so best to keep it "easy" - you'd be looking for the 3500 V6, 6G74. This would also give you a little more hp than the 4M, but less torque. Also keep in mind that you'll need the complete fuel system, since you're swapping from diesel to gas. Also fuel management, ie ECU and its associated wiring. This would not be a straight swap and go, but I'm sure you've figured that out.

My opinion is that the easiest way to go, assuming you're keeping it, is to assess/fix your existing motor, or find one from a wrecker. They're not common, but they do come up now and then. It just depends on how much time you have to watch and wait. And you'd probably have to have it shipped, which is a kicker. But personally, if I wanted to stick with a delica, I'd probably find another (probably west), and drive it back. By the time you nickel and dime an engine swap, you are probably in for the same money, if your engine is NFG.

These are the times when you wish you were driving a Caravan, or a Cherokee. I feel your pain...