Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

My beautiful Deli is dead! http://www.delica.ca/forum/posting.php?mode=post&f=9#

It was those exposed water hoses to the rear heater box that got me. Why, oh Why didn't I put a plate over them or bury them in a piece of piping when I first noticed how vulnerable they are????...and now its too late! Wail, moan.

I was off road, just a little bit and that loose log must of poked into one of them. Then I dove 30km to go playboating and on the way home after an Idyllic afternoon surfing big waves in Cassette Rapids....cruising along tired and happy and not even a glance at the temp. guage as we relived the highlights of the afternoon, when...BANG. Dead Delica. Mucho overheated...no coolant...all leaked out through the rupture in the hose.

Towed it home in shock. No compression on any cylinder. Period. In my little NWT villiage, no mechanic will undertake to work on my beauty so its out with the tools and off with the head. If I am VERY lucky, it will just be the headgasket. Engine still turning over...oil intact....no signs of filings in the oil pan...just maybe I'll be lucky (please, please let me be lucky this time) and it will just be the head gasket. But it could be (probably) worse.

So, BE WARNED! Don't let this happen to you! Those exposed wires and hoses under your Deli can get you into trouble if you go offroad without covering them up. When you do get back on the road....check under your vehicle to make sure everything is as it should be....BEFORE you drive it home.

James, NT Delica

Good advice hope you have some luck!!!

Sad tale and one I will address on my own van with crash plate under the rear heater. Sorry to hear it went so wrong but I hope for
your sake it isn't terminal. Let us in on the post mortem so we can know what to expect from a drastic overheat. Good luck with
your repair.
Andy Wilson
Sayulita Nay.Mx.

Could you post a picture with an arrow pointing them out? Would be much appreciated by some unfamiliar with the location of the victimised hoses.

I hope you're able to resurrect your van. Too bad your local mechanics are a little nervous about "da big scawry diesel-engined van from Japan". I guess you're saving money by not paying them.

Look underneath right behind the driver-side door.

You will see the air filter cylinder and behind that towards the rear is the rear heating&A/C system. Plastic box with exposed heater/coolant & A/C hoses.

Can't miss it & apparently pokey things can't miss it either.

One of the few things like the front rads that Mitsubishi should have armored. The designer was probably out to lunch that day.

Thanks for the condolences.

I will be starting the head removal/diagnostic tomorrow with the removal of the drivers seat and access panel. I don't really like doing this kind of stuff, but have no choice right here and now. When we bought the Delica, we thought we were moving to a place that is realatively close to services....but plans have a way of changing, don't they?.

I will post photos of the offending hoses when I begin the repair. There are other 'issues' on the underside of the Delica that need to be addressed before venturing off the road. The radiator looks particularly vulnerable to sticks poking up. On my standard transmission model there are exposed wires attached (soldered) to the lowest point on the transmission housing that are extremely vulnerable to all manner of things.

If it appears that the damage here goes beyond a blown head gasket...and it is probable...I would very much appreciate some help in locating a source for a rebuilt or used engine. An alternative might be to remove the engine and send it to a shop for repair, so I would appreciate information regarding any repair shops that undertake Delica engine overhauls.

Thanks

If you remove the engine from the 'offending' body, then you just might find a diesel mechanic in your area a little more willing to work on it.

The reality is, these are just diesel engines with practically NO electronic control, so a mechanic worth that piece of paper stapled to the wall of his garage should be able to work on it. And I in no way mean that as a slag to diesel mechanics in general, it's just there are too many of them out there that get all uppity about these vans not having F.O.R.D. or D.O.D.G.E. stamped onto the engine head. Get over it already!

Especially when one considers how many of the customers show up with the repair manual (a surprising amount of which is downloadable from this forum) in order to assist the mechanic with the particulars - like timing marks and clearances (don't know how many times I've heard those were not set correctly).

If you are going to ship it somewhere, I would suggest that Greyhound has the best (better?) rates. At least, that what I've used a number of times to get things to/from the Island, and it was way cheaper than CP, UPS or Fedex. Just a thought. Or... is anybody heading north in the next little while?

I would say you should find your self a equipment/ heavy duty mechanic, this engine was very common in alot of mitsubishi tractors and farm equipment. so any shop that deals with heavy equipment should be able to look at the engine like its a toy. might be best to pull the motor and take it into them, most equipment mechanics dont have alot of patience for the tiny hand access that the delica offers..... be a good time to port out the head a bit, pull the egr valve, plumb an intercooler and beef up the exhaust .....

I am currently about 80% into the engine removal. My little technical booklet is very sketchy about some of the proceedures so it is taking a lot more time that I anticipated, but, if it ever stops raining...maybe tomorrow it will be out and ready to send off.
It is a great learning experience.

Information is coming in. Mitsubishi in Grande Prairie are being helpful. They are happy to do the diagnostic on the engine and the rebuild too, if it needs it, but they are very expensive. They are willing to use rebuilt, or second hand parts if I obtain them...but....if it comes to a complete rebuild at their prices I would be better off buying a new Deli and using mine for parts.

The head mechanic there is suggesting that if a new engine is in order I find a Ford Ranger 82-87 Turbo Diesel....which is a Mitsubishi 2.3 liter engine that is compatible....does anyone out there know anything about this?.

I am still hoping that the damage does not go beyond the head and that I will get out of this with not too much expense and an education, so I am going to take the engine to Grande Prairie and see how it developes. To be fair to the local diesel guys...they are excellent mechanics but they are busy. It is a hassle for them to find parts and deal with special tools and to learn outside the "box"...and there is a lot of other work out there. There is still a skilled labour shortage in this part of the world.

Again...I want to express my gratitude for the existence of this board and the technical information that has steered me through this issue so far. Great resource.

James

from my limited experience with cracked heads (I've had to replace the head twice now!) but from also reading a lot about them on here and the UK site, it seems that your most likely situation is that the head is cracked and you will need a new head and gasket, as well as new lines to replace the ones you broke.

The good news is that on this vehicle you can do all of this work without removing the engine from the vehicle, you can simply take out the seats and sit in the vehicle and work (even lets you work in the pouring rain when your garage isn't big enough for a delica)

EnviroImports.com wrote:I would say you should find your self a equipment/ heavy duty mechanic, this engine was very common in alot of mitsubishi tractors and farm equipment.

He's in the NWT, not much farming done there. BTW James, just curious, but where in the NWT are you? Your profile doesn't say.

Erebus, a big fan of all the Territories

I live in Ft. Smith....big beautiful Slave River (rapids), Wood Buffalo Park, whooping cranes, pelicans, bison.....

I'm doing ok with the engine removal and seem to have located several engines if I need them and parts for a rebuild. Except for the trauma of the event and all of the time spent on it... I realise that getting into the guts of this machine is a good thing to do and I am going to be a lot more confident (and careful) re this vehicle in the future.

Up till now I've been pretty skeptical about the hose replacement fanaticism of the importing shops and repair people....thought it just might be overdone and a real money maker for them. During the engine removal two fuel lines ruptured when I pushed them out of their regular position...no flexibility at all. Cracked below the tightening clips and they were just waiting for cold weather to fail. On top of the broken water hose that caused this mess. So its really clear to me that I need to check all of the lines and hoses and it might be a good idea to replace everything that I can find now while the engine is out of the van and access is easier. Cold weather is coming soon and everything becomes more critical when the temperature drops.

NT Delica wrote:I live in Ft. Smith....big beautiful Slave River (rapids), Wood Buffalo Park, whooping cranes, pelicans, bison.....

I'm doing ok with the engine removal and seem to have located several engines if I need them and parts for a rebuild. Except for the trauma of the event and all of the time spent on it... I realise that getting into the guts of this machine is a good thing to do and I am going to be a lot more confident (and careful) re this vehicle in the future.

Up till now I've been pretty skeptical about the hose replacement fanaticism of the importing shops and repair people....thought it just might be overdone and a real money maker for them. During the engine removal two fuel lines ruptured when I pushed them out of their regular position...no flexibility at all. Cracked below the tightening clips and they were just waiting for cold weather to fail. On top of the broken water hose that caused this mess. So its really clear to me that I need to check all of the lines and hoses and it might be a good idea to replace everything that I can find now while the engine is out of the van and access is easier. Cold weather is coming soon and everything becomes more critical when the temperature drops.

sounds like your van might have sat unused for a stretch in Japan before it came over, the rubber parts start to dry up and crack, gaskets start to leak and so on.