Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hi.

A Mitsubishi mechanic has suggested that..in lieu of an expensive and difficult to obtain Mitsubishi 4D56T engine replacement in my dead Delica..that I could use an engine from a Ford Ranger-Year '82-87 which used a Mitusubishi Turbo charged in line four cylinder engine...4D55.

The 4D55 engine produces 84 hp so there would be some decrease in power, but the engines are available as used or rebuilds and the 4D56T's seem to be difficult to find. According to this mechanic...who is head mechanic at a Mitsubishi shop...the engine would bolt right in and would be compatible with the various appendages (alternator, starter etc.) that are in my Delica. It sounds too good to be true!

Has anyone out there explored this option?

and BTW...anyone know the whereabouts of a good used engine or short block if I need one?

I would rather spend a few hundred extra and get nice low mileage JDM unit. There are many importers that can help you out. Rebuilds rarely are of the same quality as a OEM engine.

The ford engine is probably harder to find than the Delica.....I believe CCautos may have a replacement engine in stock and Glen seems to have no issues shipping.

I owned one of these rangers, they are very rare and horribly underpowered. I don't see how it would be easier to find a 4D55 than a 4D56 as they (4D56s) are all around. I'd look into the price difference yourself as well, as I suspect the prices are the same if not cheaper for a 4D56. One thing interesting about the 4D55 though, is it came with a built in fuel heater right before the injection pump.

Just to clarify, I am not trying to discredit your mechanic in any way, I simply think he doesn't realize how many pajeros and delicas are in canada, nor how easy it is to find an engine/parts. I know I was looking for parts for my 4D55 and most ford people have no clue what I was talking about. Also, if you do go the route of the ford ranger diesel, stick with the newer turbo engine as the non-turbo lump was a mazda engine

Thanks for the information and opinions. I have now located a Mitsubishi engine with the assistance members of this board, so the Ford Ranger issue is no longer a concern.

I cannot tell you how much the information on this board has helped me out through this. My Repair Guide is somewhat 'minimal".

Good to read that you've found an engine. That should make your repairs a lot easier to manage now.

Which 'repair guide' do you have?

NT Delica wrote:Thanks for the information and opinions. I have now located a Mitsubishi engine with the assistance members of this board, so the Ford Ranger issue is no longer a concern.

I cannot tell you how much the information on this board has helped me out through this. My Repair Guide is somewhat 'minimal".

How much did the engine cost?

The repair manual I am using is a Peter Russek from Great Britain. Are there others?

The engine is listed in the CC Autos parts pages and it is for a complete engine with all parts, not for a short block. As is is the weekend I have not had a chance to discuss the engine and price with them. There are a couple of people who have PM'ed with offers of heads.

I have not spent much time on the West Coast in about a decade and I am unfamiliar with what is out there in terms of parts availability....this was my first contact with CC Autos.

Hi NT, CC Autos is definitely the best choice for you, they have the parts and Glen the owner has the technical mechanical knowledge, and they have helped other "remote" Delica owners. Glen's dad Graham handles much of the phone and shipping stuff, while Glen and the other lads work on the vehicles. They are parting out 2 Delica's this week, so make your shopping list. You can see the shop in the recent photos of the CC Autos / RMI annual show N Tell 2 weeks ago, that's Glen with his hand pointing at the engine on the L400 (the wierd vehicle with an engine in the front, how DO they keep their butts warm in winter, one wonders).

If you need any help with getting parts shipped etc, or if you need me to phone around searching for parts, we're always glad to help. Cheers, Christine.

NT Delica wrote:The repair manual I am using is a Peter Russek from Great Britain. Are there others?

No, there's not really any other repair manual, other than the pdfs of the shop manual available on this forum. The Russek manual kinda makes assumptions that you have the 'finer' points figured out, the points it tends to gloss over. It's like a Haynes manual, just not as detailed, I've found.

That being said, there is quite a bit of information in there - ya just gotta dig for it.

dodge made a truck using a mitsubishi engine in the same era, curious..

I think the dodge version was in the ram 50, just as hard to find as the ranger. I have a 1987 ranger with the 2.3l mitsubishi eng, and it sucks for power. The l300 I drove in winnipeg owned by brewski, would blow my ranger away. Also, Ford is extreemely useless for finding parts for the diesel rangers. Head gasket, timing belt, glow plugs, My ford dealer told me all of these have been discontinued. Good idea to stick with the 2.5 That being said, anyone wanna buy a 1987 Ranger 4x4 with 2.3l td ? (dumb question of the day)

Jason