Just bought a Delica please help

[WS Skoo B]

Hi,

I just bought a 1989 Delica L300 and had a few things I wanted to button up on it. I imported this to the states and from what i can tell im one of the rare few that has done this so that also means no one knows how to work on them here in the states nor are parts readily available. As of now the vehicle runs and drives and has 114k according to the odometer. Here are some concerns:

I notice that there is a slight leak of oil by the turbo, Butch from CVI said it was minor and to watch the oil level and also said he re-sealed it previously but I am not exactly sure where the oil leak is coming from i just notice some oil on the turbo itself when i get underneath the van.

My rear gate doesnt lock or unlock, not sure if its the switch or something?

is there any way to bypass that 100km chime that comes on when you reach that speed?

parts: where is the best place to get standard and aftermarket parts? Looking for a rear ladder OEM and/or anything else to customize it.

What is the service schedule and/or at what KM should specific services be done it. So far the timing belt was done, including turbo re-seal and oil/AT fluid change.

thanks

[thedjjack]

I have a 1989 one of the better years due to the headlights....

Turbo always leak a little keep an eye on it

Timing belt, cooling system, tensioners I would do every 75,000 to 80,000

Oil every 4,000km if conventional oil

other fluids depends on use

Other custom parts I would post want add and look at sale ads.

[Mr. Flibble]

Down here with a Delica too, parts almost always have to come from Canada, the UK or Oz. Canada is easiest of course.

As for a mechanic, your best bet is a good Diesel mechanic. A "regular" mechanic is not what you want. You will be able to find most answers on these forums as well as the UK and Oz forums for most problems. In helps to know what is wrong and how to fix it before you bring it into the shop.

[WS Skoo B]

thanks everyone.. Yes Butch over at CVI did tell me the turbos all leak a little bit and I just took his word for it since he seems to work on a ton of them. Although it would be nice to fix the leak. I dont notice any large oil loss so I would assume it isnt that bad.

You said you have the 89 because of the better headlights? What does that mean? I understand I have the square older ones just not sure how they are better than the newer ones.

thanks for the advice on working on them I was also thinking a good Diesel Mechanic was the best bet in case something goes wrong.

[thedjjack]

headlights are better since they light up the road unlike the newer version...

Mine has 4 Hella squares in it....

If you are mechanical it is an easy motor to work on with lots of access

[Mr. Flibble]

Also, a popular mod for customization (as you will see here on the forum) is to install a Snorkel for your Delica model. Not, as you might think just for water crossings, but to get more "oomph" out of the older Delica's as the forced air induction helps lighten the load on the turbo and give better boost.

I will let the L300 owners chime in about that.

[TardisDeli]

Your Deli is also a rare bird as everyone in Japan has ripped out the warning chime for when you go over 100km only have heard of one over Deli with theirs intact and thats Shauns. Cheers Jay Tardis DEli

[Growlerbearnz]

Rear door: most likely the switch. The contacts lead a hard life and sometimes need to be cleaned- pop the switch out, carefully disassemble it (there are two clips on the back that hold the contact plate into the main body of the switch), and give the contacts a light clean using fine sandpaper or a file.

100kph chime: it's on the back of the instrument cluster. There are 4 screws holding the cluster cover on: two on an angle in the black plastic directly above the speedo and rev counter, one behind the hazard/rear wiper switch bezel (you'll need to remove the switches) and one behind the brake fluid filler cover.

Once the cluster cover is off, the cluster itself is secured by 4 more screws- those ones are obvious though. Pull the cluster forwards a bit, unplug all the plugs, and unclip the speedo cable (it has a plastic tag that you squeeze to disengage it). Once you have the cluster out the chime is pretty obvious. You can either remove it completely or just disconnect one of the wires to stop it making noise.

Good luck!