Never assume!

Does your Mitsubishi L300 make a strange noise? Need wheel alignment specs?
Post Reply
User avatar
jaggedfish
Posts: 593
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2008 8:47 am
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: 95 Crystal Lite SWB Exceed
Location: Davis Bay, BC
Location: Davis Bay, BC

Never assume!

Post by jaggedfish »

I'm embarrassed about even posting this but if it helps one person, my job is done....

I figure myself for being mechanically inclined and have turned wrenches on various vehicles in my time (not a mechanic). Sunday morning I needed to move my Deli so the wife could get her car out of our now crowded driveway. Turned the key... nothing... a couple of clicks was it. Having just bought my Deli last week, I ASSUMED the battery must be dead. I wasn't a happy camper and was swearing up and down about the dealer lying to me about the battery not being a problem. Tried to jump start it... nothing... same response. So... I thought must be the starter motor... dealer is off the hook at this point because this could happen anytime. Banged on starter while trying to turn over the engine (nice and easy to do by the way)... nothing. WTF?

Just by a stroke of luck (definitely not genius) I fiddled with the shifter... it's an automatic... now you see where I'm going with this?... Turned over and fired up as nicely as any other time I have driven it. :oops:

The tranny was in park but apparently not enough to disengage the switch that prevents the starter from turning!!! I should've known better. The old rule I learned many moons ago was to make sure the vehicle is in park or neutral as the very first thing to check when your automatic vehicle doesn't start.

So to the good folks who sold me the Deli... sorry for cursing you out even tho you weren't aware of it, and to me... a cuff in the back of the head for bypassing the first point on the checklist.
Please check us out at http://www.beachsidebythebay.com or visit our Beachside by the Bay Facebook page.
User avatar
robinimpey
Posts: 299
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:48 pm
Vehicle: 1991 Starwagon
Location: Strathmore, AB

Re: Never assume!

Post by robinimpey »

Yep, the same has happened to me and still does every now and then. I didn't get to the swearing jumping up and down part, but my heart sank as I began to wonder what kind of electrical problem I might be having. Has anyone pulled this apart to fix the switch so it isn't a problem? If so let us know how simple/complicated it is.

Thanks
User avatar
Erebus
Posts: 1369
Joined: Mon May 28, 2007 7:55 pm
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: 1992 Super Exceed
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Location: Edmonton (was Calgary until 2017), Alberta, Canada
Contact:

Re: Never assume!

Post by Erebus »

Been there, done that. Did it the first week I had it, and 50 km from home. Sweated and swore, checked manual, then realized transmission was in Drive. Oops.

Won't happen again for a long time (knock wood).
Image "I could be just around the corner from heaven, or a mile from hell." -- Jackson Browne, "The road and the sky".
User avatar
Jester
Posts: 267
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:37 pm
Vehicle: Delica

Re: Never assume!

Post by Jester »

that shifter switch seems to be finicky.
From time to time I have to shake the shifter just a bit, otherwise same thing happens.
It doesn't happen often, but it does worry me a bit.
Image


Image
Post Reply

Return to “L300 Technical”