New member wanting winter advice

[A2C]

G'day Canadian Delicates (What is the collective noun for Delica owners??)

I've just taken ownership of a sweet looking L300 Exceed turbo diesel. Unfortunately I'm in Australia for another 6 months so she'll be parked up outside my girlfriend's place in Cranbrook until then. I'm hoping for some advice on what to do to help it survive the winter in decent condition. It'll be outside under a cover. Should I fill the tank or leave it low so it can be filled with fresh diesel when its going to be used? Disconnect the battery or get my girlfriend to start it and let it idle for me every few weeks? I'm doing the head when I get there so it'll be getting pulled apart then anyway.

Anyway, I can't wait to get there and get it prepped for some summer adventures!

Cheers,

Stew

[tractortech]

I don't have my own van yet but I can tell from my experience as a heavy duty mechanic. I work on large Farm and construction equipment. All diesel. Most of this equipment sits for over six months during the winter. Nobody does any winterizing to their equipment. Some of these units are worth 500k or more. All I would do is putting a stabilizer in the fuel and take the battery out. Put the battery in a heated garage but not on the concrete floor. Fill the tank to the top so no condensation can accumulate. Change the engine oil. That's it. I am sure there are a lot of ppl with different opinions but this is what I would do.
PS: In my opinion it's more important to make sure no mice are getting inside the van. This depends on what area you live in I guess.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[FalcoColumbarius]

G'day Canadian Delicates (What is the collective noun for Delica owners??)...

Cheers,

Stew

"Delioids".

Out of curiosity, why do you want to pull the head?

Falco.

[A2C]

Thanks for the advice tractortech.

Falco- I got the van from some friends of friends, who posted on here from time to time as 'Ateam', they told me they thought the head/gasket needed doing, but didn't have the cash to get it done. I'm now trying to decide if I pay for it to get done so shes good to go when I get back there, or if I should do it myself. I think I'd kind of like the project and knowledge gained by doing it myself.

Cheers

[FalcoColumbarius]

I've not done a head before but looking at the engine manual it looks pretty complex. I'd think you'd need an expensive torque wrench, some accurate measuring tools and the use of a planer. Check out the Delica FAQ Section and the Technical Reference Libraries for parts & manuals &c. and good luck on the job. I'm big on doing as much of the work myself as I can, 'though I make it a point to start simple and check the air filter before pulling the head apart, as it were, no doubt you'll do a diagnostic before taking it apart. If the head is the issue then I'd rule out starting the engine every week. I think Tractortech has good advice.

Happy trails,
Falco.