Cracked Head Issues....

[philmeup1]

Supp folks,,

First off I should say that I don't have this issue with my '93 L300, but I've been reading quite a bit on here from folks who have. So I started thinking about this. Then I started wonderin. Then I started typing.....

Firstly, does anyone know if the new cylinder heads people are putting on are better than the originals and will not crack as easily?

And was this problem ever addressed and remedied on newer model L300's like say a 1997?

I know VW's had head issues on their Vanagons for a few years but managed to fix it before the end of Vanagon production.

Anyway, just a little curious. A fella can develop a strong paranoia reading all these posts on here about cracking heads..... I've decided I really should install a Pyro Guage. And a 2.5" exhaust sounds like a solid mod too.

Luckily, there's no rush to do these things. They've cancelled spring this year in Ontario. Coldest February on record they say..... The last coupla months I've been more worried about the damn thing starting every morning than how hot the exhaust gas temps are.

Anyway, if anyone cares to share their experience with me, I'm all ears.

Cheers!!

[FalcoColumbarius]

Well, so far so good.

It seems when one head goes it gets talked about a number of times. By the time three heads have cracked ~ everyone is talking about it ~ but I wonder how many heads have not cracked for every head that has? One thing I heard a lot of when I first got my wagon was "these engines are bullet proof". Oh, really? What calibre are we talking? .22 Short ~ perhaps. 50 Cal ~ not so much. I suppose it's all relative.

I think that one of the primary reasons that these heads are going is because of how they are driven. There was a point back in '09 when guys were using the catch phrase "drive it like you stole it", like one might drive a gasoline fuelled engine. Others were complaining that they didn't have the power of a Ferrari, no matter how hard they stomped on the accelerator. Really not a good way to drive a diesel. Another reason could be not letting the engine warm up before putting it under stress and the torquing is not up to operating temperature. Failing to gear down to bring one's RPMs up when climbing a hill, say ~ which cycles the coolant more, removing more heat from engine.

Another thing I have learned is the concept of "galvanic reaction". This particularly is relevant regarding the coolant. When you have coolant travelling through the engine it is simultaneously in contact with all the parts of the engine, like the aluminium head, the cast iron block, the hoses, gaskets &c., and each coolant on the market is formulated to a certain metallurgy. One can have catastrophic results from using the wrong coolant. One thing we must also consider is the compression ratio difference between gasoline engines and diesels. Your average gas engine works at around an 8:1 ratio ~ the little Jetta diesel works at a 16:1 ratio, twice that of the petrol engine. The mighty Astron 4D56 operates at a 21:1 ratio. That's a lot of compression and when you hop into the Delica first thing in the morning, crank over the motor and drive up to the highway without warming up, all the metal has not expanded to it's operating temperature, so it rattles and wears the various componants.

Oil is another variable. As with many auto fluids, oil comes with additives and each one is formulated to specific standards, especially the multi-grades. Here's something I've just gleaned from a friend who knows his onions: You know when you see "15W40"? Like me, did you think the "W" stood for "Weight"? It doesn't. In the old days people did oil changes with the seasons, in the Summer they would use a thicker oil and in the Winter they would use a thinner oil. This wasn't always convenient. You might need an oil change because you've been driving more than usual and it's only September. Do I wait until November? Or do I change it again when the weather gets colder? So they developed multi-grade oils that could be used in both Summer and Winter. So when you see 15W40, what you are looking at is really 15W40S ~ Winter-Summer. I recently got a close look at a cam shaft from an engine that had the wrong oil in it. The lobes had been worn very badly and were no longer able to operate the valves efficiently. All because the oil was the wrong one.

Regarding the heads, themselves: I hear the Hyundai are good heads but don't properly fit the Mitsubishi blocks and one would be better off getting a whole engine. The CMC heads are considerably cheaper than the Mitsubishi ones but are they the same metallurgical quality as the Mitsu ones? CMC and MMC are in business together so I'd want to think that there is some integrity in the Taiwanese heads but I haven't read any reports on comparative compositions. The Mitsu ones are three times the price, I hear ~ but this could also be because of less supply and demand for the 4D56 in Japan, this day in age.

Falco.

[philmeup1]

Always an interesting read Falco!! Thank you.

You've raised some interesting points here. I like the question, how many heads haven't failed?? My L300 is currently at 97,000kms. I really drive mine with care. I always warm it up first and I'm never heavy on the pedal. And I'm talking super chilled on the pedal..... But I would really call this normal driving. I knew going in it wasn't going to drive like a Ferrari, and I'm perfectly alright with that. It's still way more powerful than my old 70's VW Busses. And a reliable utilitarian machine to boot..... So far, at least

Something else I thought of is that many of the members on here seem to live on the west coast where the mountains are. I've often read posts like, I was going up through Gloden, super hot day out, really pushing the thing, and then all hell broke loose. I was a long haul truck driver for only a year. But I remember going through those mountains. Beautiful but a little taxing for driving some vehicles. There's nothing like that here in Ontario.... Maybe that's caused some of these heads to crack prematurely...?..

Then there's the issue of oil & coolant. As you said, best not to put the wrong stuff in there. I've been very considerate when changing my oil and coolant. So far so good. Now let's see what this summer brings......

[FalcoColumbarius]

There was an open house that was held by Amazing Autos back in '09, when the L400 first came out. One of the observations made that really stood out to me was made by Mars Gal. She noted the L400 drove more like a car, where the L300 drove more like a truck. I think that pretty much sums it up. Going up the Coke I would slowly pass semi trucks and I would be going 70kliks in third gear (out of overdrive). Climbing out of Golden, up through Roger's Pass I'd take the same attitude and when I got to the services I didn't just switch the motor off, I'd let her idle for five or ten minutes to bring the oil temps down.

When I first met my wagon, she had 61,000 kilometres on her. Now she reads at 192,600ish, the love is still there. One thing that has not been mentioned as of yet ~ age. I'm sure that plays into the equation.

For me, the philosophy is the journey, not the destination. Life is a journey and really.... there is no destination, per se ~ just a door. The Starwagon is a model of Zen balance. Two point five litres and eighty-six prancing ponies pulling two point four tonnes up steep hills. Extraordinarily remarkable.

Falco.

[philmeup1]

Right on Falco!!!! I've never been in a hurry. Especially on my way to work.... But truth be told, it was my passion for older VW Bus Campers that taught me to slow down and chill out..... Everyone's in a hurry all the time, but I aint. The view is spectacular from the cockpit on an L300, and its a joy to drive. Why hurry yourself through that?? Plus it takes a while to make the ice from the cool box and warm up my voice for the karaoke sing alongs.... Lol

All joking aside though, I'd like to run a l'il contest. Who's gone the furthest on their original L300 head? I get it. How do you know it wasn't replaced in Japan? Who's to say someone else didn't replace it here at some point? But just for fun, mines got 97,000kms on her right now. I'm going to see how far I can push that with my driving habits and proper maintenance.

So far I've been pretty lucky with the service. The only major repair was a leaky injector pump. Since my mechanic had his head in there for that, we decided to do the timing belt, tensioner, water pump, ect... Ect.... This was a bit of an expense, but since then, it's been smooth sailing.

So how about this, anyone out there have an L 300 with lots o miles on their original head?? Let's see some numbers.....

[Rattlenbang]

And it's not like the Delicas have his problem only; I've read on Ford forums where the guys withe the big rigs have the same problem when towing heavy loads; heads get too hot and eventually crack. Were not the only ones driving with pyrometers to prevent buggering aluminum heads. I suspect the problem is the turbos: you can shove so much more fuel and air into the engine than with normally aspirated engines and the temps you can generate under heavy load is crazy; above the melting point of pure aluminum. With my old aircooled VW I had a pyrometer attached to the head under no3 sparkplug and avoided anything over 420 degrees F because higher than that the metal softens and you start pounding in valve seats. You could easily reach 500 F on the hills. But the temps coming out of our exhaust ports can easily be more than twice that.

[Trinker]

I'm on 283000 now on my original head and starting to thinks it's pooched unfortunately.. maybe not though, another 120000 is the goal!

[MardyDelica]

all I can say for all L300 owner , owning L300 Delica u need to be patient and slow down,
I drive my Own delica L300 before for straight 6 yrs everyday, never have issue on cylinder head or engine.
this type of vehicle need to drive slow , its not design for high speed and do need to maintain it.
a lot of people have problem on this recently as you need to educate yourself to know your limit.
as in japan they never do high speed.
in my 14 yrs in business as a older dealer selling delica I never have any issue at all to any of my L300 that I bring from japan.
did most of the service before I sell to my customer.
but problem is when people don't slow down , no proper maintenance , ignore checking oil and water all the time.this will shorten the life span of your engine.
currently the delica I sold to my felling delica member is still running like a charm with a higher mileage around 280 or more without any cylinder head or engine issue, he does all maintenance all the time and its working for him really well without nay problem.
so two those that has issue for Delica L300 pls do slow down and do proper maintenance on your car , result is happy and enjoyable driving on your delica L300.
hope this tip will help everybody who owns a delica L300.
cheers
Mardy

[TieMyShoe]

I'm installing yet another Cyl head on my van today.. not all castings are the same. This head is being replaced not due to cracking but due to the valve seat sinking into the head. The casting of the old head notably poorer than that of the new head I have purchased. The roller rockers are narrower, there is more flashing, the ports are rougher, the 1/2 moon does sit properly in the back of the head due to no machine work on the interior side.. and of course the valve seat sinking and taking out my cam shaft.. again... Delilah currently has just shy of 300 000km on the clock.

[philmeup1]

Well since this thread has woken up once again, I thought I'd chime back in here as well. I'm still driving mine as Mardy has suggested. I'm not racing it to the next destination, but I'm still getting around just fine. I've never been in that much of a hurry to get to work, or anywhere for that matter..... lol.

Anyway, I'm all the way up to 122,000 kms on my van now and it's still running great. I posted on another thread that I may need to adjust the kick down on my injector pump as it always wants to go into a higher gear, even on the slightest of inclines. So unless this is a more serious issue than that of a simple adjustment, I'm good.

Here's to another 122,000 kms, hopefully......

Slow down, and chill out......

[Growlerbearnz]

...I may need to adjust the kick down on my injector pump as it always wants to go into a higher gear, even on the slightest of inclines.

I think you saw the post in the TRL about adjusting the kickdown cable? http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=95&t=17662

If you adjust the length of the lever (using the two 10mm bolts to shorten it) you can make it so you get 1mm free play at idle, and 32mm at full throttle- that'll make it so you don't kick down until *just* before full throttle. (I found the standard adjustment of 35mm to be too sensitive).

[helibrian]

I'm doing my head gasket now but the delica shop I buy parts from has told me the head is always cracked which I'm not sure about. I've been reading the posts and if the new heads everyone is buying are crap than I think I'll take mine to get pressure checked and reinstall it if it's good. Anyone put a new head on and have it crack right away?

[helibrian]

While everything is apart does anyone know where the best spot to install the probe is for the pyro gauge? I don't have an egr blank plate.

[philmeup1]

...I may need to adjust the kick down on my injector pump as it always wants to go into a higher gear, even on the slightest of inclines.

I think you saw the post in the TRL about adjusting the kickdown cable? http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=95&t=17662

If you adjust the length of the lever (using the two 10mm bolts to shorten it) you can make it so you get 1mm free play at idle, and 32mm at full throttle- that'll make it so you don't kick down until *just* before full throttle. (I found the standard adjustment of 35mm to be too sensitive).

I did see that. Thanks Growlerbearnz

[Growlerbearnz]

... has told me the head is always cracked which I'm not sure about.

You're right to be unsure. They don't *always* crack, and the cost of having it crack tested is minimal compared to the cost of buying a new head.

They usually crack from the precombustion chamber to the valves, or between the valves. The precombustion chambers themselves often have small cracks from the port, but don't worry about them unless they go all the way to the edge of the PCC.

I haven't fitted an EGT probe anywhere but in the EGR blanking plate. I would guess that you could fit it to that any of the exhaust runners as long as there's clearance.