Rattle, Rattle, Stall, Clunk....

[Green1]

Are you a business ? I'm probably misreading what you wrote. Sounds like you can get parts 'if needed' ?

I think you're mis-reading it... he said he wrote off his delica, and therefore has parts available if I need some (at least that's my reading on it...)

[Green1]

well, this morning isn't going well so far... Kirkham said they don't do engine repairs or swaps, and recommended Cetus engine rebuilders in Calgary, I called them and as soon as I said it was a JDM vehicle they said "no"... I've left a voicemail with another contact that JMK was nice enough to provide, but at the moment I'm left wishing for someone willing to even look at it

[marsgal42]

If we lived in the same city this would be my excuse to buy a fibre-optic inspection tool. Then we could have a look at the top and bottom ends easily, with the engine still in the chassis.

The engine accessibility reminds me of the Haynes manual for my long-departed VW Type 3 Fastback. They said that it was theoretically possible to replace the oil cooler with the engine in the car. Somebody tried it once, and was still at it when they came to take him away...

Good luck on this.

...laura

[dean]

Green1 sorry to hear you are not getting much response here in Calgary. ( I am in Calgary also).

Here is my situation, I bought Two vans from Monky's Inc. an exporter in Japan ( bad experience , live and learn).
Contacted Mardy Delica once they arrived to go over vans and do compliance ( very good experience, more education)
Started to drive vans back from Vancouver with my son following me. We were in between Keremeos? and Osoyoos and I had just reached over to the other seat to grab my map when my right wheel caught the ditch and by that time the bank was too steep and I couldn't bring it back onto the road. Had to travel down the ditch through a sign and a barbed wire fence.
Ended up smashing in the left front of the vehicle, sign wiped out also the winshield, dented roof,sunroof and one crystal lite glass. Also the back right axle broke, don't know to this day how that occured. No injuries , just pride and a frantic son.
Had it towed to Osoyoos and then back to Mardy Delica where he is storing it for me.
Had only Liability insurance as they would not give more insurance until it was inspected in Alberta.

Mardy is going to part it out for me it is a 1992 Super, grey over silver, About 121K.

Talked to Mardy he said to call him 604-720-6144.

I see you mentioned about Pro-Active, but I have always had good luck with them, maybe be worth it just for the diagnosis.
Let me know if I can help out.
403-819-8945

[jessef]

Green1.

I found a mechanic through a friend whom I trust.

Sent you a PM.

Jesse

[jessef]

Green1 sorry to hear you are not getting much response here in Calgary. ( I am in Calgary also).

Here is my situation, I bought Two vans from Monky's Inc. an exporter in Japan ( bad experience , live and learn).
Contacted Mardy Delica once they arrived to go over vans and do compliance ( very good experience, more education)
Started to drive vans back from Vancouver with my son following me. We were in between Keremeos? and Osoyoos and I had just reached over to the other seat to grab my map when my right wheel caught the ditch and by that time the bank was too steep and I couldn't bring it back onto the road. Had to travel down the ditch through a sign and a barbed wire fence.
Ended up smashing in the left front of the vehicle, sign wiped out also the winshield, dented roof,sunroof and one crystal lite glass. Also the back right axle broke, don't know to this day how that occured. No injuries , just pride and a frantic son.
Had it towed to Osoyoos and then back to Mardy Delica where he is storing it for me.
Had only Liability insurance as they would not give more insurance until it was inspected in Alberta.

Mardy is going to part it out for me it is a 1992 Super, grey over silver, About 121K.

Talked to Mardy he said to call him 604-720-6144.

I see you mentioned about Pro-Active, but I have always had good luck with them, maybe be worth it just for the diagnosis.
Let me know if I can help out.
403-819-8945

So that's yours in there (Mardy's). Looks like it could have been worse. Glad to hear you're okay.

Jesse

[Green1]

Well, today I pulled the upper timing belt cover off, and then the valve cover, I won't pretend I know what I'm looking at, but I don't see anything that looks "unusual" in either location, that leaves the bottom end, and I decided not to lie in the mud and try to disassemble that...

I have found someone willing to look at it in Strathmore, and I am having it towed out there this afternoon.

Hopefully I will end up getting my Delica grin back soon enough...

[john n]

Did you check the valve train?
I just saw a Delica today that had the rocker arm shaft break in three places.
I think the root cause was a crack in the aluminum camshaft hold down pillow, which extended through the female threaded part of the pillow that the rocker arms are bolted to, that loosened off the rocker shaft bolt between #2 and #3 cylinders and it steadily declined from there.
I'll post some photos tomorrow.
Prior symptoms were a rough idle and noisy tappets. Even though he had adjusted the tappets several times it was still noisy. Which in retrospect makes sense, as the rocker shaft was getting progressively looser, so the valve clearances where always getting wider.
Unfortunately the camshaft pillows are line-bored to the cylinder head, so a repair without removing / replacing the cylinder head is very unlikely.

[john n]

oops, I didn't read the post clearly, you had already checked under the valve cover.
Strathmore is quite a ways out of Calgary isn't it?
I'm surprised there isn't anyone willing to undertake the job in Calgary, it isn't that complicated.

[Green1]

I'm surprised there isn't anyone willing to undertake the job in Calgary

it's amazing how complicated things seem to suddenly get inside the engine if the steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle...
There was one place I didn't try who probably would have done it, but they have a reputation for being very expensive, and several previous customers of theirs have led me to question their quality.

Strathmore is only 50km away (though that equates to about a $250.00 tow charge!) but talking to the fellow out there was quite re-assuring, and if he manages to work anywhere near as well as it sounds, I'm sure it will have been the right decision.

[Green1]

Well, a bit of an update here, the oil pan came off and everything down there looked fine, no metal shards in the oil either...
The fellow looking at it says he thinks it's a valve seat that has fallen in to the cylinder... possibly related to the head replacment I had a year and a half ago.

will know more by the weekend...

[JMK]

Interesting. So what are the details on the head replacement that others perhaps should watch out for in hindsight to prevent the same thing happening? Care to share where the head replacement was done?

[Green1]

I don't yet know all the details on this, but I will know more by the weekend.

I'd be lying if I told you that I 100% knew what happened, but here is what the fellow looking at it has told me:
There was likely nothing done wrong on the head replacement per-se, (though a lot of the bolts in there holding the cam-shaft and such were awful loose...) however the head was a good condition used head and the holes that the valve seats sit in may have been a little larger than they should have been, and the alluminium head expands more with heat than the steel valve seats do. as a result the holes may have enlarged enough to let a seat fall through.

As I said, I'll know more by the weekend.

[john n]

If that is the case be sure to pull off and inspect the turbo, as it will be full of valve seat material that has most likely destroyed it.

[Green1]

turbo has been pulled and looks fine, no evidence of a problem there (beyond the over-active waste-gate problem that I have always had.)