new member in Vancouver and some questions

[pelex]

Hi there,

New to Delica world and diesel engines

I have just registered my newly arrived Delica 93, P35W, 4D56 engine, super wagon, 5sp, 115k.
Glove compartment had all the maintenance records in Japanese upto 112k,
will be looking for someone to help with translation.
For now I can’t wait to drive it more, but want to at least change oil & filter,
as it hasn’t been driven for the last 8 months.
Dual battery was dead upon arrival, but after 24h changing works just great.

-Oil & filter: is it 15W40 that I have to use (not synthetic at this point), 4L ?, where to get oil filter from?
-Is it just my impression or it is noisier inside comparing to a typical car?
-Does anyone have a maintenance schedule for Delica?
-Vibration on low RPMs. I have noticed some vibration going on while idling, is it normal?
It seem to stop once in a gear with some RPMs going
-I have bike rack for 2” hitch receiver, is it possible to add 2’’ hitch to Delica ?
What are the options for bike racks (not on the roof – it is high already!!!!)
-Antifreeze extension tank is empty, I added some fluid there, but it seem to have disappeared,
and it doesn’t seem to be leaking, engine temperature stays rather low - just over whiter bottom bar most of the time.


I am pretty sure that some of these questions have been asked many times,
but if someone can still answer it is appreciated !!


pelex

[MardyDelica]

HI, Pelex, welcome to the club,
as per oil filter i have available made in japan oil filter, fuel & air filter i am out for the moment.
as per oil capacity on this delica it should be 6.5 liter when you did change the oil with filter .
as per vibration it need to tune it. you can phone me if need help to fix this. no problem. we fix many delica for a while now. we try our best to help our fellow delica owner.
hope this help you.
cheers;
Mardy

[pelex]

Hi Mardy.
Thanks for the reply, I didn't know AAI existed
I'll stop by your place some time soon to get an opinion about the engine condition.
Still want to translate the my maintenance records to get an idea what was done on the vehicle recently.

Pelex

[FalcoColumbarius]

Here are a few check list items that you may or may not need to do but may give you and idea of what to look for. It comes from a page off this site:

Falco.

Delica Wiki
To Do list on newly acquired Delica

This list is an attempt to answer what we should do to our Delica's once they first come off the boat. The is a check and fix/adjust/replace list:

* Clean your EGR or Block your EGR - often fixes the smoke problem

* Check the Turbo Pressure

Tires; DOT, 235x75x15 (or 30"x9.5x15) Delica stock tire is a 215x75x15 and a 31"x10.5 can be fitted if there's room (using a wider rim, from a Toyota truck is good match for the right offset)

Tranny oil: Take out pan, put new gasket & strainer metal filter ($25-30, '90 Montero kit),
use Destron 3 oil from Toyota (every 20-25K)

Timing Belt; replace at 80k (Always check Injection Pump Timing after replacing belt)

Injection Pump Timing; Set at 7* w/ engine off.

Engine/Tranny mounts; At least one shop (Coombs) has these in stock.

Check and Clean Battery Terminal; If original replace.

Front Brake Pad Replacement; (if below 40%) Front: Raybestos, PGD349C ('90 Montero - these are Ceramics which are hard on the rotors )

Rotors Machined;

Front/Rear Wheel Bearing / HUB Re-Grease;

Torsion Bars; check/adjust (Raise to improve handling and braking)

Alignment; (Must, especially after Torsion Bars adjustment)

Ball Joint; (Check/lube/ Replace)

Tie Rods / Steering Link; (Check/lube/ Replace)

Sway Bar Bushing; (replace)

All Suspension Parts; regressed.

Shock Absorber Inspection; (Check / Replace)

Coolant Flush; (Radiator Rebuild if Necessary)

Engine Flush; (ATF in oil)

Oil; Chevron Delo 400 15W40 (6.5L with new filter) or Esso XD3 15W40

Power Steering; Fluid Flush

Clutch Fluid; Flush

Brake Fluid; Flush

Transfer Case Oil;

Differential Oil (don't forget LSD additive if you have one);

Transmission Fluid;

Thermostat; (Replace)

Water pump; (Check/Replace - this seems about 50/50 and water pumps are reasonably priced)

Radiator Hoses (Check/Repace - stock Delica Rad hoses are known to fail catastrophically (sp?))

Radiator Cap; (Check /Replace)

Power Steering Belt;

Alternator Belt;

AC Belt;

Air filter; (or K&N filter 38-9207, luberFiner, Fram's); replace

Fuel Filter; Change

Oil Filter; Change (FRAM> PH6355 or NAPA> 1067)

Change Muffler or Pipes when needed.

New Wipers Installed

All Hinges Greased

All compliance items (headlights, DRL, reflectors...)

Undercoating for rust prevention (just a good idea...)

Anything else? Go ahead and add it but with this list your vehicle should definitely be on a good start to be a "Keeper", Happy Delica!

[MardyDelica]

Hi Falco, i notice on this list about the shock.
mostly if the shock is still original 100% it need to change , no matter what kms on it in the delica. thats why all delica i sell i re-place it all.
the reason for this is that the shock is sagging, it need to replace as per the age.
hope this help. cheers;
Mardy

[Green1]

-Oil & filter: is it 15W40 that I have to use (not synthetic at this point), 4L ?, where to get oil filter from?

Several dealers on here sell them, there are also compatible ones available at NAPA or Lordco.

-Is it just my impression or it is noisier inside comparing to a typical car?

Yes. you're driving a brick, the aerodynamics are awful, if you check the door seals you may be able to improve it a bit, but it won't be quiet as a benz.

-Vibration on low RPMs. I have noticed some vibration going on while idling, is it normal? It seem to stop once in a gear with some RPMs going

You drive a diesel now. hard to say without experiencing it if it is just normal, or if you may have a problem, new motor mounts may help, but diesels to idle a little rougher than gas engines.

-I have bike rack for 2” hitch receiver, is it possible to add 2’’ hitch to Delica ?

yup, but it has to be custom, many hitch shops can do the work.

What are the options for bike racks (not on the roof – it is high already!!!!)

Hitch mount rack, or I've seen various ways of putting trunk mount racks on the rear door, or someone on the forum built a custom rack for the bull-bar on the front.

-Antifreeze extension tank is empty, I added some fluid there, but it seem to have disappeared, and it doesn’t seem to be leaking, engine temperature stays rather low - just over whiter bottom bar most of the time.

If it isn't leaking out, then it is going one of 2 places, in to the radiator, or in to the engine, if in to the rad, just keep topping it up until full, if in to the engine then you may have a more serious problem such as a leaking head gasket or a small crack in the head.
As for the temperature, it's a common issue, most likely the wrong thermostat in your vehicle, it won't likely do any harm this way, but you're better off with the correct one.

[pelex]

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions.

I have managed to find a native Japanese speaker and we looked over my maintenance records.
According to the papers the car was serviced @ Mitsubishi regularly in order to pass the inspection every 2 years. During last 4 years all the belts, water pump, fluids etc were changed.
Oil is also good for another 1000km.
I am wondering how much I should attempt to change locally and why I should not trust Mitsubishi. Last time it was fully services @ 107k, it is now at 115k. There will probably be lots of pros to do it anyway... ). I'll just have to be "reasonable"
Interesting thing I noticed, whenever they replaced oil& filter they would only put 4.8---5L of oil and not 6.5L.... ??? Lat time they did 5L , I just checked the oil level and it is close to max mark right now.

Also after I added antifreeze to the top - it seem to stay at that level - a bit a relief on my side ) that it is not leaking (dried out on the ferry?)

===========
About 4H mode (shifting on the "fly")... I have read all the topics on this site I could find.
A few questions are still left...
- to engage 4x4: stop, shift to 4H, light "wheel locked" goes on, now you can shift on the fly 2H<--->4H (this is clear).

Now
- when "wheel locked" light is on - does it mean that hubs are now engaged or front differential is locked - meaning front wheels are spinning at the same speed ?
- if you switch to 2H now and front wheels remain spinning at the same speed what "good" would happen if you have to turn ? Where/how would you use 2H with "wheel locked" still ON ?

What are the basic rules to use 4H ? Consider this example below
Lets say it is winter in Vancouver and I am coming down Cypress mnt. Lots of snow at the top. So I engage 4x4 right away and go down until I reach the dry clear road. Now what ? I have to stop, switch to 2H, reverse for 10m to dis-engage the "wheel locked", and only after this I can turn without worrying to start hopping ? Am I missing something ?

I'll try to go to Delica meetup tonight to clarify a few more questions, but thanks for sharing anyway

Pelex

[jessef]

Never operate 4H or 4L on dry pavement or a normal road.

- when "wheel locked" light is on - does it mean that hubs are now engaged or front differential is locked - meaning front wheels are spinning at the same speed ?

Wheel lock light means that the front auto hubs are in locked position (axle locked into hub)

When you move the 4wd lever in the van to the 2H/4H/4L position, the shift linkage goes into the transfer case and actuates the front driveshaft -> front differential -> left/right axles.

The Delica's come with autohubs. They will lock automatically.

The front carrier just has 'open diff' spyder gears. No limited slip member, nor air/mechanical locker.

What are the basic rules to use 4H ? Consider this example below
Lets say it is winter in Vancouver and I am coming down Cypress mnt. Lots of snow at the top. So I engage 4x4 right away and go down until I reach the dry clear road. Now what ? I have to stop, switch to 2H, reverse for 10m to dis-engage the "wheel locked", and only after this I can turn without worrying to start hopping ? Am I missing something ?

Yes. Go down in 4H/4L and then you'll have to put it back into 2H before you hit a normal paved road. You may have to reverse a bit to disengage the auto hubs on the front wheels.

The wheel lock sensor will tell you whether or not your front wheel hubs are locked.

Example. I have manual locking hubs on mine.

If I leave my Delica in 2H but hop out and manually lock the hubs, the light will come on.

It's a nice feature if I'm faced with a very steep grade to crawl down on yet need to make a sharp turn at some point.

I can put it into 4L and leave the manual hubs disengaged. That will give me turning capability in the front while have a 4L crawling ratio in the rear.

Some options out there.

You may also have a limited slip differential in the rear.

Check this two ways :
1. Orange/Red sticker on the inside door jam on the driver's side.
2. Jack up your Delica so that the two rear wheels are off the ground (use jack stands). Spin one of them. If they both spin in the same direction, you have a limited slip differential (good thing) for added traction.

Hope this helps.

Jesse

[konadog]

Be leery about your rad too as these are often badly clogged. Check it out:

cc2.jpg (56.38 KiB) Viewed 4784 times

It's really cool you have all the records, but it's still a good idea to have the bus inspected by someone like ccautos - You get first hand inspection, disscusion and guidance from a delica specialist with a solid reputaion here. We didn't get any maintanece book with our bus, but she did have a current Shaken sticker and was only ever owned by one person and we still had a pile of projects done - Money very well spent
And while you almost certianly have auto locking hubs, some delicas, like our's, do come equipped with permanently locked hubs. They look like this:

hub1.jpg (46.41 KiB) Viewed 4783 times

We had them switched out for mannuals for some of the same reasons that jfarsang outlined - I really like the option of using the low range gears without locked hubs . It's not such an issue now with the auto trans in the delica, but with the old stick shift truck it was helpful for backing a loaded trailer up steep driveways

[pelex]

So...If front diff is an open differential (and front weells are never locked at the same speed) wouldn't the differential then "handle" (to a good degree) the turns in 4H mode or in 2H with front "wheel locked" light ON ?
(dry paved road is out of the picture of course)

[Green1]

So...If front diff is an open differential (and front weells are never locked at the same speed) wouldn't the differential then "handle" (to a good degree) the turns in 4H mode or in 2H with front "wheel locked" light ON ?
(dry paved road is out of the picture of course)

The problem here is that there is no centre differential, so the front and rear axles must always spin at the same speeds, the 2 sides can spin at different speeds, but it is still very hard on parts to drive in 4H when on any form of "grippy" surface.
but yes, in 4H the steering is still quite responsive, unlike in some vehicles with full diff-locks.

[jessef]

Normal uses of 4H

Packed snow on highway
Loose gravel / logging roads
Off road - mud / dirt roads/terrain

Basically any type of surface that is loose (not hard like pavement or ice)

Normal uses of 4L

Below 10km/hr driving speed
Deep snow/mud/dirt roads/terrain
Going up or down very steep terrain

Pretty much anytime you need really low torque. Usually going down a very loose and steep road/terrain or climbing a steep rocky slope.

[FalcoColumbarius]

One thing to think about, Pelex, is when was the 112,000 km check up. The Miss Lil' Bitchi had had a check up at 60,000 km. I got her at 61,000 km. What I didn't know was how long she had been sitting in a field. During that time all the seals had dried out and shrunk and next thing I know is oil all over the timing belt ~ not a good thing. It is good to have the history of your Delica but check these things none the less. If you are driving down the highway and that timing belt snaps, it means a new engine.

Cheers! Falco.

P.S.: Nice meeting you tonight.

[dfnder]

[quote="FalcoColumbarius"]Here are a few check list items that you may or may not need to do but may give you and idea of what to look for. It comes from a page off this site:

Falco

Delica Wiki

Tires; DOT, 235x75x15 (or 30"x9.5x15) Delica stock tire is a 215x75x15 and a 31"x10.5 can be fitted if there's room (using a wider rim, from a Toyota truck is good match for the right offset)

If I get a 7" rim will I need to have an offset as well, I'm guessing 1/2" to equal out the rubber gain width wise. I'm thinking of getting 30x9.50R15 and a set of ProComp's which got high reviews in another thread.

[jessef]

15x7 with 3.25 - 3.75 " backspacing is perfect for 30x9.5x15's