Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Shaun Van Ramen wrote: So my thought is that "Hard to start in the cold" is a price we pay for having diesels.

I'm inclined to take issue with condemning all diesels based on the performance of these Delicas. Consider their design. On these pumps, there is no mechanism for cold-start advancement of injection timing, something that makes a big difference in the cold. Without this, my '84 Ranger would struggle to run after starting just like the Delica. But, by advancing the timing for 30 seconds a few degrees (with a lever on the side of the IP) after glow plugs, off she goes. No "after-glow" needed for most cold starts.

Nor has the dropping resistor in the after glow GP circuitry been designed to provide heat to the intake like on this and other diesels.

So these Delica's weren't given every opportunity in life in the cold. I wonder if perhaps there is a way to trick a hydraulic advance of the timing with a slave servo on a modified clutch cylinder or some other rig, or just adapt the pump or find one that has the cold start rig.

Edited to include the youtube link of the 2.2 mazda cold-start with manual timing advance. I think that the 4d56 would behave similarly. It would quickly be able to idle without much smoke and, after a period of idling, not smoke to badly under load.

4d55 mitsubishi pump with servo controlled cold start mechanism

murdermitten wrote:.... Do you think that would actually cause the air in the...

yes quite possibly. someone once directed me to look at the filter assembly for a possible source of leaks so i used my hand vacuum pump to see if it held a vacuum after plugging the other orfice and sure enough it was leaking. starting improved after fixing. Luckily i had a spare good one but if i didn't i would have bought an aftermarket or other oem rig to replace it. We don't really need the hand pump filter unit but its nice.
but if its not leaking which is possible while having the pump not function the same tool can be used to check for leaks and restrictions elsewhere. 'Definitely an excellent tool to have. A vacuum gauge alone can also be used to see if the pump is having to work hard to overcome leaks or restrictions. Good luck!

Hello everyone-

So the new pump and OEM filter arrived today after quite a wait from Japan. I've removed the old filter, and I noticed there are a few differences between the old pump and filter and new one.

First the new pump has a much smoother feel with some resistance. The little oval flap on the inside closes the hole completely, while the old pump has a bent flap. Possibly a source of an air leak?

As for the filters, the old Matsushima filter has an insert on the top of the filter that supports a rubber gasket. The OEM filter did not come with this, do y'all think I should transfer it onto the OEM filter? It fits but the metal bracket is a little out of round.

Lastly, the sensor/cock needs to be transferred to the OEM filter but it's very stuck. What have people used to remove this big plastic nut?

My last new filter came with that little gasket sellotaped to the top of the filter- it didn't have a fancy metal retaining ring, but it's definitely supposed to be there. It also came with a new O-ring for the plastic drain plug.

The plastic drain plug is sometimes a pain to remove, I have a set of large tongue-and-groove pliers that does the job. The trick is not to install it too tightly- it's not really under any pressure, as long as it doesn't leak it's good.

I've used an adjustable pipe wrench, and the filter's supposed to have a new o ring. I'd go buy a Wix 33128 and keep the OEM for a emergency spare or return it. That water separator has been the biggest source of rough running on my van so far. I had the little o ring in the spigot on the bottom go bad too and start sucking air. It's a standard metric size...i'll try to remember the number, it's in an old post of mine on here.
Good luck,
M

I did not use the seal bit. I read on another site at the time of my filter change that some housings called for it, some did not. I came to the conclusion that mined did not when it seemed to work fine without (read as good as before when it had one).

Hi guys!

Minor update. Filter is on (without the fancy little metal bracket on top) as well as the new pump. The pump itself definitely was broken on the old one, as this one primes and drips fuel out of the bleed bolt after only a few pumps.

Went up to the Mount Hood the other day and parked it at 4,000 ft (1200 M) with sub-freezing temps. After a day of skiing, I had an easier time starting it but it was still a rough turnover with lots of white, then black smoke and a rough idle.


Going to bench test the current plugs to check for glow, and will probably try the new set I ordered to see if it changes things.

Thanks again for everyones input and stay tuned!

Hi everyone-

Happy to update this post to say everything seems to be working great now. I installed new plugs and the van fires right up in the morning as it should. I did not bench test the old ones yet, but it was definitely the problem! I've attached a few photos of the plugs, as well as the slightly longer replacements. To bel clear, they do not sit further down in the chamber, but rather the threads stick up a bit further.

Also included a couple shots of my bus bar, it's bent and dirty, but seems to be working fine.

We'll see how long these ebay plugs last, but I'm definitely picking up a set of Mitsubishi ones when I get the chance.

Thanks,

Eric