Life after the L300?

[psilosin]

Another question is how come so many people are running their imports into the ground so fast.

They survived 15 years in mint condition in Japan yet many do not last even 4-5 years here. Its almost impossible to find any square headlamp L300's (pre 91) in BC anymore, just as its almost impossible to find any of teh townaces, HJ61, BJ73/4's, 1st gen Surfs (removable roofs) etc etc that were imported in 2004-2006. What happened to them all??

All my imports look as good now (or when I sold them) as they did when I imported them. Take care of your stuff and you won't have to think about life after the L300 for a long time.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Another question is how come so many people are running their imports into the ground so fast.

They survived 15 years in mint condition in Japan yet many do not last even 4-5 years here. Its almost impossible to find any square headlamp L300's (pre 91) in BC anymore, just as its almost impossible to find any of teh townaces, HJ61, BJ73/4's, 1st gen Surfs (removable roofs) etc etc that were imported in 2004-2006. What happened to them all??

All my imports look as good now (or when I sold them) as they did when I imported them. Take care of your stuff and you won't have to think about life after the L300 for a long time.

Hear, hear ~ Psilosin!

Falco.

[legionnair]

Another question is how come so many people are running their imports into the ground so fast.

They survived 15 years in mint condition in Japan yet many do not last even 4-5 years here. Its almost impossible to find any square headlamp L300's (pre 91) in BC anymore, just as its almost impossible to find any of teh townaces, HJ61, BJ73/4's, 1st gen Surfs (removable roofs) etc etc that were imported in 2004-2006. What happened to them all??

All my imports look as good now (or when I sold them) as they did when I imported them. Take care of your stuff and you won't have to think about life after the L300 for a long time.

That's an easy question to answer, ICBC will write them off at any chance they can. Also because good mechanics are few and far between a lot of them just give up on their vehicles cause they did not realize the cost of maintaining a 15 - 20 year old vehicle.

My two cents

Dustin

[BCDelica]

Another question is how come so many people are running their imports into the ground so fast.

They survived 15 years in mint condition in Japan yet many do not last even 4-5 years here. Its almost impossible to find any square headlamp L300's (pre 91) in BC anymore, just as its almost impossible to find any of teh townaces, HJ61, BJ73/4's, 1st gen Surfs (removable roofs) etc etc that were imported in 2004-2006. What happened to them all??

All my imports look as good now (or when I sold them) as they did when I imported them. Take care of your stuff and you won't have to think about life after the L300 for a long time.

Yeah, well said.

During my BC visiting, more so on the Westcoast of Van Isle, Denman and Hornby Island, I have seen Delica's in the sorriest states imaginable. So much rust that you knew there was not much time left for them.

Now I was happy to drive mine down roads that were a barely there tunnel through the branches, and sometimes drive routes intended for quads only, but if I'd kept it would have figured it would still look and run great. Thailand was full of Mitsu pickups, L200 that where 15 to 25 years old, that owners kept looking like new. I peeked in many a L200 with 600,000 to 900,000 on the odometer.

And if your concerned about your Earth footprint, the image that each of the owners of the Delica I'm mentioning were trying to embrace, then keep your vehicle healthy for as long as possible.

[glenn]

It's interesting that the L300's going through the auctions now are generally fetching higher prices than the L400s. I've owned my L300 for nearly 5 years now. This is the longest I have owned any vehicle - a testament to how much I love the van.

What kills me most about the L300 is the 85hp. I just came back from Yellowstone - driving over 2000 km, and the only vehicle I passed in that entire time was a oversized piece of mining equipment being dragged up a pass. I know a little more power can be squeezed out of it, but I suspect any mods to the engine generally means more stress on the already fragile head. I've already cracked one head (which resulted in a complete engine swap-long story), and now the head gasket on this engine appears to be failing. Coolant is being forced out of the radiator, into the reservoir and onto the road. I had to un-pressurize the cooling system to prevent the build up of pressure from the engine and the constant emptying of the rad. This meant some very, very slow hills to keep the needle at a hair above cold. No sign of coolant in the oil, or visa versa yet though. CVI will be seeing me soon.

At any rate, I keep waffling between life in the slow lane, or replacement with an L400. I love the attention this topic receives. I thought I was convinced it was time to upgrade, but the last few posts have me thinking of holding on to my L300 a while longer. I sure get a lot of thumbs up, fist pumps, rubber necking, smiles, etc, when travelling south of the border. Not sure the L400 would receive the same attention, which I frankly enjoy.

[glenn]

I just learned that a pressurized cooling system is rarely as simple as a head gasket. Repairs could quickly exceed the value of the van. At this point, I'm thinking of simply cutting my losses and selling the van as is. I'm just glad I didn't get stuck down in Wyoming and I made it back home.

The L300, for all it's simplicity, has a significant Achilles heel with it's cooling system/aluminum head/85hp. I need a van than can comfortably pull my tiny tent trailer and take four people camping. The fact that L300's have to be run so close to dangerous levels that one needs to constantly monitor egt's tells me that it is not the right van for my family. I would like a better margin of error.

Anyone interested in a slightly imperfect L300?

Glenn

[mararmeisto]

Another question is how come so many people are running their imports into the ground so fast.

They survived 15 years in mint condition in Japan yet many do not last even 4-5 years here. Its almost impossible to find any square headlamp L300's (pre 91) in BC anymore, just as its almost impossible to find any of teh townaces, HJ61, BJ73/4's, 1st gen Surfs (removable roofs) etc etc that were imported in 2004-2006. What happened to them all??

All my imports look as good now (or when I sold them) as they did when I imported them. Take care of your stuff and you won't have to think about life after the L300 for a long time.

First of all, we tend to drive a lot more than the Japanese, and greater distances too. Considering most of the JDM's were coming across the water with little more than 100,000 km on the clock (in 15 years) and the average North American drives between 20-25,000 km/yr, it won't take long to surpass in a few years what took 15 before. My Pajero had 107,000 km on it 2.5 years ago - I just changed the transmission fluid at 163,450 km!

Also, I'd echo the other poster: while ICBC essentially got called out on the position of the steering wheel to safety issue (completely in the wrong, cooked the numbers), they have made no two bones about writing off JDM vehicles with the slightest amount of damage. I can think of one instance that was shown me where the van had flopped onto its side and broke a taillight (none of the glass broken and the body was still "true", although the sliding door was scuffed up) - total writeoff; meanwhile a Ford that had had its cab crushed downwards to the level of the seats - repairable.

While that may be a cost issue (for replacement parts and the such), it still doesn't bode well for when a JDM owner gets into an accident. Be pro-active, know where the vehicle can be repaired, know who has access to parts.

Glenn: agree with you, the 85hp for towing stuff, it is a hinderance, especially if there are four adults in the van. And if you live in BC. Unfortunately, short of moving east of the Rockies, you'll have to deal with hills/mountains, and it was a reason for me to choose the Pajero with the 2800 cc motor instead of the 2500 cc. Now, if one could put the 4M40 into an L300, well then I might go back, but until then I'm going to still with my SWB Paj.

[yojimbo]

The L300 wasn't really designed as a towing machine, the clue is in the name, the L400 has it's share of cooling and heat related problems, more so than the 300 it seems from posts. I guess I drive mine in a more JDM style, not clocking up huge distances, and not at the limit for miles on end. For family camping, if I couldnt fit it in an L300 for the 4 of us, I'm doing something wrong

They're a quirky funky van that can get almost anywhere if needs be and carry a lot of stuff, but it doesnt make them a towing monster, nor does it mean they are actually an off road beast either, a monocoque body is not ideal for that for rust and damage reasons, hence why landies are the weapon of choice here for off road play. Having come from a series 3 landy though, my driving style suits the L300 I guess

If being as it isnt working, then fair enough, maybe get something different. But I hate changing vehicles due to a repair being more than the cost of the van. or a service being that, if the van is worth it to you, then the cost is irrelevant, but then my L300 here would be worth about $1500, so I'm biased, you cant buy anything better with similar milage for near that money.

[yojimbo]

Just 2 more points to my post

Worrying about HP is really only an issue for track cars, for road use, torque is the real value, and its curve, the 4d56t has its peak torque at 2000rpm, that means thats where its happy, delivering max power, of course for hills and that you have to work with the gearing to find a sweet spot, but peak HP is at 4000rpm, and thats going to cook the motor.

In Japan, there is a warning that goes off above 100kmh, and I've read that you guys are often cruising at 120, sticking to 100kmh max keeps everything in a much happier zone. Its a JDM vehicle, and thats the use that was expected.

I don't believe this engine is expected to last long at higher rpms, and using an EGT gauge to keep it within bounds is a good idea, but maybe you guys are expecting too much from it? Turbo charging a diesel changes the power curve, and does mean you have better top end power, but this is not a modern diesel and all that it means. It's a chugger, and it likes to cruise along at a sedate pace, and it will last a long time doing that, but loading it up with trailers and expecting modern diesel performance from it will kill it.

Slow down, and enjoy the view, sub 100km/h is a nice pace to look around

Groovy.

[glenn]

Yojimbo - We are minimalist car-campers. We don't even pack a cooler most trips. No bikes, no gear - just a few rubber made bins with clothes and food and a coleman stove. But, I'm a princess when it comes to sleeping on the ground. That's why I have the very small tent trailer. It's just a bed on wheels. My kids sleep in the van. Even on an L300 you can't even tell it's there. If this is too much of a burden for this van, then it definitely does not suit my needs.

I have had my van for almost 5 years now, and I am very aware of it's positive attributes. I'm very attached to it, I've been everywhere from Bella Coola to Yellowstone. My kids love the van. We are a roadtrip family and have spent many, many hours in our van. I also drive under 100 - especially once I learned how many heads were cracking. We have a family joke that 8 hrs on google maps = 12 hrs in the delica. It's funny because it's true. Yes, I should have had a EGT gauge in it, but here I now sit with a worthless vehicle.

We should start a program to match up nice vans with blown heads with rolled vans with good engines - they're both numerous. Ok, that was mean, sorry, L300.

But, L300, I want to break up . . . I know we will still be friends. . .

It's not you, L300, it's me.

[yojimbo]

Glenn, my L300 says you have a wandering eye and you should just go something about going and seeing if a younger more adapted model will serve you better with her hussy ways.

Oh and you'll get diseases.

To be honest, I think she's pretty biased, and I keep my mouth shut around her.

[jessef]

If you're waffling on the novelty you get when south of the border, in my experience, both L300/L400 always received equal amounts of rubber necking and eyes bulging. In fact, the L400 seems to garner more attention because of the modern-esque shape.

L300 is not meant for towing. The 2WD version is nice, lighter but alas no 4x4.

The cracked heads is another thread (many of them). I believe they are just not well mated to that van + our roads. If you tallied up all the cracked heads per year the shops get in.. wow.

[legionnair]

I just learned that a pressurized cooling system is rarely as simple as a head gasket. Repairs could quickly exceed the value of the van. At this point, I'm thinking of simply cutting my losses and selling the van as is. I'm just glad I didn't get stuck down in Wyoming and I made it back home.

The L300, for all it's simplicity, has a significant Achilles heel with it's cooling system/aluminum head/85hp. I need a van than can comfortably pull my tiny tent trailer and take four people camping. The fact that L300's have to be run so close to dangerous levels that one needs to constantly monitor egt's tells me that it is not the right van for my family. I would like a better margin of error.

Anyone interested in a slightly imperfect L300?

Glenn

How about looking at swapping in a totally different motor like a very well built 22R. I know its not a diesel but you would be putting in one if not the most reliable engine made. I bet the L300 would just be like a built.

Dustin

[glenn]

How about looking at swapping in a totally different motor like a very well built 22R.

Sounds good, but without any real mechanical know how, a rocket engine would be just as feasible for me.

On a similar note though, apparently you can put a lexus V8 in with very little modification.

[legionnair]

[

On a similar note though, apparently you can put a lexus V8 in with very little modification.[/quote]

OK where have you heard this, or are you just pulling my leg

Dustin