Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

After spending $1500 only two weeks ago, should I be surprised that my van is dead in the water today? Of course it is a problem that had never even be showing any signs two weeks ago. I'm hoping it is something minor.

Over the last two days I could hear what sounded like the batteries dying, almost like they weren't getting fully charged and with each start there was less charge left in the batteries. Popped the trickle charger on it over night, but no help. This morning I got the slow crank and no turn over. I'm taking both batteries down for load testing. Hoping that they aren't holding charge anymore and it is a simple fix.

Does the forum have a line a good, affordable batteries for the dual battery system?

Related to this, the starter was rebuild 6 months ago and the alternator was replaced when the van was imported 14 months ago.

Sounded like the batteries dying? Slow cranking?

I would not simply rule out a starter or alternator that was recently rebuilt....I have had both fail just after replacement in my life time.

Dual batteries are connected together on the delica so if one has a bad cell it will pull the other down.

I would start with the terminal connections, remove clean and re-install. Next I would put a volt meter on and see what they have when the glow plugs are drawing and when the starter is running (or have them load tested).

A jump start from a healthy size battery will also give you an idea if it is a low amp/volt problem.

Next, you need to figure out if the alternator is putting out charge? If running should have around 14 volts at the batteries if healthy....

My L300 has Canadian Tire Eliminator batteries in it. Came with it when I bought it. 3 years old no complaints no problems...

Good luck......

It is easy to do a load test on a battery, tester is $20 to $40 at Princess Auto, just clip it into the terminals of your battery and turn it on and read the guage. If yo're in Burnaby, stop by and use ours. For our diesel vans you need to ensure that a "high load test" is put on (higher than for a gas engine), to mimic the amount of load that is put on the battery to start our sturdy diesel engines (for an L300 that load is a minimum of 275 amps).

AS for batteries, if you read our numerous posts on this topic, TardisDeli says only buy lead acid batteries.

Do NOT be up-sold into sexy swirly batteries, AGM, coloured tops, etc --- unless you regularly plan to roll your vehicle over and expect it to turn itself upright and keep on going like a racing sailboat does. You must buy a GOOD quality lead acid battery, and get 2 matching ones if your system has the 2 batteries joined via wiring (otherwise the weaker battery will constantly suck the life out of the stronger battery). How do you tell a good battery, it is difficult as it is due to the thickness of the metal plates inside (which you can't see), and how good the metal mixture is that they made those plates with (ie if the molten metal mixture has thick bits or blobs of zinc that didnt melt into the lead fully etc).

We love Edmonds Batteries (local company, several outlets). Also Polar batteries on Boundary near Hastings in Burnaby.

Batteries are 2 types: deep cycle or starting. Deep Cycle means the amps are able to be used / discharged gradually to a lower amount yet still able to take a recharge man many times. Starting means higher amount of CCA Cold Cranking amps available quickly to start your sturdy diesel engine. You can get combnation starting AND deep cycle, that is why we love the Edmonds Batteries... so you can have enough ooomph to start your diesel van,but also use the battery in its slow drain mode to power laptops, lights for camping, stereo etc.

Make sure you buy the highest CCA Cold cranking amp you can. Diesel engine in the winter NEEDS more amps than a gas engine.

The actual battery size ie Series 24 vs Series 27 etc, is determined by the physical size you can fit into your battery bracket. Again ensure both your batteries are the same size. You need the same fittings as you have now, either top mounted or side mounted.

Batteries NEVER last as long as the manufacturer states, so keep your receipt to claim refund when they die prematurely.

Now, on to your alternator. If your batteries have been dying for a while, you can damage the alternator regardless of how new it is, or you can damage the voltage rectifier etc. These are harder to test than the battery. So do your load test for battery first, if that shows batteries are weak, then replace your batteries, but watch carefully for next couple days for any power problems, because now the dying alternator will kill your new batteries. Vicious cycle of death there.

The Delica L300 and L400 symptom for alternator problems is that your trouble lights on the dashboard will glow faintly while driving. These trouble lights aka idiot lights, turn on brightly when you are starting your car so you see the lights for oil, handbrake, temperature, water in diesel, overheated transmission, etc. If these all come on faintly while driving then this is your alternator talking to you, crying out for help.

Good luck. Christine.

Yes, Thedjjack gives you great practical tests to help us diagnose you.

Yes, clean and tighten the terminals. Butch at CVI says 25 percent of electrical problems are caused by this.

Now test stuff:

Have you changed anything recently that affects electrical, ie put in new alarm system, or stereo, or lights. Often these are installed using a wire in your delica that seemed a good choice, but actually is not.

Drive with NO NONE NADA accesories on for 30 minutes, no ac, no stere0, no fans, no television. Now does your battery charge up?

When you stop driving and park, are headlights bright. Turn off engine, are headlights still bright, if so then batteries are holding the charge.

If someone jump starts you, do you start just fine. If not, then is probably something other than batteries.

When cold starting is your glow plug system working properly (ie clicking on and off in the expected amount of seconds depending on external temperature).

Post your answers here, there are heaps of people willing to help.
Christine.

I didn't see anybody make mention of the fusible links in the battery compartment - there have been a few of us who've had those finally let go.

Also, terminal connections, and not just on the battery. If a terminal connection is not tight, one can lose as much as 90% of the capacity to charge/discharge simply because the terminal is not securely fastened to the post. Check both the batteries and the alternator and the starter.

My final words will echo some of the other comments about dual batteries: either buy a really big one to replace the both, or buy two of the same to replace the both. A bad battery will ALWAYS kill a good battery, never a good battery recover a bad one.

Some of these vans have two batteries for two reasons: one is the larger requirement to turn over a diesel engine (due to higher compression rates); two is for winter starting when your glow plugs are pooched - you can crank longer with two batteries and hopefully achieve a compression start instead of a glow plug assisted start.

Yeah, I had gone through some of the basic tests before sending the batteries off for load testing. Low and behold, the batteries are fine.

Which puts this into a whole new category. Being that the starter was recently done, it is still under warranty, so thats good. However, I still need to get it done to him.

Though even he was suspect that it was the starter, he thinks its something different.

And so begins another search to fix journey, only two weeks after the last $1500 one. Might I add, I am a broke student with 3 children without the money to do this right now.

Where's my hammer? I have a starter to go hit.

Check the connections at both the starter and the battery....Starters pull huge AMPS....Also, make sure the safety switch for Park or Neutral are working (I assume since the starter is trying the switches are working).

Try jumping straight to the starter to eliminate other problems....

Check the 100 amp fuse for the alternator

Thanks for all the tips.

Being that I have the good batteries back, and from how things sounded, it was a slow degression to not starting, not an 'started-fine-now-doesn't-start' situation. I would make the assumption that if it was a fuse it would be the latter and I wouldn't have noticed the strain to get the engine cracked.

d.

So go on with troubleshooting....

L400 are quite different from L300 so you need to do your own troubleshooting, and write what you have done so we try to eliminate causes. On L300s we know the common causes, but the L400s have not been so well researched.

There is NO magic testing device for your symptoms, after battery load test now either YOU or an expensive mechanic just has to troubleshoot.

What work did you have done 2 weeks ago, is there anything that involved wires. I would look carefully at that.

Did you sandpaper the battery terminals ALSO your battery connectors, and tighten so you can't wriggle it.

If you run without accessories especially NOT the AC etc, will they charge up. AC is a huge drain, and only lately has weather been hot.

Idiot lights glowing while driving ... might need to shade the dash to see in the dayllight. This is critical to know if alternator is crying out for help.

Mararmeisto's comment on fusible link is very good, not sure where is on L400, but on L300 this is located above the battery wire mess, is a smal plastic holder with 4 wires coming out at each corner. Each wire protects a different geographical quadrant of the delica. See if the plastic housing is brown and crispy on one quadrant, They get overheated until finally the wire or plastic dies and then the Fusible Link is dead ... replace the wire with an exact same quage wire. Also, L300, there is another wire with a fuse in line, a single wire, located in the same wires above the battery, when that plastic housing gets crispy is causes intermittent inablility to start. And yes, normally fuse is on or dead, but if the plastic housing is getting more brittle, it does happen intermittently .... any handy person can replace the connectors (look for a neighbour little old guy down the street with a big ham radio antenna --they are experts at electrical handywork).

WE still need a bit more details from you. If your vehicle is jump started, does it still start slowly.

What if you finish driving, how are headlights. Then how are headlights next morning before you try to start it.

Is it same problem if you try to start one hour after driving, versus starting next day. Might have something trickle draining (a door ajar light, light left on, fridge left on, or an alarm system (alarm often a problem, their brain boxes go bad due to cheap electronics). Try disconnecting the battery overnight so see if it starts ok, if so then a trickle drain is culprit.

For now, park with battery charger on trickle charge.

I don't know if DeliTan is in town, you could PM him, he is one of thefew L400 owners who has done heaps of electric troubleshooting on L400.

Christine.

The L400 starting system is not much different than the L300 one.

Check the main fuse to the right of the rad/by the expansion bottle. Also check the main wires on their condition (strip back a bit of the sleeve). I found a positive main wire last year on an L400 that was near dust inside but looked healthy on the outside. Replaced it with a healthy wire and it solved all the electrical gremlins. May work for you.

A voltmeter/test light is your friend when chasing the gremlins.

Ah, yes, I forgot Jesse F has L400, and has solved many L400 issues for various owners.

Good luck on your troubleshooting, the Delica Community is a great resource, we just need more details after you do some troubleshooting so we can help you diagnose. By the way, we have had batteries that were no good even after the load test showed good. What jay calls Elec=trickery,

Sorry for not updating. After trouble shooting and following the great advice you guys have given me, the problem was narrowed down to the starter. Long story short, the shop that just rebuilt my injector, completely burnt out the starter. I'm fortunate that the starter is less than 6 months old and still under warranty by the guy that rebuilt it. He is in shock though and can't even recognize the brand new parts he installed because the are so mangled. He figures the mechanic was just cranking the snot out of the starter trying to get the van started after the IP pump was put in.

Anyways, I'm in need of some starter parts but will start a new thread for what I need!

Thanks again every one!!

who did the IP ?

Japan Auto in Abbotsford. Took 5 and a half weeks and we aren't on speaking terms any more.

It is a long story but I am planning on explaining it on the mechanic review section of the forum.