Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

I live in California. On a recent camping trip with my 1987 L300 Turbo Diesel while chugging up a long steep hill, I had a sudden loss of power. I pulled over, and then watched as my engine temp slowly increased. About half a cup of coolant came out through the overflow and the needle stayed within the lines, though stopped 3/4 of the way to the top. After sitting for a bit, I continued forward very slowly. The engine temp dropped to normal, and stayed there. I have very little power for uphill climbs but was able to limp the 100 miles to my friend's house. The one mechanic who would look at the Delica in the small town where my friends' lived said he thought the turbo was blown and said he thought besides for that issue that the engine was fine. I had it towed home, and now have it in a shop in Oakland, CA. The mechanic here is going to look at it, but seems hesitant to work on it (fearing impossible to find parts and little info on the van).

Question. Does anyone have any thoughts about what happened? Helpful resources for parts (I have looked on Ebay)? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Gabriel

I'm not a mechanic so I have no advice on what went wrong.
What I can say though, is that parts are not hard to get. There are multiple sources in BC that can ship you parts no problem.
I'll let you search for the dealers on this site because my opinion will be biased.
If that mechanic is hesitant, maybe you should look for a diesel mechanic (possibly a VW guy).
A Diesel engine is a Diesel engine.

Good luck

I not sure how they make mechanics these days but the delica diesel is a pretty simple motor.... mechanics have no fear.

sounds like a possible head damage not sold it is the turbo.... I would like to see a compression test or leak down test before I moved forward fixing the turbo...

You need a egt or pyro to drive in mountains safely very easy to spike exhaust temps on a diesel climbing...

If pushing the throttle down gives no speed you need to back off on the fuel or all you make is heat!!!! also Delica likes some RPM to stay cool...

Do not drive it like a gas motor

@thedjjack - I wish I could find fearless mechanics. Seems like all I get of late are folks who say that they are not interested in working on my Delica. I had a guy in Bishop do a quick test on the engine say that he thought the head was fine and that there was no issue with the compression. He thought the turbo was shot. I will certainly look in the egt/ pyro since I do a good bit of mountain driving.

@nvanadm - I don't mind biased opinions as long as they are sound. Good call on the VW guy, if the current folks won't work on it, I will call around to some VW people in my area.

I'm in Seattle and have had good luck with finding someone to work on my L300. Shops that work on the latest diesels only, won't like the Deli because it is basic, old tech diesel. You need to find someone who understands and likes older diesels. Parts are not a problem at all. I would second that I don't think it is the turbo. Could be a leaking head gasket or cracked head. Do a compression test and make sure all four cylinders are within spec and within 5 or 6 pounds to max 10 pounds of one another.

I sure hope it is not the head. I had a VW mechanic in Bishop, CA disable the fuel pump and have me crank over the engine. He said he thought the compression was fine. There is no sound of the turbo kicking in, so whatever the issue, it is stopping the turbo from working.

probably you have punctured the seal under the cylinder head or worse yet cracked the head block. to determine more precisely, it is necessary to open the radiator CAP and cold start the engine. If after some time you'll see in the radiator air puzyrki in tosole, the reason that I wrote. In the winter the first sign it stops working the front oven. Spare parts for the repair of the engine very much like new and old. Now this engine produces the Koreans and the Chinese for their machines.

@falco - thank you. I will check it out in the next few days and report back.

I finally got to taking a look at the turbo. I removed the hose that attaches to it and tried to spin it with my finger. The blades of the turbo fan (?) do look a little worn, but it spins freely and smoothly. I took a picture in case there is something I am missing here. I wonder what else would keep it from engaging. Should I check fuel and air filters?

I did notice something odd. Looks like some component behind the engine that is suppose to have a cap, but does not have one. Anyone know what this is?

I've added 2 pictures which I think are of the same area as your 1st. picture. This pop valve is to protect the engine and will open @ about 15 psi to control maximum turbo boost. It looks like yours has disappeared. I have added a bracket to stop mine from opening as it opened about 11 psi. If the space is open you will effectively have no turbo boost. You can blank it off or purchase a used one from an old motor. When you run the motor does exhaust come out of the opening?

So my current theory is this.

The inlet relief manifold for the turbo somehow got loose. While I was ascending a steep grade under load it popped off. I did notice when I experienced the sudden lack of power that there was an accompanying and noticeable louder sound from the motor. Since the motor had been stressed going up the hill it was hot and once I stopped there was no coolant circulating and air flowing to cool it down and the temperature level rose to the point where some coolant boiled out through the overflow. Hopefully with the installation of the inlet manifold relief valve, I will once again have turbo power. I plan on installing a pyro since all the trips I take with the van involve uphill climbs.

Thanks for the help. If you think I have missed something here, please pipe up.

@lrp374 - yes. When I run the van, exhaust does come out of that hole.

anytime I hear that the overflow bottle has dumped coolant, I think pressurized cooling system via cracked head. Watch your coolant levels like a hawk - both in the overflow, and in the radiator. You may see no other symptoms of a cracked head except this. I know your inlet relief valve is gone - but why did your engine dump the coolant? If you do continue loosing coolant - drive with the radiator cap off and and take it easy.