Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

So there I was, running signal wires through the hood for my rearview camera system (will be covered in future post), when I noticed a orange wire guntaped to the inside of the Engine compartment. I figured that it was just a leftover from an old gadget, so I decided to strip it out. Well, I followed the wire to a device connected to the transfer case.There is also a green wire coming out of the 'chummy', I don't know where it goes, it disapears into a wire conduit.

Does anybody know what this is? Is it important to the operation of the Van? (I'm guessing not, seeing as how half of it wasn't connected to anything!)


This is it, the cylinder at the top right of the picture:


Another shot, you can see the u joint exiting the Xfer case:

I dont actually know but since it has something to do with the speedo I am going to guess 2 possibilities. One, you have (had??) cruise control or 2, it was for the 110km/hr warning chime.

I think it may have been the chime, but the installation was really second rate (and it was just duct taped to the inside of the engine compartment. Any other guesses? Anyone? Anyone?

where you show it it is quite professionally attached (and one might say stock looking...)
so, possibilities I can think of, when you engage 4wd do you get both the wheel lock and 4wd indicator lights working properly on your dash? it may be related to one of those... not sure what else the wiring in to the transfer case does...

Green1 wrote:where you show it it is quite professionally attached (and one might say stock looking...)
so, possibilities I can think of, when you engage 4wd do you get both the wheel lock and 4wd indicator lights working properly on your dash? it may be related to one of those... not sure what else the wiring in to the transfer case does...

I don't have a wheel lock indicator light on the dash, just the green 4WD indicator light.

I don't have a wheel lock indicator light on the dash, just the green 4WD indicator light

oh I suspect you have one... but it may have a broken wire controlling it....

Green1 wrote:

I don't have a wheel lock indicator light on the dash, just the green 4WD indicator light

oh I suspect you have one... but it may have a broken wire controlling it....

Nope no wheel lock light. Just the green square that lights up on the bottom (center) of the dash when you engage 4H or 4L. There is nothing on the dash that would suggest a wheel lock light was ever present. I will have to compare to the other vans in the area

Easy way to look at your dashboard to see the unlit "Idiot Symbols" : stand outside the drivers side in daylight, and look at your dashboard panel from the side of the steering wheel, eyes level with the bottom of the instrument panel, should see the engraved out symbols.

"Wheel Lock" symbol is actually the words. Is directly below the centre of the rpm meter indicator, along the same horizontal line as the "4 wheel drive" symbol in the centre of dash.

My "4 wheel drive" symbol will light up just by shifting into 4 wheel drive (while standing outside looking at the panel). But my "Wheel Lock" only goes on when in gear and engine running.

Good Luck in your detectiv-ing. Christine.

But my "Wheel Lock" only goes on when in gear and engine running.

further to that, the wheel lock light will only come on after some movement of the vehicle (I'm guessing that it actually is "testing" the wheels to make sure they are locked)

I'll take another look tonight on the drive home. I've had it in 4WD in the past, and all I've ever seen is the green light at the center bottom illuminated

yep either or both lights are prone to failure, I'd say about 3/4 of delicas have only one or the other working. I only have the green one, I've searched for a broken wire for the other and found nothing. Next time the dash is off I'll check the bulb.

Iactually do only have one, but mine is an 89, and has a different look to the instrument panel altogether.

OK so I scrutinized the guage cluster, consulted the owner's manual and I truly do not have a wheel lock indicator light. Some models simply didn't have it. (on the flipside, some models have a glow plug light on the right side of the cluster)

The only other thing I was able to find out is that I seem to have a leak on the passenger side!

..the mystery continues...

Wheel lock light normally fails due to two common faults . Either the pickup in the transfer box that measures front driveshaft speed fails or the wiring harness running over the front fuel tank rubs through and corrosion sets in on the shielded wire that tells the wheel lock relay to turn on the light . The 4wd light normally fails due to the damaged wires hanging off the back of the transmission . As for that unit on the speedo cable , it must be the remains of a crude cruise control system as the overspeed buzzer is wired directly into two terminals on the back of the dash clock assembly . Just been and looked at seven different vans and none of them have one of those !!!!

All vans post `91 had the wheel lock light (unless wrong dash installed). It is directly below the `x1000r/min` stamp on the tach . Just says `wheel lock`

ccautos wrote:As for that unit on the speedo cable , it must be the remains of a crude cruise control system

Ok, it's time for me to go to bed, I read a crude cruise MISSILE control system!

(Although, a missile launcher would look cool on my roof rack!)