help !! on the road trouble !

[fishslapper]

Hey folks !
I am on the road in north california . I stopped in reno to see a show (beck) and when i tried to start the van......nothing but a click. The relay clicked and then i tried and it would not go. SO i moved the gear shift down to "L" and back up to park.... And then it started !!! IT did this a few times. Any idea what part is going ??

Also the wheel lock light was coming on while going up the passes !! It would flicker on and then i would i would push thge shift lever (4 wheel drive lever) down and it would go back out.... I have never had the van in 4 wheel drive yet. ANy ideas would be great !!! thank you !! I still need to make it 2000 km back home !!!

[Jaz]

This might help:
http://www.delica.ca/forum/mysterious-n ... tml#p16276

1st problem could be a starter solenoid - try tapping the solenoid with a metal bar or something, usually jolts them back to life. Still, it's a sign that the solenoid might be on the way out. Also, as mentioned in the thread above, it might be that the microswitch on the shifter is wearing out, so it's thinking that it's not in gear... perhaps the two problems could be related?

[coaxial]

Re: the 4wd light and never having engaged it, the 4wd (front x-case and diff) can become partially engaged in various ways. It might be a good idea to fully engage and un-engage it to make sure it is fully out of 4wd.

Just find a parking lot and
-drive in a straight line,
-stop,
-engage 4H,
-drive forward in a straight line until it is fully engaged (3m or something, or like 10m to be safe)
-and then stop,
-shift back to 2H,
-and reverse in a straight line. You'll hear a nice click as it disengages.

Drive away normally. As soon as you start going forward the light should go off and shouldn't bother you anymore after that. Otherwise it might be a sensor problem.

Just my guess as I've seen similar behavior solved this way.

The shifter has a sensor in it I believe that gets dirty and gummed up and doesn't properly sense you are in N or P, not enabling the starter. Not sure as I drive a standard which doesn't even have a clutch sensor.. I can start in gear

[sid]

I had the exact same thing on one of my vans. There is a switch in the shift column that only allows starting while in park & sometimes it sticks. So no start. I would have to wiggle the shifter around while it was in park and it would go. Mardy (Edwin) fixed it while i was getting my CVI tune he didnt actually replace anything, he just knew it was one of these Delica things. it is good as new.

As for your light coming on intermittently, I would check the wiring, as they tend to fray and eventually break right where the wires come out of the transfer case and loop beneath it and up the other side. There is a flexible tab assembly that holds the wires in place right under the T Case, and i seem to remember a plastic clip/plug too. They vibrate there and rub through the wire casing, maybe you got a short there. Worth a check anyway.

hope it helps

sid.

[robinimpey]

Hey Fishslapper, I had this same thing on my van and Mardy replied to my problem. It was the safety switch on the transmission which just needed to be cleaned and put back together. If you van doesn't start you can just wiggle your sift lever and it should work or move it to neutral and it will start there as well. I wouldn't worry about pulling the switch off until you get home, but if you want to it's only a 30 minute job, even on the road if you have just a few tools. I can send a picture of the switch if you want to do it on the road.

I would suspect that the 4wd light is the same sort of thing, but can't say for sure as I haven't dealt with that............yet.

Bon Voyage!

[fishslapper]

Hey there ! THanks for the info ! THe starting issue has not happened again. It happened 2 times. I will try the 4 wheel drive light fix tonight. I will put it into and out of 4 wheel drive. It was scary driving up a pass at 60 km/h and having the wheel lock light come on. It was bad enough that it was reading 43 on the outside temp gauge and i was crawling up the mountain pass with a cloud of black smoke coming out behind me and the engine temp gauge creeping up......up.......up.
Never over-heated though !!

When i get back i will have to take the vehicle to cvi for a tune up and check up. THe van seems like it is working too hard. I think the turbo might need to be turned up.. along with timing, valve lash etc.....etc.... My 1978 vw camper was getting up the passes with less trouble !! I am not heavy footed by the way. I drive the van very gently. IT just seems like 60km/h and 3200 rpm is not right . Plus the best i have gotten is 500 km on the highway. (i don't wait for the fuel light to come on though)

I also need to adjust the headlights. The cutoff is really sharp and i cannot see anything up the road more than 60ft or so. The headlight patern on the depo lights is like the bat signal !!! It is messed up.... And to think i always wanted projector headlights !!! lol's

The trip is going great though. I am in nothern california in the mountains (my altimeter is reading 1500 meters) I am riding on 215 hp jet ski's and staying in a friends house right on the lake ! (lake almanor if you want to google earth it)


Thanks for the info !!

cheers.

[coaxial]

Sounds like a great road trip, I can't wait to explore california :)

In case you don't know, if the temp gauge reaches 3/4 of the way up the best thing to do is pull over and let the engine idle until it cools down. Turning the engine off at those temps is a bad idea and is very hard on the turbo, etc. Always letting the engine idle before turning it off is a good idea anyways, especially if it has been working hard or is running hot. Running the heater full blast helps as well if needed.

[MardyDelica]

Hi, fishslapper,
try to take it easy to your van maybe radiator is plug.
as per the 4wd sometime came on, make sure the knob for 4wd is always on 2wd. some we accidentally move it upward.
happy that you fix the problem.
call me if you need some help.
cheers;
Mardy