Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hey all.

Well as a Canadian living in Norway I really overestimated the security of my van even here where most people still don't even lock up their bicycles. I took a short trip using the excellent train system and left my van in the parking lot overnight as many people do. Well that feeling I hope none of you will experience when I came back was hard to stomach......gone she was. However the scene was pretty much drunk/punk kids joyride and after an all day search I found my van fortunately about a km away...... I still don't have a clue of the state of the transmission/drive because a screwdriver had been jammed into the ignition and used to start/ drive it. But I now have some tech questions regarding the condition of the ignition system and how I can get it running it the spot it is in..... I REALLY hope that is all that is wrong.

1. - So it seems the screwdriver cannot be used to fully turn back the ignition switch and, in turn shut off all the electrics (ie. the accessory or step 2 out of 3 when you turn your key normally....the clock is always now on (and so would the radio if it was still there) and I am starting to think problem #2 is also related to this 1st problem).

2. NO GLOW PLUG CLICK. So the battery was fully disharged after being abandoned and the ignition damage kept the accessories and lights on....however when I boosted it and tried to start (using a screwdriver - no chance with key) the glow plugs failed to engage and therefore all I got was some cranking over of the engine before she died again. The temperature here is just above freezing but like it should, it used to fire up first crack after the trademark 'double click' of the plugs. My BIG questions are:

A) Are the glow plugs burnt out and or ECU messed up now???
B) Are the glow plugs/ECU not engaging because I can't actually take the key/screwdriver all the way back to the original postion and then retry?
C) Did these @#$holes run my van out of diesel and for some reason the orange low fuel light is not coming up despite the needle being on E? It really turns over like it is out of gas but of course this is a diesel and I realize the importance of glow plug.

Would love any ideas if you have them.

For now I really just want to get my van started and drive it home to the mechanic down the street from me.....but not having it start up due to one of the above might keep this from happening.

I guess the bottom line however is pretty damn lucky. I would never leave my van overnight in a insecure public parking lot back in Canada and I shouldn't have here. Fortunately the original L300 is very common here and all the new/used parts I need (except an auto trans) I should be able to find and get it back on the road.

Thanks for listening and give your Delica an extra look before you go to bed tonight.

So very sorry.

Your troubles may all be due to dead battery. Battery may need replacing if FULLY discharged (such as if interior lights etc left on the small draw is worst, it will totally drain battery). Will need a new battery. Sometimes can attach another battery from a running vehicle and let it sit draining power from the other battery for 20 minutes, then try again (do not try for 20 minutes), or put a slow charger on for 8 hours, but you may have had the battery damaged by the Deep discharge and freezing weather.

Others will be adding ideas. Good Luck, Christine.

I'm guessing the same. Dead battery culprit. Sorry to hear but glad to hear you got it back.

Sounds like its time for a "Kill Switch"

Ya ya Kill Switch it ,pick a location easy to reach but hard to see!
Sorry to hear of your woes!

My first thought was right on the battery.

The other trick I use to do if I left the car for any length of time was to pull the buss fuse off the lead to the fuel solenoid on the IP

Just today, as I flew to Edmonton this afternoon, I parked my Deli in the economy lot at YVR... and for some strange reason the "what if somebody want's to steal my ride?" thought came to mind.

Didn't have a club - but I had a bicycle cable lock... as the steering column extends "free standing" into the floorboards, I actually led the cable around the steering wheel and then around the bottom of the column after turning the wheel as far right (or left) as it goes... since the cable gives a bit of room to steer I didn't want my wheels to point straight....

Besides, my earlier ECU failure and the fact that I have a little button to fire the glow plugs now, will make it hard (and in these temperatures very improbable) that somebody who doesn't know will succeed in starting it... except of course all those of you who read this post and knew to look for the button

I hope you get your ignition lock and starting / glow-plug issues sorted out real quick - and a bike cable or a steering wheel club may help to prevent potential future theft issues.

Cheers,
Chris

\Diesel engines don't need electricity to run so your problem probalby stems from the mangle key switch which is stuck in the off position which turns off a solenoid fuel value ,so no fuel no start.Your going to have to fix or replace the key switch or figure out the key switch wiring so you can bypass it,Good luck Jay

Hello again,

So I returned to the scene today with my battery fully charged up, some extra fuel and a battery booster. Even with the battery topped up I did not hear the glow plugs engaging with their clicks.......and the fuel was still in there....so really it was time to spray starter fluid into the air intake........After a long time cranking and some horrible knocking at the beginning my Delica came alive the old fashioned way....Phew!

I have since driven it home and at least it is out of the warzone....everything seems ok with drive-transmission, the passenger door around where the lock used to be is pretty roughed up......and the ignition is definitely screwing things up with some electrics.

The major obstacle now also is I have NO GLOW PLUGS engaging!

Looks like I am taking this over to the technical forum from here on so.....


Calling all GLOW PLUG gurus!

It sounds like the ignition switch is FUBAR to the point that the 'ON' setting is always selected. What this means is the ECU has already timed-out the glow plug cycle (after 3 minutes, the glow plug controller stops cycling the glow plugs).

There is an initial glowing of the plugs: 4-8 seconds.

After starting, depending on temperature, there is a cycling of the glow plugs in order to assist warming the cylinder such that the combustion cycle will run on its own without any help. This is the rapid clicking some hear when the vehicle is cold, in the dead-of-winter.

After 180 seconds, the ECU stops cycling the glow plugs.

The other thing it COULD be is the temperature sensor is broken such that the ECU always thinks the engine is warm, but if your glow plugs were 'clicking' before, I doubt this is the issue now. It was the ignition switch which was screwed with the driver, probably not the temperature sensor.

Try changing out the iginition switch - even in these old vans, there is an awful lot going on in there. Lots of stuff controlled by that little device.

As I had indicated in an earlier post, my ECU started to malfunction (as diagnosed by CVI) due to the lack of a DRL box installation (with the headlights wired right into the ignition lock). As such my ECU continued to fire the glow plugs even when the engine was already warm and had been running (in the midst of a drive - say Vancouver to Hope, it would start clicking in and out in Surrey or so... didn't make any sense).

As a result my Glow Plugs burned out with terrible starting challenges as a consequence. A new set of glow plugs fixed the problem until these plugs were burned out too.

Finally, rather than buying / installing a new ECU, CVI suggested that I bypass the ECU altogether by installing a push-button which allows me to fire the glowplugs manually (and I can fire them as long or as short as I think is needed, depending on weather).

Aside from the added function of turning a key A N D pushing a button at the same time, nothing has changed and this system works fine - and is very cheap (a high enough amp button sets you back about $ 15.00 - $ 20.00) plus a little bit of tinkering....

So this is how I solved the problem (and I'm sticking to it)...

Cheers, Chris

I was going to suggest the same aas Chris above. When my ECU tanked I set up a manual push button switch. it only takes 10 minutes to do. Just run a fused 12V lead from your battery to the switch, and then back onto your glow plug terminal.

However I differ from Chris in that after I had my ECU professionally rebuilt in Texas there was a huge difference in starting between using the switch and the algorithms that the ECU execute on a start sequence.

In addition you should bear in mind that the Delica GLow Plugs are 6V. It is my understanding that the ECU gives the Glow Plugs 12V for a very short burst, then reverts to 6V for the subsequent cycles. If you use a manual switch you must be cautious about how long you depress it, no more than 6-8 seconds has been suggested. If you do decide to just stick with a manual switch perhaps retrofitting 12V plugs would be an option.

In my opinion there is no substitute for a proper functioning ECU, and the manual switch is a great trick to have in your back pocket for when it's needed, as in your present case.

Edit: The circuit I ran was not high amperage, as I recall it was less than 30 amps and the fuse never blew, but as the average draw of a 12V slow glow plug is 9 amps it would make sense. As the Deli plugs are 6V, then if it were to provide the same energy as a 12V glow plug with the same resistance Ohm's law would lead me to believe the 6V Deli plugs would probably draw, let's say, 5 amps, for a total of 20 on the circuit.

PPS: I remember there is some great info on this site about installing a kill switch, now I just have to dig it up again and get busy....