Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hey all, I'm having a strange ticking noise behind the drivers seat area in my L300. It doesn't sound like it's coming from the engine (i could be wrong), but it sounds like it's about centered between the wheel wells, around where the rear AC/Heat controls are. It is very audible from outside and inside, and sound like some sort of electrical switch. Almost like a turn signal sound, or something turning on and off.

The sound starts as soon as the electric power turns on, even before the engine is on... Continues when idling. Then once we get driving, is soon disappears.

Any thoughts as to what it could be and how to fix it?

Thanks for any suggestions and help!

-Scotty

The sound starts as soon as the electric power turns on, even before the engine is on... Continues when idling. Then once we get driving, is soon disappears.

Sounds like your glow plug controler,it is in the b pillar that your driver side seatbealt is atached
to. Easy fix if you search around the site.
Also could be a sign your alternator or battery is gonna take a poo on ya soon.....so check those too.

Right On!

I'm going Luna-Sea's diagnosis of glow plugs also, but I diagnose a different section of the glow plug system. If your clicking sounds like morse code, loudly, it often is the glow plug temperature sensor that sits just near the front of your engine, near the top of the engine (forward of your oil filler cap). There is a little 2 blade electrical plug, which is screwed into your engine head. This plug is called a "guage" and it senses the temperature of the coolant before you start the engine, so it knows whether to activate the glow plugs to prewarm the system, before you turn the key fully to start the engine. It stops clicking in and out once your engine coolant warms up. It is easy to unscrew the old one and put a new one in. But the part itself is not cheap (needs a genuine mitsubishi part, I think it was mid 60 dollar ish, can't recall as I got several things at once). I don't know where you live (please can you add it to your profile so we can instantly read it under your username). CVI in Richmond has them in stock (I know for certain, I just got one, and there were 5 left on Friday), as usually does John of RockyMountainImports.net near Victoria (he mails parts out to many of the other parts dealers, and to individual owners).

This noise must be dealt with asap, as glow plugs will overheat, the tips will burn off, and then tips can fall into the engine and poof -- engine cylinder damaged. Or at the very least you will have to replace the expensive glow plugs once they overheat.

Because the weather is quite warm still, you are able to start. But on a cold morning you will be cranking and cranking to get it started, and coughing black smoke while starting and while running until things warm up.

If you're not local, or not able to test the sensor, I can go out and test what my voltage should be reading on that sensor. I havent experimented with it, but I have an old one that doesnt work, and my new one that does work, so I can maybe give you a guideline.

One other idea to check, have you replaced your glow plugs recently, if so are you certain the voltage is correct. If you are getting the correct voltage to all 4 glow plugs, then you need to check the voltage from the ECU.

As Luna-sea suggests, Is your battery good, can you get someone to "do a load test on it" takes a few seconds for your neighbour or a mechanic to put the 2 clamps on your battery. If load test is good, then probably not alternator or battery. But the alternator is hard to test, but the big clue on L300 is to watch your dashboard while driving at night, if the "idiot lights" (you know, all the little icons for oil temperature etc) that are along the bottom of your dash, if they all light up or all glow faintly or pulsate on and off while driving then that is the big clue your alternator is signalling you for help.

Tell me more, Christine.

Thank for all of the great comments. I appreciate all of your help!
I'm located in Armstrong, just north of Vernon. (I'll update my profile soon).
I just got the delica and am unfamiliar with everything.
The ticking is fairly loud, and not an evenly spaced ticking. From the replies it sounds most like the temp sensor. I'm not scared to put a few bucks into the car as I'm heading on a long trip soon, so I'll probably get one and a set of glow plugs just to be safe.

Any other

In our van, the glow plug controller (in the pillar behind the driver) clicks for several seconds after start up when cold. When it is warm, it may only click once or twice after startup. It has done this ever since we got it 2 years ago. I posted a query about this on the forum quite some time ago

http://www.delica.ca/forum/to-glow-or-n ... 30-30.html

You might check on the whole thread. Lots of info on glow plugs there.

Rod

Ol'Lefty wrote:Thank for all of the great comments. I appreciate all of your help!
I'm located in Armstrong, just north of Vernon. (I'll update my profile soon).
I just got the delica and am unfamiliar with everything.
The ticking is fairly loud, and not an evenly spaced ticking. From the replies it sounds most like the temp sensor. I'm not scared to put a few bucks into the car as I'm heading on a long trip soon, so I'll probably get one and a set of glow plugs just to be safe.

Any other

If your vehicle is doing this when the engine is warm it's VERY likely the 2-wire temp sensor.

Luna-Sea wrote:

The sound starts as soon as the electric power turns on, even before the engine is on... Continues when idling. Then once we get driving, is soon disappears.

Sounds like your glow plug controler,it is in the b pillar that your driver side seatbealt is atached
to. Easy fix if you search around the site.
Also could be a sign your alternator or battery is gonna take a poo on ya soon.....so check those too.

Right On!

You know.... I completely missed that line.... I'm sorry ~ I think I got through the first paragraph and formulated a response without properly diagnosing the whole post.... tsk, tsk, tsk.

From what I understand, it's supposed to do that. First tick ~ wait three seconds (or so); second tick ~ turn the engine over; and after the engine has started the glow plugs still do a little work to ensure that cylinders are warm enough, no?

Falco.

FalcoColumbarius wrote: From what I understand, it's supposed to do that. First tick ~ wait three seconds (or so); second tick ~ turn the engine over; and after the engine has started the glow plugs still do a little work to ensure that cylinders are warm enough, no?

Yep, that's what my bus has done since I bought it...

konadog wrote:

FalcoColumbarius wrote: From what I understand, it's supposed to do that. First tick ~ wait three seconds (or so); second tick ~ turn the engine over; and after the engine has started the glow plugs still do a little work to ensure that cylinders are warm enough, no?

Yep, that's what my bus has done since I bought it...

Ok.. So I guess I shouldn't be too worried then? That's quite a releif. Again, thanks for all your help.

To add to your topic. My deli does exactly the same thing. After the engine has started there are maybe 4-5 more clicks and that's the end of it.

Ol'Lefty wrote:Hey all, I'm having a strange ticking noise behind the drivers seat area in my L300. It doesn't sound like it's coming from the engine (i could be wrong), but it sounds like it's about centered between the wheel wells, around where the rear AC/Heat controls are. It is very audible from outside and inside, and sound like some sort of electrical switch. Almost like a turn signal sound, or something turning on and off.

The sound starts as soon as the electric power turns on, even before the engine is on... Continues when idling. Then once we get driving, is soon disappears.

Any thoughts as to what it could be and how to fix it?

Thanks for any suggestions and help!

-Scotty

We had that exact same thing happening to our Delica for the last while, combined with rough idle when we'd first start it up. In our case, it turned out to be a dead glow plug as well as the temperature sensor that mararmeisto mentioned. We got the 4 glow plugs and temperature sensor replaced, and now she only clicks twice and fires up first try!