Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

This is my first post on this forum and I appreciate any help given. I live in the USA and we don't have any Delicas down here (They look really nice). I converted a GMC diesel five years ago and it has been a very rewarding project. But I will be moving to Okinawa next month for about five years and noticed a few Delica vans for sale in the online classifieds. I was thinking of removing some of WVO equipment on my current vehicle and bringing it along to use on a Delica. I read through all 19 pages of the archives but couldn't find the answers I am looking for. Most of the vans I saw for sale were mid and late 90's. Are there any years to avoid due to complicated fuel delivery or such? Do the vans use a lift pump feeding an injection pump and if so where is the lift pump and is it electrical or mechanical and what pressure does the lift pump put out.

There are also Toyota Diesel vans and some other makes listed, any favorites?

Thanks in advance,

todd

Hi Todd,

I too have a GM WVO vehicle but am moving on to a '95 l400 Delica in a month. I'm not sure which vintage GM you have but compaired to the GM 6.5 lt. electronic ones (I have a '99) and newer, there is almost no electronics on the Delica motors (to '96 anyways). From the reading I have done, the injector pumps are less sensitive and work well with WVO. I don't believe a lift pump is required (others who have converted please chime in to anything I have said in this thread) but my thought was to put one in anyway with about 2-4 psi push on it at the tank.

What do you other greasers say?

It's only the IP, no lift pump although a few of us have added an extra one just after the wvo tank (under 7psi) but again, not required (depending of your system). If you do, might be better to put one that will allow the fuel to go through if the pump dies... safer.

No years to avoid, they're all pretty much the same but read the FAQ for some cosmetic/body difference over the years.

Cheers!
Mr. D

The 99's are nice, I have an '82 suburban. Indirect injection, no electronics, runs well on WVO. No lift pump on the Delica, nice. Now I know what to bring. The Island isn't that big but the traffic can be pretty bad, so I will look for a Delica and set up a system when i get there. Thanks guys.

no lift pump. all you need is a valve and a heat exchanger and youre golden.
question: do they fry in Japan? do they toss used oil?

Yes, I will be moving to Okinawa as a military civilian. But as I understand it, the insurance is actually lower than what I pay here. All vehicles must pass GOJ Inspection (Government of Japan) which runs about $300 - $800 (Which depends on what kind of vehicle and how much of the paperwork you process yourself) and normally includes the JCI ( Japanese Compulsory Insurance) which is a liability insurance that covers serious injury up to 30,000.000 Yen and hospitalization up to 1,200,00 yen. "American Insurance" (Property damage insurance) is also required which should run me between $100 and $200 every two years. Not sure if Okinawa is any different than the mainland in this respect.

Also not sure what the official policy on running WVO is there, but if it anything like here, if I were to ask an official I would probably get a "Deer in the headlight" stare followed by ... "What?" With matters like this I usually go by the old saying that it is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. (He said from the jail cell)

With he temperatures staying so high there it seems like the conversion will be pretty simple. From what I have read they are pretty particular about their recycling, so not sure about the availability, but there are plenty of deep fryers there for sure. If I can't source some oil I can always clean up the heat exchanger and use it as a paperweight.

Thanks again,

todd