Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club

Hi there! I live in Thompson MB (8 hours north of Winnipeg) and I'm considering buying one of these cool machines. My wife and I want to get something to replace her high mileage RAV4 (alittle small for us and 3 big dogs). Right now it's a toss-up between a a Toyota Hilux and the Delica. My concerns lay toward how this beast does during cold winters.. and I mean cold.. -40 for a month straight isn't rare up here. So i guess my questions would be..

1) How is it to start on a -40 C day? We would of course keep it plugged in but sh&t can happen and block heaters do die..
2) How does it hold up to a cold, brittle winter? Parts wise? Any known, chronic problems due to the cold?
3) That leads to the parts themselves.. easy to get? Hard to throw on the machine? I'm about a 6.5 outta 10 on mechanical ability (the wife may be better) .. We're 8 hrs from a dealer so we definitly want something reliable.
4) Anything else that may be of concern. (Yep.. I know that's kinda broad..)

I'd really like to hear from someone who drives it around in some harsh winters (there's gotta be someone on here from Fort Mac).. but all replies are welcome!

Thanks

Hey there
I have had my delica going into it's third winter.
An L300. I have a block heater and a pan heater. Im in Saskatoon but
am often in the north way up past PA Ice fishing in the extreme cold and
doing some traveling in Northern Alberta with it. Here's my take.

Very capable in the outdoors. Clearance is quite decent.
My starts very well, if I forget to plug it in and it's -25-28C I can
get it to start usually. But the van hates me when I do that.
Don't count on it starting at -40.

Also, that being said. I have a friend here that has a heck of a time
getting his started in -15 so I guess it depends on your vehicle.
I run 0/50 or 0/40 synthetic (cant remember which) and it really makes
a difference. My other friend has a Toy Surf. That's another can of worms
that.. <ick>

You have probably read all the posts on getting your vehicle checked
and certain things done before you buy or drive it away. Do it.
Don't rely on anyone in Thompson to be able to do much for you.
I've been in Thompson (Brother and family lived there for too many years;)

If you are able to maintain and check the little things you should be ok.
I can't remember but isn't there issues trying to get RHD vehicles
past inspection at the moment? Someone else can probably update us
on that.

Firesong

If you are looking for a strong diesel that can start at -40C then you may consider a Nissan Safari (otherwise known as Patrol in the rest of the world)

Inline 6cyl naturally aspirated, 24V, massive drivetrain. It's a tank and built to work in extreme conditions hot & cold.

The Delica's can handle -20 to -30 with additional heating (block/espar/coolant/oilpan, etc...)

The L400's 2.8L 4M40 diesel engine is easier to start in cold winters than the L300's 2.5L 4D56T if that's a consideration as well.

If a choice between a Hilux and an L300 for rough country, I would pick the Hilux providing it's a 5speed and 3L head as they are quite robust for a little pickup.

But, you don't get the comfort of the space the Delica has. With that said, at -40, I would be less inclined to spend a lot of time inside any vehicle unless necessary

I'm near Dauphin MB, and have had 2 of the l400's since july 09. They have both been great for us, but our weather is not quite as harsh as yours. I installed webasto diesel fired coolant heaters on mine, mainly because I am a the Deputy Chief of our fire dept. and when the pager goes off, the van is started and the pedal goes to the floor. There is no time allowed for warm up. The webasto uses very little fuel, less than 1 litre for a twelve hour span of -32C. At that price, it is not worth me plugging it in, as the webasto has the coolant heated to any where between 150F-170F. They also have a 7 day programable timer that you can set to come on when you wake up. I have tried starting my lwb unheated just to see how it would perform, in -32C with new glow plugs and 0w-30 full synthetic oil I cycled the glow plugs twice and it fired up fine.

Jason

With modification would be a great truck at -40 in my mind. But all cars need a little modification to last at those temperatures. but simple design aids in modification.

Just thought I would say that the Web. Heater sounds
pretty decent in the amount of fuel it uses. Do you mind
pm'ing me some info on where you installed it etc.
Thx
FS

Thanks for all the replies! Alot of good information to digest.

We're still doing our research to see if they're the right machine for us.
I guess a good question is how good is the longevity of the Delica? I've heard that the Surf will run for damn near forever.. how about the Delica?

Thanks again

Quick, there is a rare custom winterized L300 for sale by CC Autos on Vancouver Island.

Glen just finished modifying this L300 for extreme north use, he put in LSD Limited Slip differential, block heater, heavy duty batteries, and tons of super winter stuff. He has been drivng this one himself, so you know that everything is totally reliable, and it's not advertised yet as he was awaiting a new vehicle to arrive. You can read on this forum all the praise for Glen and Graham and The Lads at CC Autos.

www.ccautos.ca Phone 1 250 954 2157 email ccautos@telus.net

Cheers, Christine. (By the way, you are welcome to stay with us at our Burnaby home, about 25 minutes from the Vancouver Airport or the ferry terminals. Many out of towners have done so, and then keep popping back for Delica vacations and Mini-Meets).

Firesong wrote:Just thought I would say that the Web. Heater sounds
pretty decent in the amount of fuel it uses. Do you mind
pm'ing me some info on where you installed it etc.
Thx
FS

Why PM'ing? We are all interested in Diesel heater mods I'm planing to install mine behind the side panel where the controls of the rear AC used to live. There are are two coolant lines just below from the rear heater and the fuel tank is not far away either. Will post some pics once I start the install.

this delica has dual batteries.. if you think you might be interested, i could get the block heater installed. ill even drive it to manitoba. when you talk tyo glen about his at ccauto, you can ask about this one...
http://www.delica.ca/forum/1993-l300-gl ... -8974.html